Community Brag Posts

First project - Play Kitchen

Submitted by trotter on Mon, 03/19/2012 - 07:33

After my wife commented how much our son enjoyed playing with a pretend kitchen during play group, I began thinking about building one of our own. Searching online I found all of the amazing work that had been posted here and drew inspiration from all of the examples already shared.

Yesterday was the grand unveiling and I'm happy to report it was well received. Our son had to be dragged away from it for his bath and bed after hours of opening and closing all of the door and restacking his dishes. Thanks to all of you for the great ideas and the confidence to build on my own!

PS: The Kreg jig is the greatest DIY invention of all time.

Estimated Cost
$230
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Spar Polyurethane (spray can) followed by sanding with 400 grit sandpaper after drying for 24 hours
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

TIffonie

Fri, 08/31/2012 - 19:15

Im in love with this. It's perfect for a boy. Your alterations are very nice. What did you use to do the countertop and stainless steel appliances?

Tanner (not verified)

Sat, 09/01/2012 - 16:05

The countertop and appliances were both done with just plain old Contact Paper. I found both at Lowe's. Good luck!

My first ever woodworking experience!

My primitive mitre plastic template didn't allow me to get a 60 degree angle so I went with the very simply upright thingies instead! The vinegar, wire wool and tea oxidisation worked a treat and was far easier to apply than stain.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Vinegar and wire wool applied 24hrs after dark tea application.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Breakfast Nook

Submitted by BERobinson on Thu, 03/31/2016 - 11:54

U-shaped breakfast nook custom built for client.

For the bones - I just laid the 2x4's out like studs all the way around.  Odd corner in back R, 106 degrees, made for some fun mitreing on molding and plywood.

For the decorative finish, used single-piece paneling, not the wainscoting sheet-panels, to give a fuller look.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax ebony stain on wood planking, and semi-gloss white on seat and molding.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

First Ever Furniture Build - Outdoor Sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/02/2023 - 10:30

This was my first ever piece of furniture that I made and it was so much fun! I’ve got the furniture making bug now!

Melissa Pilcher

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Chalkboard Shelf

Submitted by saracrow on Wed, 03/21/2012 - 11:43

I wanted to make my girlfriend a gift for her birthday and came across this shelf. It turned out wonderful and I can't wait to make one for myself now!

Estimated Cost
$3 (for the chalk)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Chalkboard spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Dresser With Open Bottom Shelf

Submitted by stacynabby on Fri, 01/10/2014 - 22:15

I needed a dresser to match the two farmhouse sidetables I built for the room and this design fit the bill. I really had to take the time to figure out where to place the pocket holes. Finishing is my least favorite part of the process, but I'm glad to have really taken my time. This was a really challenging project and I'm so pleased with the end product. By far, my favorite build yet!

Estimated Cost
$225 - $250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot Fruitwood stain and four coats of polyurethane satin finish. Last sanding was with 600 grit.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wide Cabin Dresser

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/02/2016 - 09:05

Built from the Wide Cabin Dresser w/ metal slides plans.  I used soft-close ball bearing drawer slides instead of the European style ones suggested.  The other departure from the plans: I liked the way the three separate boards in the open (bottom) row looked in the Pottery Barn model, hence used that instead of the flat board shown in the plans (and many of the other brag posts).

I don't know how people manage to get this done in a single digit number of hours.  It took me a single digit number of hours just to get the drawers right and I would still say they're not 100% perfect.  Having said this, I rated this project "intermediate" since I'm sure people with more wood-working experience than me (this was my first) would avoid some careless mistakes that I made and which required a few redo's here and there.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Narrow Console Table (Modern Farmhouse)

Submitted by kwildman on Tue, 12/03/2019 - 18:03

This is a beautiful console table built using the Narrow Console Table (Modern Farmhouse) plan.  This is modified to be slightly wider, longer, and taller than the original plan.  The dimensions are 68" long, 34" high, and 12.75" wide.   The plan was very easy to follow and it was simple to adjust the measurements.

I used Varathane Dark Walnut Stain and once that was dry, I went over that lightly with Varathane Classic Gray stain.   The final finish is Minwax Dark Wax and buffed.   

More photos available on my facebook wood shop page at the link below.

Estimated Cost
75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane dark walnut fast drying stain with Varathane gray classic wiped lightly over the dark walnut after it dried. A final coat of Minwax dark wax and buffed.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

ladybug'13

Thu, 12/05/2019 - 12:06

Beautiful! I really like the finish you did on this table, thanks for sharing the details. I may need to try this myself. 

Waterfall Framed Grand Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/06/2023 - 14:00

Stunning Waterfall Console Table Build by lipsticksandsawdust on Instagram

Comments

Toy Storage

Submitted by camcginty on Fri, 03/23/2012 - 20:49

In our basement we have an 8 inch oak ledge on the outside walls. I love the oak finished ledge, but it makes it hard to place furniture up against it. The furniture is either shorter or taller than the ledge and looks awkward. So, I built several storage pieces to fit our area and ledge. I modified a couple of different plans to create our toy storage area. It's so useful and looks great.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used the paint and finishing ideas from the plan "Our new pantry". She used Valspar Cabin Red paint and Valspar Antiquing glaze. They no longer have Cabin Red, but I just used a similar color. I love the Antiquing glaze and have used it for numerous projects.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Doll Bed

Submitted by Tweegytoes on Sun, 01/12/2014 - 15:04

This was my first wood working project. I made this for my little sister for Christmas. It was a great starter project. I may be biased but I think it turned out pretty good.

Estimated Cost
$10.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I sanded with 120 grit sand paper. Then put two coats of Valspar Satin Ultra White paint on it.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Aqua blue/ wheatherd gray table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/04/2016 - 21:43

Used the design and got really ugly knotty and grainy wood to give it more character, as well as distressed it with a hammer and a 2' chain and hand planned/sanded. Stained Aqua Blue and sanded parts back to bare wood, then restrained with heavy spots and light spots of Wheatherd Gray and did 3 coats of Satin polyurethane.

Estimated Cost
my project cost was probably about $165-185 at end.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Aqua Blue & Weatherd Gray Minwax Stains and 3 coats of Minwax Satin Polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Christmas Cedar Planter

Submitted by LampAtFeet on Tue, 12/10/2019 - 19:21

I loved the plans for the cedar planter. It was a quick build and it's such a versatile item. I left the wood natural to give it a more rustic look. I'm planning to make a longer planter to use as a gift basket for Christmas gifts. 

Estimated Cost
$2
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Wipe on satin polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2-tier wire baskets

Submitted by alekosbiki on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 14:26

One of the kitchen accessories is
a bottle rack. 
There are many kinds of bottle
rack depending on the type of bottle (oil or whiskey) and the use of it
(sliding, stable under the sink, in a single cabinet roundtrips etc).

The demands of my own
construction is on bottle rack wagon (ie kitchen pulled out of context), will
find below and next to the sink that will use the entire height of the cabinet
and will have bottles of oil that can be dirty and will therefore be 
wash.Finally it is two storey with
the second shelf can be moved in height. 
The dimensions are length 53,2 cm width 25cm and
height 50cm. 
The materials we use are white
melamine 16mm aluminum angle, aluminum tubes and aluminum sheets to dress
racks. 


Materials of Construction

Melamine White 16mm: 4pcs x
(25cm x 50cm)
Aluminum angles (15mmx15mm):
4pcs 4pcs x 50cm x 47cm and
Aluminum tubes 10mm: 2 pcs and
2 x 52cm x 54cm pieces
Aluminum Sheets: 2pcs x 32cm x 57cm


Cost of construction

Melamine 0.5
m
x 11,5 = 5,75 
euros
 
Guide Ferrari50 cm 1pc x 9 = 9 
euros
Aluminum angles 4 feet (4 pcs of 1m) x 2.5 =
10
euros
Aluminium tube 4 feet (2 pcs of 2m) x 5,5 =
11 euros
Aluminum Sheets  8 euros
Mounting rack 1 
euros
Total: 45.75 euros

Estimated Cost
45.75 euros
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Mini Farmhouse Bedside Table

Submitted by TeamCraven on Wed, 01/15/2014 - 11:10

FIRST BUILD!! We've been using metal decorative plant stands as our nightstands, but they're just too wobbly on the carpet in our bedroom, and don't have any storage except the top of them, so when we saw the plans for the Mini Farmhouse Bedside Table, we knew it would be perfect. We don't have a lot of space next to the bed, so we went with the Mini plans, and built 2 of the nightstands, one for each side. We do a lot of projects, and I have refinished furniture for a few years, but we've never built anything from scratch. We have all the tools, so we decided to give it a try. This is our first build, and even though they're not perfect, I think they turned out nice, and we learned a lot that we will bring into future builds. We've already since built a Farmhouse Bench, and are getting lumber this weekend to build a dining table! Thanks to Ana's plans, there are endless possibilities!!

We used 3 pieces of 1x6 for a planked top instead of one large piece of wood, just because we had extra 1x6. Otherwise, we followed the plans pretty close to exact. We bought a Kreg Jig mini before starting on this project, and it's the BEST tool ever!! I want the more expensive kreg jig now, haha I love it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
approx $40 for two nightstands for lumber (we already had stain, etc)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
1 Coat Minwax Pre-stain wood conditioner
2 coats Minwax Ebony stain
5 coats Minwax Wipe-On Poly (sanding lightly after 2nd and 4th coat)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Dawson's

Submitted by Debi60 on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 19:33

This project cost me approx $160. I added a fire truck wallpaper border across the front and sides, finished the top in chalk board paint, and used torsion hinges from Rockler. Pricey but very nice for a lid. I also added plastic feet to the bottom and felt tabs where the lid touches the four legs. I like finishing details. It took me about a week to complete, mostly because of the time needed for the chalk board paint to set up. Loved the way it came out and hated to part with it! Ana's plans are always easy to follow and turn out great

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Toy makeup set

Submitted by mandee on Sun, 12/15/2019 - 15:23

I made this for my almost 2 year old niece for Christmas this year. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Lazy Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 08/19/2023 - 10:53

Built this Lazy Bench over the course of one weekend. Had to make some modifications to the way the arm rest / cup holder moves, but overall happy with how it turned out.
When I build this again - I gave this one away as a donation to our local Catholic Radio station - I'll make a bigger point to make sure that all four of the back supports are exactly the same, and that I pre-drill the carriage bolts that secure the cup holder before I start assembling.

UTtanker

Dining Buffet

Submitted by lazyLiz on Sun, 04/01/2012 - 11:05

Modified the salsa console by taking the drawer off and stealing some from Patrickhosey's (bragpost). I built it for my dining room. Measures 57-1/2" long X 17" depth X 39" tall.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax red oak and poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

lazyLiz

Mon, 04/02/2012 - 04:47

I don't but it's easy to make, make your door frame first, trace the inside of frame on a plywood sheet and use compass to make all sizes of circles on that sheet. If you don't have compass that's big enough, just use string or thread( like I did on this project), pivot one end, attach the pencil on one end and swing to make circles :)

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