Community Brag Posts

I've been a long time creeper, pinner, favoriter of this site. I finally got a garage sufficient to build. Of course, the first project had to be an actual work bench for the many projects to come.

33" was a bit short for my tastes so I adjusted the leg height to 40". Also half way through my project I realized that my 2x4's were not true 2x4's. This became problematic with the four support beams for the top board. I was able to cut some proper length boards from some backup/emergency lumber. I still plan on figuring out what I want to do with the stain but that was all time allotted for!

These plans are easy to build. Built it in about a day. It was around $100 plus paint. 

My first ever building project! I learned a few important lessons: it's really hard to make a straight cut with a jig saw, and you have to use large hinges (the tiny hinges I put on there first ripped right out). It was a great learning experience, the fences really were easy to build, and my two-year-old LOVES them! Now I'm ready for my next project. :)

I needed a step stool for my son to be able to reach the bathroom sink to brush teeth and wash hands. This plan was exactly what I was looking for. As I do with all first time projects, I built this out of inexpensive pine. It is very sturdy, and holds me without a problem. I routed the edges of the treads, and used 1x3 material for the braces as opposed to the 1x2 called for in the plan. The plan was easy to follow and the cutting list worked perfectly. The most challenging part was creating the curves with the jig saw, but truly wasn't bad at all.

I finished these night stands this past spring. I followed the Kentwood night stand plan from Ana-White, but made a few design changes. I decided to arc the doors to give the tables a little more character. The material I chose was 3/4" pine. The table bases are finished off with 3 coats of Sherwin Williams paint, and the tops are walnut stained with 3 coats of poly. The contrast between the base and the top came out great, the stands look beautiful in our bedroom and offer lots of storage.  

I was inspired by Ana's 4 Hole Cubby Bookshelf and a bookshelf I saw on line one night. So I incorporated the two somewhat. I took stair parts for the corner legs and connected them to form a frame with 1x3 on the bottom and 1x2 around the top. Then installed the inside side walls such that the ends are inset. I added a top with an inch or so of overhang on the sides and front. I also made the two shelves adjustable with my new Kreg Shelf Pin jig. It was so easy and accurate. Dimensions are about the same as the 4 Hole Cubby but I admit I winged it at times. Came out very nice and now the wife wants to add another shelf and I think there is plenty of room.

I used Ana's Gaby Kitchen Island plans and shortened the island to fit our small kitchen. I did not have reclaimed wood, so I used a vinegar and steel wool solution to transform the fir and pine into a completely unexpected look. For the top, I trimmed the edges of the 2 x 6s with my table saw to get a smoother top surface, then routered the edges with a 1/2 inch round over bit (thanks Steve Ramsey). I used white pine down the middle to make up for the edges I removed which looks like a cool custom stripe. (I also used the white pine for the side supports so hopefully there's some cohesion.)

Thank you Ana for the inspiration and great project! Can't wait for the next one :)

This was my first ever time building anything, even though I've wanted to for a really long time! It was great! I love this website. Wish I had a nailgun at the time I did this project, but I did get one after I realized how much I love carpentry. Thanks Ana!

Was very easy and fun to build , built from very easy and cheap console table plan

This is my first project using Ana's site. The step by step plans made is really easy. I enjoyed it so much. Can't wait for my next make!

We're expecting a baby in November and we picked this as our first Nursery Decor project!

We were originally inspired by the Letter Z project we found on here on Ana's site. So we went ahead and made our own design on google sketch-up. It was a good first project for us to learn how to use Google sketch-up (although we still aren't very good at it).

We wrote about building the project on our blog here: http://thehuth.blogspot.com/2012/10/brought-to-you-by-letter-h.html

This was a fun project and we love the way it turned out!

I've been meaning to build a coffee table for a few months now. About a month ago we received a hutch from some family friends. The back of it was made of 3/4" tongue and groove boards. So, I used those boards to make the top of the table and a couple of 2x4's to make the base. It's got a cool rustic feel that goes really well with the beach chic design that we have in our living room. For the design i really liked the look of the x picnic table, so I modified it for a coffee table.

I modified this plan slightly in how I attached the legs to the table top. I put screw inserts into the bottom of the table so I could screw the legs in and not worry about the wood stripping. We move often and I can't move the whole table assembled. Also, I haven't secured the cross beam, so this table will completely flatten and be easy to pack.

You can see the final project here: http://crabandfish.blogspot.com/2012/10/lil-archers-bed-its-done-its-do…

It was time for our son to move to a big-boy bed! We looked at tons of plans, but none were quite what I wanted. In the end, fish modified plans for Ana White's Camp Loft Bed with Stair. We wanted to make it a bit shorter because we only have 8' ceilings and there is a ceiling fan in the room. We spent about $80 for the lumber and invested in a kreg jig as well. The bed is stained with Minwax Golden Oak. We bought a 10" deep twin-sized foam mattress for the bed - if you are adding a coil mattress and boxspring, the bedside rails would definitely need to be higher.

Our son LOVES it! He is almost three and is easily able to navigate the stairs, which I don't believe will become too "baby-ish" as he grows older. If they do, the steps can easily be removed from the frame without losing structural integrity.

The underbed area has a great "cool" factor - we hang blankets to create forts, and it has become a place our son gravitates to for reading, playing, anything!

This table was made using the original farmhouse table plans with pocket holes.I tapered the two inside sides of the 4x4s (25%) and subtracted the bottom support structure. All pieces were glued and screwed using the kreg system. Even without the lower support this table is rock solid. I choose to make this table look a little more traditional then the farmhouse table to match our design plans.

All parts of the table were sanded down smooth to 180 grit and treated with minwax prestain wood conditioner. The table was then stained with cabot premium wood stain and sealer in one(espresso -satin). Warning large surfaces are hard to stain evenly with out brush marks using this product. I used 3 coats in all with a light sanding using 600 grit after the first coat since it is a water based stain. It covered just a little more of the natural wood grain then I would have liked but I did prefer it to the polyshades product I used on the custom bench behind it.

When using pine it maybe best to just go for the distressed look. I am worried that my smooth table top will get destroyed by my son but he knows he isn't allowed to play cars on the table now so I am crossing my fingers. So far the table top is holding up very nicely to any abuse but it is still early on in its life.

I think in the future I will bite the bullet and use hard woods. As long as it takes to build furniture its nice if it lasts a little longer.

We made the table with modifications to extend it from 72 inches to 96 inches. We created breadboard table ends.