Community Brag Posts

I live in a small northern town that has very little choice for affordable furniture. After scouring kijiji for months I decided to make my own.

I was very happy with how my bookshelf turned out - using 2 pallets. I used wider shelves than this post said because my books won't fit on 4" shelves, and it was next to impossible to remove the pallet slats for re-use without splitting them. I used 4 - 6" and 2 - 8" shelves.

Power sander was my best friend.

Buying the shelving and stain cost me $20 for this project!

Good, sturdy pedestal is a nice addition to the laundry room.

I used the plans from Sausha’s Washer/Dryer Pedestals and added a pull out to place the laundry basket on.

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).

My husband made one for me and we loved it so much that he made a second one that we sold just a few hours after it was finished.

He is now working on a set of console, coffee, and side tables; and later he will attempt to buil a round dinning table for our house... wish us luck!

This project was easy to follow! Always love Ana's plans. I did add feet because the 23" legs made the table too short for my couch, which was my fault for not paying attention to that. Other than that, fantastic project!

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 wanted a good flat and level workspace to continue projects. This workbench folds up to the wall in my garage so I can still park when not working on anything. I made it pretty stout with 2x4s and 2x6s since it would need to support fairly large pieces of furniture without deflecting. It is very heavy as a result though (good core workout folding it up and down :) )

I used two folding shelf brackets on the legs to keep them from accidentally being kicked out from under the table while it's out. (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2001690/2615/Folding-Shelf-Bracket-8-P…)

I used four heavy strap hinges to connect the table to the 2x6 (which was lag screwed into studs). Two gate latches were used to secure the edge of the table to studs when the table is folded up.

I cut the legs approximately, and then when the table was hung I cut and shimmed them to get the table level on the uneven surface of the garage floor.

As soon as I saw these plans I knew we had to build it.  We have six grandkids (all 2 and under) and they have a playroom at our house so I wanted something that they could sit on if they are watching TV and also something they could sleep on when they stay the night.  This definitely fits the bill!  This is our second build from Ana's website and it was pretty easy. 

We followed the plans exactly.  The only thing we added was a middle board to the back and the arms of the sofa.  I didn't want them to get stuck between the top rails and and the mattress.  We used dowels instead of screws to attach the slats to make it easier to move.  We did not screw the two couches together.  Since the room it is in has thick carpet, it is not moving at all.  The kids love it and it is so sturdy.  They could jump on it or off of it (which they have already done) and we don't have to worry about it breaking. 

I sewed the crib sheets and I bought 5 standard sized pillows and some pillow cases.  I so love this sectional!

Modified this slightly, as our space is a bit tight. Found perfect sized cushions on Amazon.

Lloyd

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!

Thank you so much for this so easy plan!  This was perfect!  I shortened the overall length to 48" to fit our entryway.  I got to make use of my Kreg Jig & was able to make use of upholstery fabric samples I had collecting dust.  Used 3" foam covered with 2 layers batting, then put together the several samples into a color block setting.  Stitched with french seams & squared off the corners before nailing down to the base.  I didn't have a guide other than my eyes for the nailheads & chose to spread the 128 nails out every inch rather than closer...served to hide any waivering off & I preferred the look.  I also found out that using a 2-sided tape like binding tape or Wonder tape for the cover was very helpful in keeping everything straight.  The base is stained a dark walnut & finished with 2 coats of clear semi-gloss Varathane.  The seat bottom is 5/8 MDF.

Tools used:

Circular saw

Sander

Pockethole Jig

Sewing machine & serger

Cherry Bench, about 15 board feet of Cherry lumber and finished with Rubio Monocoat oil plus.
The top dimensions are 44"x18" and the legs are 20" long

Rich Kelly

This is actually the third doll crib and high chair set that I've built for a grandniece. It is inspired by the one Gina from Lady Goats built. She just used 1 x 2's for all of the rails. And since I am trying to make each bed a little different, this was a great option. Again, I used the vintage lamb theme on the crib and high chair from my first two sets.

Added padded seat to bench lid

We love our farmhouse bed! Thanks Ana! We made a few modifications. We wanted the legs to look a tiny bit more substantial, so we used 1x6 boards for the headboard and footboard. We made our 4x4 legs longer and placed them on the outside to make it a poster bed. I also wanted the end caps on my legs. I glued and nailed 1x6 scraps to 2x6 scraps and then cut a square to size at a 15 degree angle with my miter saw.

After making the Kendal dresser for my cousin, she ask me to build her the small farmhouse table to put next to her glider. I had to make it smaller to fit her space but the plans were so easy to follow and just as easy to make the adjustments. Ana's plans are user friendly like that.
I also made the $10.00 ledges so the little guy can have a place for his stuffed animals and books.
The stain I used was the same as the Kendal dresser so it all matched beautifully in the room. I think this is about the 40th piece I've made from Ana's website since discovering it in January of this year. Am I hooked? I'd say so! Great plans!
My next project will be the toddler seats painted like animals from Killer B Designs that were featured today. I love them!

I have not done any wood working since high school some 30 years ago. I inherited a table saw, found these plans and thought 'why not?' I took my time with measuring, cutting etc. and the matress support pieces have a LOT of screws. This bed is SOLID. It holds my son and granddaughter easily. It disassembles and reassembles for moving so we had no trouble moving from the apartment to my son's new house. Do I need to say that I'm the hero grandpa for making this bed? My granddaughter has used this bed for a year and it's still as solid as day 1.