Community Brag Posts

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.

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. 

Over the last several weeks I’ve built a few different variations on the Easy Jewelry Box plan:

A narrow tower style one for my Hubby to use in the office at home, using 1x6 and 1x3 for the drawer sides, and 1x10 for the dresser box sides (no overhangs on this one) measures 10 ¾”wide x 24 ¾” tall. The drawers are not lined. The bottoms on these drawers don’t have felt – I used wax on the bottoms of the drawers, and also on the shelves, and they slide just fine.

The wide tower – this one is wide enough to hold paper and office supplies, and was made to the same height as the original narrow tower. The drawer sides are 1x3 and 1x6, with 1x12 as the dresser box sides (measures 16 ¼” wide x 24 ¾” tall). These are unlined, and also got wax on the bottom of the drawers and on the shelves.

I’m going to make a top to go across both of them so it’s the same height as the keyboard/mouse, and paint it to match the desk surface (BTW – the desks are a variation on the Rustic Table).

Distressed storage – the drawers for these are some strips of ½” plywood that were left over from another project. The dresser boxes are from 1x8. Also for these I left off the overhangs, and used the Minwax stain pen on the edges for a painted distressed finish. I liked the first one, and ended up building another to match. Each one measures 8 ¾” W x 10 ¼” T x 7 ¼”D.

Also, one of the easy jewelry boxes made exactly to the plan, with a weathered gray finish and the optional drawer divider. I’ve built more of those in different finishes, but they will be gifts, so I won’t brag those just now.

I used up a lot of my scrap wood, and the paint was what I already had on hand. Most of the knobs are from Target (the multi-packs were cheaper than buying the single knobs).

I fell in love with this table and decided to tackle it as my first ever furniture build. We spent more money that we'd planned investing in some new tools (i.e. Kreg Jig Mini and Clamps). We also had a lot of anxiety about initially getting started and trying the Kreg Jig for the first time, but I watched Ana's Kreg Jig Tutorial on Youtube, and it was actually very easy.

I'm going to say that it took us 10-20 hours to complete, because of the way we finished the table. We only worked on it 1-2 hours each week though, so it took us a couple months. :-)

This table is now on our patio where we can use it for toy storage or as a serving buffet for BBQ's. I'd call it a success! Thanks Ana for the inspiration!

For this project, I wanted my faux fireplace to look very similar to a real fireplace (of course!). So in orde to do that, I added a little more depth by using 1x6 boards instead of 1x3s. For the front of the piece, I added the faux brick wall paneling from Home Depot and used the spackling method to give it that weathered appearance!! 

Even though this project is not made from a specific plan, I'm posting it because it is made with the knowledge I gained from reading hundreds of plans from this site. I actually saw this at a shop and loved it, but they wanted almost $400.00 for it! Using all the skills Ana and the rest of you on this blog taught me, I went home and wrote up my own plans. Note the weird giant drawer....custom build for my purse.
The door is wonky, can't seem to get the hang of doors, but I'm proud of it and for my house, this is good enough!!
BTW, the farm bench next to it is from Ana's farm bench plans, just used 2xs instead of 1xs and added a shelf.
Thanks Ana for teaching me the skills I needed to build this fun tall hutch!

I made this a built-in cabinet instead of freestanding. I am so in love with how it turned out. My 15 year old daughter helped me build it, and we couldn't be happier. The total cost for this was around $300. The wood itself was only $200, but my drill died on me, so I had to get a new one. (Poor me, right?)

This new built-in has changed the whole look of my dining room. I just wish I had done this a year ago!

The plans seemed ok for me. I used all scrap lumber I had laying around. I bought a kreg jig in the middle of this project, after watching one of Ana's vidoes's about pocket holes. That is one reason why I built the 3 doors all twice, but also swapped out the top piece of the bin 3x's before I finally settled. In other words, I really struggled with this, but I was so excited to perservere and have this completed!  

I haven't wanted to make one of these for a long time. Thank you so much for the site and all the plans! I love all your work and your style. 

I've been dying to build this Rustic X Console since Ana posted the plans. I raided my dad's stash of lumber in his barn (does that make it "barn wood"?) and built it out of 2x4's and 2x6's. I subbed the 1x12 for two 2x6's and love the planked look on the shelves. I also ripped the 2x2's from 2x4's on my table saw. After sanding and staining, I decided it needed a little something extra. So I stenciled it! I used a grey sample Valspar from Lowes and used a small roller over the stencil. It was so easy! Afterwards I coated the piece in furniture wax, though I plan to coat the top with polyurethane. Latex paint over oil-based stain doesn't stick very well, so an oil topcoat will help seal it on. I love this table and can't wait to fill it up with goodies!