Community Brag Posts

Workbench

My husband and I just bought a home that has a fantastic shed/barn in the backyard. I've been wanting a workshop ever since college and this is finally my time to make that dream come true. Enter ana-white.com!! My sister had recommended this site after her husband created an unbelievable loft bed for their 6 year-old. Looking through all the plans I became ecstatic and couldn't wait to get my first project under way. I've printed out MANY plans and can't wait to work on them all, however I realized very quickly that I did not have a space to actually "work" on in the shed. When I came across this workbench plan I knew it was the right one for me.

Some changes were made, since I already had a perfectly good table top that I purchased from IKEA years ago. The top came out to be 23 1/2 x 78 3/4" so I had to make many adjustments in the cuts. I also left the bottom shelf free of plywood since I couldn't fit a piece that large in my Toyota Corolla. All in all, I couldn't be happier with the table. It's sturdy, reliable and provides a TON of workspace for me. My back is already thanking me!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bullitt453

Tue, 06/25/2013 - 05:58

Good job on the workbench. Since you can't fit the piece of ply in your car, I would recommend cutting a 2x4 support to go between the leg supports. Then cut 1x4s to place perpendicular to the supports to create the shelf. Believe me, that shelf will come in VERY handy, so I would definitely recommend adding it. Its nice to be working on a project and simply reach down for the next tool/supply instead of walking away from your work area to get it.

Table

Submitted by bosox43 on Sat, 06/06/2015 - 18:49

Great project, super easy to follow instructions and really easy to modify with some simple math.

Perfect weekend project, started the table around 1pm on Saturday, finished the bench and had the garage cleaned up and sitting at the new table by 330pm on Sunday!

Thanks for posting the plans, they were very easy to follow!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Deck table
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic x coffee table

Submitted by a.clark92 on Sun, 12/31/2017 - 05:15

My third table like this built so far. Fairly easy project takes about a day to complete depending on stain dry time. I painted the frame white and used an American walnut stain on the table top and the lower shelf. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
110 dollars canadian including stain
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
American walnut stain on table top applied generously with a rag and then wiped off after about a minute with a separate rag.

White cabinet paint on frame applied with a sponge brush 2 -3 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Charging Station supersized

Submitted by eande03 on Tue, 06/25/2013 - 21:09

We wanted a side piece for our kitchen so we followed the revised plans to make it a little taller. My wife is really happy with how it turned out. Easy, fun project that was finished quick.

Estimated Cost
$40-45
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax weathered oak base coat topped with Minwax Polyshades Mission Oak Gloss. Used chip brushes, and Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner too. The gray from the weathered oak pops through just enough for our tastes.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wedding Panel

Submitted by brittanyj on Wed, 06/10/2015 - 08:40

So glad to finally make this beautiful panel wall art for a friend for her wedding. The last name is Iverson, so the tree stood in for the I. I made it on cedar pickets ripped in half and sanded, kona stain, then designed my tree/lettering/birds in Cricut, cut it out, and painted. Can't wait to give it to her!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$2
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
varathane kona, spray clear top coat, acrylic paint and markers
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Hudson dresser

Submitted by Keithm35 on Mon, 01/01/2018 - 21:16

This is my first big project I have done, it was for my wife’s birthday. I enjoyed the challenge though, 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Pre-stain to make sure there was no blotchiness, then pioneer stain with a matte finish. I applied using paintbrush making sure to very little stain on the brush and spread it as much as possible
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My Hubby was busy this summer!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 16:35

This summer my husband built three of your pieces. We are so in love with how they turned out. Thank you so much for your easy to follow blueprints!

Comments

My new yellow cubby shelf

Submitted by kylihoot on Sun, 05/01/2011 - 11:59

Totally lovin' my new cubby shelf. I painted it bright yellow, but I may paint it a more nuetral color after noticing it does not math anything haha! This is a super sturdy shelf...LOVE IT! Thanks ANA!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Primer and Satin Paint. I sanded it with 120 grit, then primed and painted with two coats each.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X End Tables

Submitted by BeauKSU on Mon, 06/15/2015 - 09:46

I made one table following your original plans and it turned out great! The top is American Walnut Polyshades from Minwax (stain and poly in one), topped off with paste wax. The bottom is just regular white paint that we had lying around the house. The plans were easy to follow and introduced me to the Kregg Jig. How did I ever live without it?! Thanks for posting them for everyone to see, we're so happy with how they turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70 per table
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White pain on bottom and Minwax Polyshades - American Walnut on top, finished with paste wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bar Stool DIY

Submitted by Knathu121 on Fri, 01/05/2018 - 20:31

I used 2x4’s to make these bar stools and used Valspar weathered gray stain. I found the plans online by searching “chunky barstool”. It cost me around $85 to make all 4 of them.

Estimated Cost
$85.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar weathered gray
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

X rustic coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 21:43

Came out great! Made it for my cousin! Everybody loved it. Used hard wood for the first time, which is actually… umm hard. Used varnish for the first time too! Strong smell, but beautiful wood.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Office makeover

It was time for an office makeover(at home). Sitting on the floor makes for a strong back and works those core muscles, so it was time to change things up. About a year ago or so I modified Ana's Flip Top Storage Bench / Coffee Table for my husband to use as a desk, as he needed to sit on the floor due to a back injury. Now it was time for mine. I instead modified Ana's Scrap Lap Desk. and it was truly built of scraps, with the exception of the hinges(which is odd, because I always have hinges lying around!)
I made the desk larger, and adjusted the height to fit me. I also omitted the side boxes and instead added a shelf on the bottom. Construction was simple and straightforward. Primed with whatever primer I had around, and even painted with a can of oops paint. The edges were lightly distressed, and will naturally distress even more, I am sure.
I had a green bookcase already, and the orange bins with I got on clearance at blue some time ago, and suddenly my color scheme was set--in the 70s. But I like it, as I need more color in my life. The printer stand I cobbled together out of scraps as well--essentially a box. A few boxes covered in paper, a rug from old tshirts, and two light fixtures-one a polyhedron from milk jugs, and the other a flower pot from the bullseye store, and I am set. Oh, and I finally got around to making my corkboard from all of the wine corks I've collected throughout the years. Or some of them, anyway.

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

My First Build - Modular Bar

Submitted by SaraLodise on Sun, 06/30/2013 - 08:36

My first build from ana-white.com was maybe more intricate than I should have done for a first project, but we needed a bar so that's what I did. In the end I was able to learn so much: using the kreg jig, the saws, building doors and drawers, getting things square (or not and redoing it). Mistakes were made but I learned so much! In the end the thing stands up straight and looks pretty dern good in our dining room. I was able to complete this project in 6 weeks while working full time (my many learning experiences added to the time, lol).

Estimated Cost
Oak Boards: $600, Hardware: $30, Finish: $40
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Gel Stain in Aged Oak (1 coat) + Miniwax Satin Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

terdickison

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 10:17

Would you come to my house and build me a bar? This easily looks like something you'd have to pay $1000 or more for at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware. Nice job. Go have a drink.

Aubrey

Tue, 01/07/2014 - 08:30

This settles it. Woodworking is my new skill for 2014. I pick something every year to build upon. Last year was sewing and I love that. But this is the piece from pottery barn i've been salivating over for a few years. It will be mine!

Baby changing table

It seemed as though this project started out as a nightmare. I didn't think it was going to happen. Working with 2x2 and soft doug fir is no fun. I bought a kreg jig and was super siked to use it but really couldn't figure it out yet so I just pre drilled and blasted screws in from the sides. Luckily I took some time to wood fill and do clean up work and you have no clue. I am so proud and excited about how this came out. It brought tears to my wife's eyes and maybe even a little to mine. Added some dipped blue legs and a simple blue band molding to pop off some color. Went to babies r us and purchased some canvas cubes and crazily enough the blue matched exactly!!! That was not planned.
All in all this will be in use for years to come.

Estimated Cost
120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
No voc paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Painters shelf Christmas present

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/27/2021 - 11:25

My daughter had asked about making shelves sometime. I didn’t say anything and snuck measurements when I was at her house. Followed Ana’s plans and she loved the results.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Step Stool

I love this step stool!! My daughter uses it EVERYDAY! This was the first thing I built and I think it turned out pretty good. I did a different design on the bottom sides to make it a little girly since I was painting it blue (girls can have blue stuff too!)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
I dont know what color of blue this was because it was a "mis-tint" that I got for $3, then I sanded to distress it.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Variation on the Charging Table

We loved Ana's charging table, but didn't think we needed the holes for charging - what we really needed was just a side table to go next to our couch, but one with storage capacity (hence the shelves behind the doors on the bottom) and a place to put the remotes and game controllers for the TV (hence the shelf at the top). We decided to keep the "secret" compartment on top that flips up, like in the original plans, for storing messy things with cords like the headphones that you can see in the picture.

We also decided to replace the solid wood doors with a glass pane, and used glass paint to paint a square in the middle of the glass.

This was our very first - ever! - furniture-making project and we both really love how it came out. :-)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Pecan Stain and three layers of a polyurethane finish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Parsons dining table (with extension leaves)

Here we have a Parsons style dining table built out of solid Alder wood. The table length is 72" but can extend up to 110" with two drop in leaves on either end. The table was clear coated with a satin poly.

Estimated Cost
$400.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Clear coat of water based poly
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

HGTV's Home Town featured Table

I built this table in the summer of 2017 specifically for our new home.  I used the reclaimed barnwood from my wife's grandfather's corn crib barn he built in 1947 along with a few pieces of lumber cut from trees that were blown down during hurricane Katrina.  The table top boards were planed to 1" thick and glued on edge with biscuits.  The table top is wrapped by a ripped rafter from the barn about 2" x 2".  The verticals of the legs are laminated leftover pieces, one of which has the initials of a son preserved from the original barn.  The horizontals of the legs are from pine and red oak Katrina wood.  The table bracing is made from barn rafter material and the metal straps are made from scrap and painted black.  The table itself has no stain, because we felt the true charm would be more appreciated showing the old nail holes, knots, and bug scarring.  It is finished with three coats of clear matte polycrylic.  I engineered the table into two pieces, so that the top could be removed for ease of transport. 

You may see our table in HGTV's Home Town Season 2 Episode 3 originally airing January 22, 2018 at 8 CST.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
No stain. Three coats of matte clear polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

My first build - work bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/28/2021 - 17:11

Hi Anna and everyone else that read this. My name is Scott. I got into woodworking to have something to do after I retire retire. No, that's not a typo. I retired the first time from the military, but right now I'm still working. For a couple more years. Anyway. The first photo was my workbench to build my workbench. The second photo is the all the cut wood. The third is the finished product. Mistakes were made, of course, but I learned from them. For example, the plywood is what I believe is termed 'exterior'. I figured, it was going to be hammered on, drilled on, painted on (you get my drift). What I didn't count on was splinters from the very rough surface. I sanded it. And sanded it. And sanded it. Now I just wear gloves, LOL. Since then I've also built a set of "Owens Night Stands" of yours. My wife loves them. Me - I see all the mistakes I made while building them. I'm hoping to learn from them also. BTW, Anna, that video you made for setting up drawers? Wish I'd seen it earlier, would have been a lot of help with those 2 stands, LOL. Last thing - I always remember everyone saying 'measure twice, cut once'. For me, until I get better at this, it's measure 3 times!

Comments