Community Brag Posts

Seesaw

Submitted by KimmoPT on Wed, 06/12/2013 - 02:38

Greetings from Finland. I made teeter-totter from excellent plans Ana has donatet for all of us. I used treated wood, so I didn't need to paint the project (and never will :-) Handles and seats are made from raw wood. Gives also nice twin color look. To add some extra support I embed the beams at foot.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
37€
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Pottery Barn Media Console

I have been wanting to build this piece for some time now. This is actually a Pottery Barn piece that is now discontinued that I modified here and there. I added a "flipper door" which opens and slides back into the cabinet. Adjustable shelves throughout. I used solid alder and alder plywood for material. - Brad @timberandsoul www.timberandsoul.com

Estimated Cost
$500.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
shellac, transtint dye, general finishes gel stain, poly
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Farmhouse Daybed

I modified the regular farmhouse bed to a daybed for my daughters bedroom. All that is left now is to fill holes, paint, distress, and glaze :) I made the height of the front and back tall enough to fit a trundle I plan on making later. It is up on blocks right now so I could see what it will look like when completed. Will post an update once it is painted and assembled.

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

suziewelker

Fri, 10/23/2020 - 23:52

I love this! I would love to build a twin size farmhouse daybed with trundle for my stepsons’ room. They are only only with me every few months, so I want to have beds for them but this would save a ton of room! I have tried to modify the Haley storage daybed and the farmhouse plans, but am new to this, so I’m having great difficulty. Also, since they are teens, I have twin XL mattresses. 39x80, so again, more modifications. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Tryde Coffee Table

This was my first project. We are using it in the Man Cave.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

X-bench for kid's table

Submitted by T.R. on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 10:38

I scaled down the large rustic x bench plans to create seating for my grandkids at the new kid's table.

Estimated Cost
about $25-$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
satin paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Kids Adirondack chairs

Submitted by redhead_61 on Fri, 04/08/2011 - 13:39

This was admittedly a little harder than I thought.  The first one turned out short of perfection trying to get things looking great.  The second one was better using a level and being more careful.  However, the fact that my nail gun totally went out halfway through made the project a long one.  But my kids LOVE them and they look so cute and luxurious out in my grass.  I love it. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
off white paint and poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Style Bed

It took about 7 hours to complete this project. We used Ana White's Farmhouse Queen plans, with some modifications: the bottom of her bed frame is about 4-6 inches off the floor, ours is 17 inches for extra storage space. We also made the footboard slightly deeper to accommodate longer legs. Due to limited space, we built it on the bed of our truck with the "help" of our 18 month old. We love the way it turned out.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Unfinished
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse King!

Submitted by Britt.E on Sat, 05/23/2015 - 19:25

I only recently stumbled upon Ana-white.com and was amazed by all of the wonderful plans and tips here, not to mention the community. My wife and I had inherited a king size bed after my grandparents passed away. While we were both grateful, the bed was on a very basic metal frame that sat very low to the ground and was hard to get up out of. My wife had often talked of having a nicer bed to put our mattress and box spring on, So with great eagerness I set to work. I loved the classic look of this bed and was a bit saddened that there was no king-size plans available. I decided that wasn't going to deter me, so I set out to modify the plan to fit. After making a few adjustments and modifications, the bed really started to take shape. Needless to say, I am very pleased with the results! Thanks everyone, and thank you , Anna!

Estimated Cost
$185
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish was a single generous coat of Rustoleum "kona" finish then following up with three coats of Rustoleum semi-gloss polyurethane varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Camp Loft bed - but bunk bed ready

Modified the Camp Loft bed with Stairs plans slightly so that the dresser would fit under the bed without banging your head for access.  The heght is taller creating the need for railings to be added to the platform.  Conversion to bunk beds was considered so all bottom boards save the front rail were installed.  If bunk beds are needed, just add the 2x6 front rail.  The mortise slot is already cut.  Went with mortise and tenon joints instead of pocket screws.  Cubby storage area created under the platform accessed from left side.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White laytex paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kitchen Pantry Shelves with Drawers

Kitchen pantry project using 3/4" plywood and using Anna's shelfhelp spreadsheet to get my dimensions. Added drawers including one large for recycling. I wanted to add another large drawer beside the recycling drawer for garbage but my wife nixed it stating she didn't want to have dripping greasy garbage in her hand and try and open the drawer...so she won that one.

Comments

Truss Bookshelf in Antique White

Submitted by pcarroll on Wed, 05/27/2015 - 09:56

Friends of mine are having a girl and needed a bookshelf for the nursery. Loved the simplicity of this design and wanted to see in an antique white finish. Great plans and design.

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats of white milk paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Two Tone Weathered Gray X Farmhouse Table and Benches

Submitted by DeHenzel on Thu, 12/21/2017 - 10:22

A beautiful 6 1/2 foot weather gray farm table.  Thanks for the design, Ana!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Top - weathers gray stain and satin polyurethane

Bottom - berh ultra white paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Sturdy work bench the hard way

Submitted by Devorlast on Fri, 12/17/2021 - 18:35

This was my first project and it was done entirely with a table saw, battery powered drill and a sander. It's uneven but stays stable in my shed/workshop. I learned a lot from making it and I hope to incorporate that knowledge in to my next project, L shaped desk for the wife.
The "decorative" edge was really just me testing a router that I got, you can see how it took chunks of the table top on the sides. I figured if I'm going to mess something up it might as well be the workbench.
As for the coating, it's just some polyurethane. I put three layers on the table top and one everywhere else, it looks slightly glossy and yellowish but its a lot less prone to denting then the bare wood was.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Loft Bed Turned Bunk Bed

Submitted by ktkadoo on Thu, 06/20/2013 - 09:32

When we started building this bed, we liked that it wasn't too tall for our low ceilings, but could still utilize the space beneath it. As we were building it, we thought we would just put a 2nd mattress on the floor, but when we measured it, we decided we could safely turn it into a bunk bed for our 2 youngest daughters. We just built an additional set of rails. Instead of buying another piece of wood for the mattress support, we used the support from an ikea bed that we weren't using. We put the bottom mattress off the ground around 10 inches.

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

AmandaAK

Sun, 06/23/2013 - 09:23

I love the stain! Did you change the overall height of the bed? How much head clearance is there under the bottom bunk? We are wanting to build something similar, but I don't want to hit my head when I tuck the kids in.

ktkadoo

Tue, 06/25/2013 - 19:12

We kept the overall height of the bed the same. I think (and I will try to remember to check in the morning, the kids are all in bed) that there is about 37 inches between the bottoms of each support. WE had another bunkbed and the measurements are pretty similar between the commercial bed and the bed we made.

Modern Slat Top Outdoor Wood Bench

This took about 6 hours from beginning to end, but next bench should take about 4-5 hours. Most of the time was spent on sanding the wood and waiting for the stain to dry.

Main lesson learned: Drill pilot holes throughout. I used no-drill construction screws, but it didn't pull the wood tight enough against each other. Also, stain all the wood pieces before assembling (as opposed to just the top slats as suggested in the plan). Remember that the leg pieces will not need stain on the flat surfaces, just the sides that will be exposed. Use a square tool to stay as close to 90 degrees as possible.

Estimated Cost
$45 using "whitewood" (SPF) and pine 1x4's from Home Depot.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax red oak, wiped on with cloth.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified Rustic X Console

Submitted by Jeremyg84 on Sun, 12/24/2017 - 18:44

I loved the original design but wanted to learn new skills and use hardwood.

I used a combination of pocket holes, biscuits to align the plates and the frames, and figure 8 fasteners to attach the top.

At a VERY low pace (~1-2 hours every day), and many mistakes, it took me about two months to complete this project. If I had to do it again, it would probably take me two-three weeks at the same pace.

Overall, I learned a lot and am very pleased with the final results.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Frame - white acrylic paint, coated with wipe-on water based Minwax poly (to protect the paint)
Shelves- 3 layers of oil based wipe-on Minwax poly
Top- 3 layers of oil based wipe-on Minwax poly, then 3 layers of oil based brushed (fast drying) Minwax poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Favorite bookshelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/25/2021 - 17:56

Using favorite bookshelf design I built 2 shelves, one for books (5 shelves) and one for DVD’s (7 shelves with doors). These were a present for my daughter for Christmas she loves them. They are made of pine finished with General Finish brand Java gel stain.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Side Table with Pallet Top

I wanted to make a custom sized side table to fit just right between our two recliners. And I really wanted to make use of some pallet scraps. So I built this frame the same as Ana's plan (adjusting for my size), and then came up with a layout for the top to make use of my small 15 inch pieces of pallet wood.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I screwed the top on, filled the holes, sanded like a mad woman, and stained with a gel stain. I then applied two coats of shellac. It accidentally purchased the shellac but I really like the way that it turned out and it has held up quite well so far!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My first "build"

Submitted by dkarinen on Sat, 06/22/2013 - 21:05

This was my first Ana White project. It was really super easy! I love the way it turned out! I can play around and change photos depending on my mood or the holiday. We had them all together pretty quick. I sanded and primed them and my husband used the spray gun to paint them. I quickly learned there is a technique to that and I didn't want to screw them up! Great beginner project, now I'm hooked on this site!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
BEHR Rejuvinate
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Patio Table

I looked around to buy a patio and found they were often quite expensive or they were poorly made out of metal that would rust. I had some scrap pine and some table legs from an old table I wasn't using so decided to make a patio table myself.

For more details, check out my blog:
http://www.woodworkingfourdummies.com/blog/patio-table

Cheers,
Ian

Estimated Cost
$20 for paint
Wood was scrap
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project