Community Brag Posts

Simple Outdoor Bench

My sister wanted this to go with the Simple Outdoor Chairs I had built her for her birthday. I added a 2x4 between each leg to make it more stable and shortened it by one slat to fit the cushion. This was very easy to build and would make a great beginner project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Scraps from other projects and leftover paint from chairs
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat black exterior spray paint with exterior gloss clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

First Console table!

I started this project without a cutting table or any kind of shop set up. I used a burnt out tree as my makeshift cutting table. With only hand tools I used Ana Whites blueprints from her website to do this whole table, the directions were very easy to
follow and very helpful.

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

House Bed

Submitted by T.R. on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 07:42

Took a canopy bed plan but made it to look like a house for my grandson.  

He loves it! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75-$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Variation of Simple Bunk Bed Plans

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/29/2020 - 08:40

I used the Simple Bunk Bed plans as a rough guide for the sizing of this twin over twin bunk bed plans. Bed is made out of solid oak that I sourced locally for free and planed down the oak slabs. There are a number of variations, but the sizing helped tremendously in putting my plans together.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Oak & Minwax Glossy Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Love our Small Easy Rustic X-Bench!

Submitted by afine1 on Mon, 06/18/2012 - 02:12

I have been redoing furniture for quite some time, but had never actually thought of making my own furniture, until I ran across Ana's blog. Now I am so addicted! My husband is very handy with his tools and can follow plans fairly easily (unlike me) so I definitely had to enlist his help with this project. We are stationed overseas in Germany so our project costs us a bit more than it would have if we were stateside, but still quite a bit cheaper than purchasing the similar one at Pottery Barn.Since it was our first project it did take us a bit longer than normal, but still easy enough to do. I absolutely love how this turned out and now my husband and I are ready for our next project of a rustic console table that we made our own plans for.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
With the paint around $40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I first primed it and then painted it. Not sure what the actual paint color was because it was in German, but I would call it a country blue. I then distressed it and added some stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Butcher Block Kitchen Island

I built this from Ana's plans with some slight modifications. The top is built from hard maple and is an edge grain butcher block. I sealed the top with mineral oil and beeswax. The finish is distressed calypso blue. I also added 3" locking and swiveling casters.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
The paint is calypso blue by Benjamin Moore. I sanded and distressed the piece. I then wiped on stain and wiped off stain to add a rustic look.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Truss Table and Benches (Western Red Cedar)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 14:47

We built this outdoor table and benches using Western Red Cedar for a patio area outside our house.   The cedar is pricier than doug fir or other woods, but is highly rot resistant and the best choice for an outdoor table.  We used Ana White's 4x4 Truss Beam Table and Benches plans and Kreg blue kote screws since they are weatherproof.   The breadboards were a little wobbly, so we reinforced them with black metal corner braces (http://www.truevalue.com/product/Hardware/Miscellaneous-Hardware/Corner…) and black coated exterior screws (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-12-x-1-1-4-in-Phillips-Flat-Head-Wo…).   These braces provide a cool architectural look and provide much needed support for the table ends, and especially the bench ends.    We stained the Western Red Cedar with Minwax Weathered Oak and finished it with two coats of Man O War Spar Urethane in Satin finish.   Hopefully it will stand up to the elements and last for years to come.   Thanks for the plans Ana!

Estimated Cost
$600-$700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Weathered Oak (2 coats); Man O War Spar Urethane Satin (2 coats). Sanded with 400 grit sandpaper in between coats of urethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My build of “House Bed Frame - Modern Tiny House Shape” for Ana-White

Submitted by pondrider on Mon, 05/04/2020 - 08:34

https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/house-bed-frame-modern-t…
As a high school teacher, I noticed Ana-White’s post for a contest to build a tiny house-shaped bed heading in to spring break; I entered and was selected. COVID-19 directed my teaching in a very different way and actually slowed down my woodworking while I have finished the project. Inspired by the Ana-White’s writings of making beautiful furniture with typical tools, this project is a perfect example of being able to build without the need for high-end shop machines. I followed the plans almost to the letter while keeping my mind open to slight improvement especially around the process of transportability. As a teacher, I emphasize that every writing is ready for editing and revision; with experience in woodworking, I approach building in a similar manner. My finished project below pictured below has some minor revisions planned for disassembly and reassembly in a minimal number of parts using only a screwdriver.

@anawhitediy
https://www.facebook.com/knockoffwood
Smart and stylish woodworking plans to make your home awesome.
#anawhite
smart.bio/anawhitediy

@SawDustDonLawler
https://www.facebook.com/HHH-Wood
@EduDonLawler

Estimated Cost
$160.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The finish used on this project was Minwax Aged Barrel and Minwax Pure White.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Custom Kitchen Island

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/27/2023 - 12:15

Our daughter lives in a small attic apartment that doesn't have much counter space or cupboard space in the kitchen. So my husband and I designed and build her a kitchen island for more usable space and a place on the back she can put stools and she can use it as an eating bar as well. It took us almost 2 weeks because we were trying to build it in the garage below her apartment when she wasn't home. Her reaction was perfection! It turned out so great!!!

Rob and Jen Smith

Bunk Bed

My girls wanted a bunk bed badly! I was shocked to see the prices shopping around at local furniture stores. So I made one :)

Bed is constructed with all pine wood and stained with Kona color stain. I added a few fun things like a window and a tent on top. These were really simple. Email me if you have any questions.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Stain color: Kona

Stain was sprayed on and a Matte finish poly for protection
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

fkowalec

Sat, 05/18/2013 - 13:40

This is really cute i love the tent portion would love to know how you did it

Extended Nightstands

Submitted by PinnSB on Sun, 04/13/2014 - 20:33

These nightstands span the entire wall of our master bedroom. My husband's side features a mini-fridge, whereas mine has a space for an ottoman that I have yet to buy (or make?). It is a combination of the "Modern Nightstand" and the "Parsons Desk".

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr ultra white gloss paint and polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kentwood Nightstand Painted with Tattered Angels Paints

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/11/2016 - 05:22

I saw the plans for this nightstand and loved it! It was exactly the piece of furniture I was looking for to use as an end table. I decided to stain the top and paint the bottom. The outside is a greenish-teal color and the inside is a light, fun yellow. I also submitted this project to Canvas Corp Brands' Blog and they published it! See the blog post here: http://blog.canvascorpbrands.com/diy-end-table-painted-with-tattered-angels-paints/

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Minwax stain in the color of English Chestnut for the top. I also added two coats of shiny poly over the stain. For the paints on the bottom I applied Tattered Angels DIY and Decor paints in the colors of Mankato and Chamoise. I first wiped down the whole piece with a damp cloth to remove dirt, and then since it was already sanded, I just began to add color. I used a rag to stain the top and applied two coats. I used a small Purdy brush on the bottom to apply the paint. I did a light coat of paint first, then came back with another light coat to cover any spots I missed.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic end table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/05/2020 - 15:38

Doing the whole set of rustic coffee/end tables 1st one done! Thanks for the plan!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Black walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

4x4 table with tiled top

Submitted by tomekg35 on Thu, 06/28/2012 - 06:18

Wanted a nice big table, but couldn't find one in local stores. Decided to build one after seeing a small tiled table at Home Depot. This is my first project like this. I am a network engineer not a carpenter, but the table turned out great.

Estimated Cost
$400-$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
tiles and epoxy grout.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

tomekg35

Fri, 06/29/2012 - 06:14

This is my first ever project like this... but I just found out that I like doing this kind of stuff.
Already have some more ideas in mind, and once the weather cools down from the upper 90's we are having right now, I will probably do many more projects.

rudy (not verified)

Mon, 10/15/2012 - 20:41

Great job!

Can you tell us more on how you built this table and provide additional photos from different angles?

I'm want to mimic your design and see how accurate I am to your original piece.

Thanks,

Rudy

Standup Desk built from Modified Farmhouse Potting Bench Plans

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 08:31

Hello! I used the plans for the Farmhouse Potting Bench and modified them to make a standup desk. This has been awesome for making a simple but effective desk during the quarantine.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Oak by Varathane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

CreativeNest

Tue, 07/14/2020 - 07:10

This is great! I was thinking of modifying the potting bench plans as well, to build a kitchen unit. My stove recently bit the dust, and seeing as I never use the oven anyway, I'm hoping to build a convection plate cooking unit to put in the old stove's place. I'll probably pop some doors onto it and have closed storage underneath.

Holiday Fence Picket Planters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/03/2024 - 07:36

I built these picket fence planters with my husband. They were very easy to build. I can use them all year around. I’ll add flowers in the spring and summer and mums in the fall and Christmas trees in the Winter. I’m definitely building more for my back porch. Happy building! - Celines

Seasonal And Holiday

Art Supplies Caddy

I built this caddy to celebrate a 4th birthday party for a sweet little girl. I used pine scraps, painted it with some leftover pink paint, and then created some name artwork and a little logo with her initial. I made the art on my computer (in Adobe Illustrator) held up a piece of notebook paper to the screen and traced it with a pencil. Then I held it on my caddy and used a mechanical pencil with the lead down to press the indent into the wood. Filled that in with a silver paint pen and traced it with a fine tip black sharpie. Then filled each cubby with a large mason jar from Walmart (about 50 cents each) and filled them with art supplies. It turned out so cute! And it's a great way to use up some scraps.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
free, from scraps
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
two coats of pink latex paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Kids Easy Bike Rack

A few weekends ago, I went into our tool house to get my bike out so I could ride to work, and I had to remove so many obstacles, that I was too late to ride to work, and as a result, boiling mad. Several of the objects I had to move out of my way were my kids bikes that don't have kick stands, which my kids just haphazardly dump on their sides on the floor of the shed.

I had had the idea to build a bike rack out of spare 2x4s for the kids' bikes for a while, but this incident cemented my resolve to finish it quickly.

I had some scrap 2x4s and 2x6 wood left over from another project, which I used to compose my bike rack. It has 4 slots for 4 bikes.

I did some light sanding to prevent splinters, but I did not apply any finish because of the way it was going to be used and it would not be exposed to the elements.

It took very little time to put together. If I had more claps, I could have done it more quickly.

If you are interested in making something that looks just like mine, stop by my blog to get the details.

Estimated Cost
$10 - $15
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Hanna Canopy Bed

This was a fun and relatively easy weekend project. Shaping the legs and getting the rounded header and footer were the only challenging parts. A good stretch project for the novice DIYer. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint/ primer combo. Three coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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