Community Brag Posts

I used the Cabin Bunk Bed system as a starting point for these plans.  This was my first major build of any kind of furniture, except for a small basic coffee table and pantry.  I took all the dimensions of the lumber, then put them into SketchUp to make sure the bed would fit in my daughter's room first.  My major mistake was using regular dimensions instead of board dimensions.  That cost me a couple days at least because I would have to go measure, then cut, then fit together.

I decided not to do the drawers because I didn't know how to do it and was exhausted by the time this was finished, so I'm using it as a cubby and robe hanger instead.  I designed the steps myself using 3/4" plywood.  I then painted the bed with semi-gloss white, 2 coats for durability. 

Structurally, I was wary because it shook pretty bad, but put an angled brace on the desk side.  That side was the weak point by far, but I got it sturdy enough for my daughter. 

Only 2 more to build. LOL

I wanted to build a desk for each of my 3 kids. We have an unused loft space in our home that I wanted to convert to a kid's homework area. Initially, I was going to build cabinets and create two walls of built in bookshelves and desk space. But decided I wanted free standing desks in a style that would last them into adulthood. (And possibly move with them into their own homes:) I really liked Pottery Barn's Printer's Keyhole Desk for the first desk but couldn't find a plan to build something like that. I ended up modifying the Turned Leg media console plan instead. It was a lot of work trying to figure out the correct changes to the plan. It totally made me appreciate how easy Ana's plans are to follow. I changed the depth to 24 inches and also changed the basic box from the plan into 3 boxes (left side drawers, middle drawer, right side drawer) then attached the boxes to each other then to the top. It was a heck of lot easier to say that in a couple of sentances then to actually do it. I also found it easier to put face frames on my drawers to hide my not perfect drawer boxes.

This project took me about a month to complete. I am a SAHM, and was not able to work on it every day.

The finish is Minwax Ebony oil based stain. I've had success using Annie Sloan waxes on other projects but was not happy with how the top looked after using it on the desk. Eventually I sanded the finish off and re-stained it 2x then topped it with 3 coats of Polycrylic. I left the rest of the desk with the original stain/Dark Wax finish.

I am too lazy to attempt sanding off the rest of the desk and restaining and sealing it. Kid #2 is already asking when I'm going to start on his desk (I'm thinking RH St. James style) and Kid #1 came home from school today and wanted to do his homework in the basement (where his desk is currently drying) so I think I should just say it's done and move on!

My experience comes just from reading this site and a few others. I've made AG doll furniture, picture frames, a console table, 2 benches, built-in bookshelves and a dollhouse bookcase. I used pocket hole joinery, glue and nails in this project. I don't have a table saw, so I made my long cuts with a circular saw fitted with a Kreg Rip Cut and occasionally a jig saw.

I would like to add some sort of hutch to it and am considering the Channing Hutch from this site. Thanks for reading!

Very easy garage shelving

Doug Fir Hutch

This was my first attempt at building a bed. My wife wanted to buy my 2-year old a twin bed from one of the big box stores. I asked her to let me take a crack at it before she spent several hundred dollars (and hours of assembly for me!). I immediately went to Ana's site first and found this plan. Since my wife loves all things PB, it was an easy sell.

I spent about $75 on lumber at Blue and about $20 on hardware at Orange. I also used this project as an excuse to buy a random orbitsl sander, so altogether, I spent less than $150. The mattress is a Serta Benson that we picked up for $180 after taxes and a Black Friday special. It came with a free box spring, but I declined because I used slats and didn't want the bed any higher.

I followed the plans in terms of measurements and dimensions. However, I modified the headboard and footboard. I omitted the cross pieces on the headboard and used quarter-round pine trim to hide some imperfections on my plywood cuts. I think it turned out OK.

Bookshelf for my son. Made out of pine, painted distressed,  and a stained top

Built for use in a Sunday School room at church : )

Since everyone else is making them, I had to jump on the bandwagon.  Typical end table, but I left off the metal trim (for now at least) and used a wire brush on the top boards to eat away at the wood and raise the grain.  It gives it tremendous texture and really makes it look more like old reclaimed lumber.

I changed the size of this to fit underneath my sons playhouse loft bed. It fits perfectly in the space between the door and wall of the bed. Put a kids leather chair in there and now he has his own personal man cave :)

After following Ana and a couple other talented ladies I decided to get a Kreg and take some action! I made a few adjustments to the size and I used pocket screws to put this together. It is solid! Found the baskets at Lowes and fell in love. It was super easy and my husband couldn't believe I put it together so fast. I has added much needed storage to the front door and we just love it.

My husband and I built this bed for my sister-in-law for Christmas. It took us about a week of working an hour or so a day on it. Most of that time was staining. The actually assembly took about 2 hours. 

I included a picture of how we attach the siderails to the headboard/footboard. We use a bracket that the 1x2 slides into. It is screwed to both the siderail and the headboard with 1 1/4" screws. We also attach a small L bracket to each corner with helps remove any wiggle that was there previously. It really makes the bed much more stable by adding those little L brackets. Again, we used 1 1/4" screws to attach them. 

Rustic Media Center stained with teal and white distressed paint. 

I finally got tired of my junk drawer being messy, so I took 10 minutes today and a piece of scrap wood and made this drawer divider. I even have a dedicated cubby for my tape measure!