Community Brag Posts

Whew! I am a total novice. I have never used a saw in my life, but with a little bit of instruction from my husband i was able to do it almost completely on my own. Even as a beginner i could have finished it in a full day, but i was trying to work on it during my daughters naps so it took almost a week!

I recently spotted a little gem in the garage - a little space in between the garage doors. It was perfect for building a modular system of small French cleat box shelves. I made them all using scrap wood. I even had extra scrap wood to make a battery charging station in another narrow gap on the wall. You can read all the details about my latest storage adventure on my blog:

http://www.justmeasuringup.com/blog/using-commonly-lost-garage-spaces-for-storage

I'm on high alert for more areas like this that get overlooked easily, and am just waiting for more inspiration to strike!

A fleet of 3 wooden boat planters built in the traditional style of a clinker creel boat (Orkney Longliner).

This was my first major project I built from this site. I would say that I am a beginner builder with only a little experience building small things. This was my first big project and I built it piece by piece over the course of a few months. This was my 4 year old's birthday gift. I bought my first Kreg Jig Jr. (I already want the master system!) and got a lot of confidence by doing this project. It was pretty straight forward, although the painting and sanding took way longer than I thought! I pretty much stuck to the plans and did not change much. The only thing I did was add hand hole cut outs on the stairs and I chose not to cut out a side window because that side was against a wall anyways. I am SO excited about this project and will be posting MANY MORE builds from here.

My first build. Built two of these for less than $50 and four hours. Finished the top with dark brown Polyshades and the bottom with off white satin paint. Borrowed my dad's mitre saw and and drill. Can't wait to do more.

Built entirely of reclaimed pallet wood & shipping crate

Our new 1970s Hawaiian house had never been renovated. It has beautiful redwood walls, but felt dark with a lot of walls dividing the kitchen from the living and dining rooms. They were partial walls, so we removed them and decided to add an island to divide the kitchen from the dining room.

I actually built this twice, the first time at bar height and the second one I altered to be counter height to match the existing cabinets. Since the kitchen is open to the living room and dining room, we thought it would look cleanest if the counters were all at the same height. (We saved my first build and I now use it as a workbench).

I also removed the corbels from the plan and closed in the center wine rack. Lastly, instead of feet, I added 2X4 to the bottom to create a toe kick on one side. The top of the island is Corian and the paint color is Benjamin Moore Marina Bay.

I build just one piece for my wife and she love it and ask me for build another one so I just build it and add a triangle table more for surprise her,The ""X'' design I take of this website and the legs and dimension and style is my own design 3 corner 45 with the router and and Front drawer is decorative (fake)

Made these two in about 3 hours. Instead of wood glue I used construction adhesive. Now to sand and stain then add cushions.

These are made from the 4x4 posts, 2x4 rails, and slats from an old wooden fence that weren't good enough to re-use when we repaired the fence.

It's close to the Simple outdoor bench, but I simplified the plan even more to take advantage of the pile of free lumber. Or maybe it's the Simple Outdoor Dining Table ... but a lot shorter.

CAUTION: Be careful to remove ALL nails, screws and bolts from the lumber you are reusing. If you can't get the metal out, mark that area and figure out a cut that won't hit it.

TIPS FOR RECLAIMED LUMBER:
* Trim the ends of the lumber square before you measure.
* Don't try to salvage split or rotted wood. Trim it off and see what you can do with the good bits.
* Plan your cuts so you have the least waste.

TOOLS:
10" Miter saw
Wood glue
Nail gun, with 2 1/2 and 1 1/4 inch 16gauge nails for gun (You could use deck screws if you have them)
Surform Pocket plane (wood rasp from Stanley tools)

CUT LIST:
For one bench, 21x36

NOTE: To cut a 4x4 cleanly with the 10" miter saw, put a thin shim behind each side of the 4x4

4 4x4 post scraps, 18 inches long (legs)
2 2x4 18 inches long (sides)
2 2x4 36 inches long (front and back rail)
10 fence slat pieces, 21 inches long (cut to fit the top after it is assembled)

ASSEMBLY:
See the picture of the underside of the bench:
1 - Square up the legs with the end pieces, glue and nail.
2 - Square the sides with the legs, so the legs are inside the 2x4 apron, glue and nail.
3 - Align the 2 end slats with the edges of the bench and nail through them into the 2x4 apron
4 - Space the rest of the slats on the top, leaving 1/8 inch or so etween the boards for drainage. Nail them to the 2x4 apron.

FINISH: Use the wood rasp to round the cut ends of the slats and 2x4s. Rasp with the grain to avoid raising splinters. Lightly rasp the tops of the slats to smooth any really rough spots.

A table or maybe a buffet is planned, with the same construction method, but a bit taller. Tables are 26-29 inches, most buffets are 36". It depends on what will make best use of the remaining bits.

I left off the casters, but added a one inch foam pad covered with outdoor material to make an ottoman. I made sure the top was removable so we could also use it as storage. I've got a little material left over to make a matching throw pillow.

My husbannd has built a handful of things using Ana's plans, but this was my first time doing everything on my own (aside from asking where to find the wood filler in our messy garage).  It was super easy to cut and put together and turned out perfectly for my girls nights stand/book shelf.

I made these with your plans first time I ever made anything. Your plans are amazing.

Thank you for this plan! We had a blast building this project and watching our daughter's expression once she saw it complete made it all worth while! She has a very small bedroom and this bed allows her so much more floor space now plus it has the "fort" feeling. She loves it! Thanks, Ana!

This is a my take on the Rustic X Kitchen Island. I couldn't find an island that was the right size for my space, so I modified this plan to fit. It is 24x42. I built the slat shelves, drawers, and side boards to go the full width of the piece. I also made the top by ripping 2x8's, and joining them with Kreg pocket holes and wood glue. Instead of using casters, I just cut the legs a little bit longer. This thing is pretty heavy and does not move. After it was in use, I added some additional 12" deep shelves. I finished it by hand rubbing with General Finishes Gel Stain in Brown Mahogany and their Gel Topcoat.

This was my first real project and I am happy with how it turned out.