Community Brag Posts

My Very First Project!

Submitted by MamaPepper on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 21:29

This was my first time ever using a drill AND a staple gun, and my first woodworking project since I made stilts out of wood and glue for 4-H, like, 25 years ago!

I'm not sure I did it right, and I had to place a plant stand strategically in order to keep it standing upright, but the boys love it so far! I ended up using the curtains that I had in the boys room, and the loops weren't big enough, so I improvised with ribbon, and the curtains weren't quite long enough to go around to the bottom, but I figure having the staples showing just made it look cool and industrial :)

All in all, I'm pretty darn proud of completing my first project!! Thanks for the awesome plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
20ish
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Rustic Farmhouse Table

Using Ana White's Rustic Table plans, I recreated her design by modifying the measurements to fit my dining space. I did not use wood glue, as the plans call for, and simply left the wood screws visible which I felt added a rustic touch. The top is stained with Minwax Special Walnut #224, and the bottom is painted Simply White by Benjamin Moore. The table measures 72"x42" and is 30" high. It can comfortably seat six chairs.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut #224
Polycrylic
Benjamin Moore Simply White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

snomii

Sat, 09/07/2013 - 12:22

I love your choice of colour! It's the perfect backdrop to a nice dinner full of colour! I'm getting inspired to try this now!

Twin Farmhouse Bed with Jeremiah 29:13 carved into headboard

This is the second farmhouse bed that i've built from these plans.  I made a slight modification to shorten the headboard for this bed. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable project. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$160
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Walnut, and spray lacquer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Potting Bench / garage bar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/31/2022 - 15:46

So easy… about 3 hours to cut and assemble. Will make another one for sure when I go to visit my mom at Thanksgiving. I absolutely love it!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Third Project - Factory Cart Coffee Table

Submitted by scot price on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 12:37

This Factory Cart Coffee Table is my third project. I used pretty much the same design as the Factory Cart Coffee Table plans on the site, with some minor modification. We attached a few pieces of hardware to the sides, and corners of the table to add a little bit more of the industrial look.

Great plans, keep up the good work. I am beginning to build a lot of stuff now. The furniture all looks great, it has the look of homemade, and saves a lot of money over buying in a store.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$215
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
The finish I used on this project was Bullseye Amber Shellac, and Deft Brushing Lacquer. I put down three coats of the Amber Shellac to give the wood a great amber color. I let the shellac dry for a couple days, then added six coats of the Deft Brushing Lacquer. I also spray painted all the hardware with Rustoleum Hammered Black Spray Paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Pam the Goatherd

Sat, 07/16/2011 - 08:20

Been looking at these plans for a while trying to figure out where I could fit a table like this in my teensy-tiny house. Love your interpretation of it. The black hardware is a nice touch!

vaki (not verified)

Fri, 07/22/2011 - 12:41

Congratulations on your beautiful piece of furniture!

Where did you buy the casters and what size did you go for?

scot price

Thu, 07/28/2011 - 07:20

Hello,

Thanks...we really like the look of this piece in the house, and by building it ourselves it saved a ton of money.

I got the casters at Tractor Supply. They are 5 inch casters. The front two are able to swing 360 degree, and the back two are just straight casters. These were by far the most expensive portion of the project. I bought and tried 3 inch casters first, but these made for a really, really low table.

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 08/03/2011 - 19:23

I love the work you did on the table. Did you also stencil something? Did you get the hardware at the tractor supply store? Just beautiful.

scot price

Mon, 08/29/2011 - 08:54

Thank you so much. We did stencil something on the side (S & K MFG Co.). A mix of mine and my girlfriends name.

We got the hardware at Lowes, and the casters at Tractor Supply. The casters were the hardest part since I was looking for the old type casters used on the turn of the century carts, but those were way too hard to source.

Fancy Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Hodgecrew on Mon, 08/19/2013 - 14:27

My husband tackled the Fancy Farmhouse Table and finished it in 1 weekend and it looks amazing! I could not be more thrilled with the outcome.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Top of table we stained, bottom was painted.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X Console Table With Twigging

Submitted by markman57 on Mon, 09/21/2015 - 08:44

Followed the original plan but substituted branches from an oak tree for the X brace to give it a more "Adirondack" look.  Geneously sprayed the branches with a clear polyurethane coating to seal the bark.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Zar Golden Oak oil based finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse table

Submitted by cmanmgm007 on Sun, 09/16/2018 - 12:53

I just built this yesterday, stock 2x4's and 4x4 legs, thanks Ana for the idea.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Speical walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Kitchen island

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/09/2022 - 11:45

We built this island with the top offset so you could use it for stools on 2 sides. It fit perfectly in our daughter's first college house! The plans were easy to follow we added drawer slides and dovetailed the drawer.

Comments

Copy Cat Nesting Table - Larger Table

After seeing the $400 PB Tables on their website, I decided I wanted the look without paying such a high price.

I recreated a table using their table as an inspiration piece. I plan on building the little table next week.

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint, but I will be distressing it and glazing it too.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Mon, 07/18/2011 - 06:59

I requested plans for nesting tables because I don't have the confidence to try and do it myself. Beautiful job and yours look much better than PB's and their ridiculous price! Once you get the smaller table done, will you please post your plans? I would really appreciate it. We have an ottoman so there isn't room for a coffee table and we badly need tables for when our weekly guests arrive. I don't like the snack tables as they are too wobbly. Again, beautiful work!

The Quaint Cottage

Wed, 07/20/2011 - 12:50

And yes, I'll be posting the finished plans and table pictures this weekend. I even tried my first attempt at the plans on the sketch up program. The big table is already up on my little blog site.

http://www.thequaintcottage.net/2011/07/copy-cat-nesting-end-table-part…

My table is a bit larger than the PB table, but I wanted the little table to be able to be used as a secondary table when guests come visit (move to side tables).

Once I get them perfect, I'll post here.

THANKS for your positive feedback. :)

Karen

Fancy X Desk

Submitted by gsligh on Tue, 08/20/2013 - 09:46

I modified the plan by using a hardwood plywood 4X8 sheet cut down to a 72" by 28" size. I put hardwood trim around the edges for a smooth appearance. I stained the top with a Minwax poly shield oak finish and painted the base using a glossy enamel paint "Inkwell" from Sherwin Williams. The seamless top makes for a better writing surface.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Miniwax oak polyshield and enamel paint "Inkwell" from Sherwin Williams. Using enamel paints makes the project take longer because of drying times in between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Garage Storage

Submitted by wabilinski on Mon, 09/28/2015 - 10:48

My wife was needing some extra storage in the garage for seasonal decor totes.

So, of course, I first go to Ana White's website. Voila, I found the perfect plans for the space I had to work with.

- The final product ended up being 72"Hx54"Lx21"W

- I used a counter sink bit to pre-drill screw holes so the heads would be slightly below the surface of the boards. This way the totes would not get caught on or damaged by the screws.

Estimated Cost
$90 for wood and screws
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
N/A - left unfinished
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen helper

Submitted by itzdonna on Sat, 10/13/2018 - 09:36

Thanks so much for the plans Ana.  Made this for our grandaughter.  Right now all colors are yellow and all bugs are bees so I decorated it as such.  Chose  not to use pocket screws as I figured if you had issues with the wood splitting I wasn't going to push my luck.  Plans were very easy to follow and took us about 4 hours in total.  Can't wait for her to start using it.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi gloss paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Another successful Classic Bunk beds build

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/23/2022 - 10:06

I followed Classic Bunk Beds instructions with the ladder to the left end instead of the right. I think this by accident though it works out fine in the room either way. It's finished with Danish Oil rubbed on.

Comments

Whoop! I did it!!!!!!!

Submitted by amanda4024 on Sun, 07/24/2011 - 11:10

I am very suprised, but I made my very first ANYTHING with the help of this website and my very dear step-dad! We used two plans from this website and did some modifications by adding some back supports at the tops. We also made two foot stools to act as chaises on the two ends. I thought that I would go ahead and post the results now before I painted the sectional so more of the detail. What cost so much was the cushions. The cushions were from Target and they were $650.00. I was concerned that when people sat on the sectional they would be able to feel the wood underneath, so I purchased the 5" deep seat cushions and over sized pillows, which I am soooo glad that I did, it makes this sectional look so much more professional looking and gives it even more of a crisp look! I also didn't skimp on the paint which was $65.00 on the paint! The rest was wood, materials and tools that were needed. But if you priced purchasing something like this from PB or WestElm, it would easily be 3-4K at the least! Unto the next project!!!

Estimated Cost
$1000.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
My plan is to use wood filler where needed, sand 120 grit, prime and apply an outdoor black satin finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tree House Stool

This project was so fun! I made it to blend in with a tree house I built (adapted from Ana White plans). The top of the stool was the best part. Full details on my blog.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$3
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
"dried leaves" Clark & Kensington paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Thu, 08/22/2013 - 13:34

This is super cute and so creative! I looked at the tree house on your blog, just made me say Wow!!!!

stuffed animal problem

Submitted by bhoppy on Sat, 10/03/2015 - 14:36

There were a few of these floating around pinterest so I just looked at a few pictures and kinda winged it.  It is made almost just like Jamie’s except I used additional 2x2’s as you can see in the pics… I needed something to thread the bungee cords through.  I tied them off on the top and bottom.  I ordered a roll of pink bungee cord off of amazon.  This is actually two years old as you can see from how much it has filled up.  I also went back and added additional rows of bungee cord between all the others as stuffed animals were falling out.  Again, I winged it.  Having plans will make this build much easier!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
primed with kilz and satin white paint I already had
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

mrsloveless

Mon, 01/18/2016 - 13:19

Where did you purchase the 2x2's and 1x3's? Are they furring strips or pressure treated lumber? Thanks!

Ladder shelf

Submitted by mltdblack on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 19:58

My kids desperately needed storage for their bathroom. The vanity is separate from their toilet and tub/shower. They were always forgetting to grab a towel before bath time. When I saw the wooden ladder shelf I thought it was perfect for the space. The only problem I had was figuring out the angle and height to place the supports on the front legs. With the help of my husband and a level it was a breeze. Once again it took longer for me to apply the finish than it did to build. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Not real sure. I had most of the lumber on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust oleum Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

$20 DIY Cedar Planter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/01/2022 - 06:09

This is the 1st planter I have ever made! Thanks Ana, plans were easy to follow! I shared with my brother, and he said "I'm impressed!", I said "Me too!"
It isn't perfect but I love it! Started 2 more, just 1 inch smaller on both sides. Thanks again, great project to help with fears and confidence!

Comments

The Easiest Shelf!

Submitted by osopurdy on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 21:19

This really is a easy beginner project and adds instant decor for your wall.

This project is also pretty versatile because it lends itself to ANY decor. You could go totally country like I did or pick a nicer, newer pallet and paint or stain it for a more modern or traditional take. Whatever you choose, it's something you can do in no time at all!

Another great thing about this is you don't need any fancy tools, although it does make it easier! You can choose from a circular saw, a sawsall, a jig saw or even a hand saw to cut your section out.

Estimated Cost
Free
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Lightly sanded then sprayed with a light coat of polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments