Community Brag Posts
My First Big Build - A Workbench
I have been wanting to build a workbench but just hadn't decided on a plan. I stumbled across one here and decided to go for it. It was easy to build, easy to follow the plans. I had fun building it and I'm super happy with out well it came out. This is my first big project and it's only my 3rd thing I've made.
The only deviation from the plan that I did was that I used 3/4" plywood for both shelves instead of just one. And I only did this so that I wouldn't have to buy a second piece of plywood. And I used 3" screws on the whole thing.
Also... I cut 3" off the height so that I could add wheels and it be the same height.
$18 - 2"x4"s
$ 7 - screws
$24 - Plywood
So about $49
The wheels... well... if you go to Lowes... I spent $30 including the bolts. Then I went to Harbor Freight and got some different ones for under $20. So I'd shop around on that. Or... you don't need them if you don't want them.
Infinity Mirror Coffee Table
Used the Benchwright Coffee Table for all of the base which was very easy to follow. I used rough cut Alder, which I would not try to do again (way too many linear feet to cut!). I've done drawers before, and I've found that it's easier to attach the slides to the drawer box and the horizontal pieces that attach to the table. After that, attach once of the horizontal pieces first, and shim the other before attaching to the table. The top is 3 boards tall and is comprised of 1 layer of birch plywood, 1 layer of spacers, and the mitered edges on the top. The infinity mirror feature comes from a row of LED's sandwiched between a mirror (base) and glass with a semi-transparent mirror film (also known as one way mirror).
Comments
Modern Outdoor Bench
Great plans! I modified the bench by adding a slanted back (which enabled me to put the slats closer together), extending and curving the front of the arms and extended the seat to the outside of the legs.
Comments
Hockey Corn Hole Board
Did one with Bruins as well. Wife made the bags. Did another set with LA Rams for my brother.
King Sized Farmhouse Bed
We have been sleeping on a inexpensive platform bed for the last 7 years and after falling in love with this website (thank you Ana, I am constantly bragging and showing your website to others) I decided to build us a farmhouse bed as my first project. I started this project back in October 2011....yes it took much longer than expected, but I have 2 kids a husband (so make that 3), a full time career in the military and a house to maintain. That and we got the news I am pregnant back in Nov!!! The head board and foot board did not take long and luckily we had a very mild winter here in NC (boo to no snow though). I decided to save some work and money by reusing the slats and hardware from my old bed to avoid buying more wood or having to get a box spring for our mattress. Unfortunately, that was my huge delay, I cut and stained my sideboards, bought what I thought would be great bed brackets and found myself with a space that was to wide for the slats and on top of that my husband managed to loose one of my brackets. Needless to say, months of sleeping on a mattress on the floor with my head board and foot board on either wall mocking us every night due to my overwhelming frustration and fear of having a colossal headboard fall on me while trying to work. I called upon the assistance of a good friend of mine (Christie you are amazing!!) to come over while my husband was out of town in May (I figured this would be a good time to surprise him, plus keep his opinions from making things take longer). So lots of how the heck are we going to do this and finding out the bed frame brackets I purchased were not as strong as they appeared (they broke!!). We got some new wood for the sides and some long bolts to get everything together and worked a whole Saturday to get it complete. Added a few L brackets to get rid of the wobble and its sturdy as a rock! It may have its flaws, but I love it and don't regret any of the time and stress it took to build it. I now have a beautiful comfortable bed to sleep in every night to patiently wait for my third little girl to arrive. It should last us for a very long time especially since I made sure that it could come apart and go back together for any future moves the military may take us.
I cannot wait to start my next project.....and hopefully it wont take as long this time ;).
Comments
2x4 Chunky Console
This is the first thing I have ever made. I had my wood cut at Lowe's, bought a Kreg pocket hole jig and screws. I borrowed a friend's drill, sander and stain. I was amazed at how easy this was and how well it turned out.
E's scooter
Fairly easy to make with a jigsaw and sander. I would suggest to whomever makes one of the Charlie scooters to use a hardwood as some of the section in the handlebar area can be fragile when weight is applied.
Farmhouse Craft Station
Desk for my wifes craft room.
Joshua Moore
West Elm Knockoff Rolling Cubby
This was my very first build! I didn't even have a saw, so I had the lumber guys at Lowes cut my boards for me. Also, I altered the dimensions to fit my space.
Check out my blog link for more info!
Underbed Lego Storage
We were in desperate need of a lego storage solution for our son's small bedroom. I made this for his 7th birthday. I saw a photo of a similar one as a result of a google or pinterest search and decided to draw up some plans.
I recessed the top slightly so that pieces won't fall off. I just glued thin cleats to the inside of the box to hold the lid, (using spacers to get it at the height I wanted) Ideally the top would be reversible however I didn't quite get one of the dividers square so it only fits one way. I used Posca water-based markers to do the text. Make sure you wait until the text is really dry before you try to seal it (don't ask me how I know that...) Turns out that the markers don't react well with the brush on poly so I just left the text unsealed.
I was just going to have one handle on the front but then I made a stupid mistake and wrote the text so it would be upside down when pulled out (I know, dumb right!) So I added another handle on the other side. I used a water-based enamel for the whole box. Not sure if that was worth it of if I should have just used flat and given it a top coat of poly. I used a brush on the inside corners and found it really hard to get an even finish because I rolled the flat surfaces. Painting the pieces before assembly would probably fix this.
Added some castors so it can be pushed under the bed.
Comments
Sun, 02/05/2017 - 08:48
Dimensions
This is so awesome. Do you think you could share a more detailed account of build. Dimensions? Supplies? I am a newbie at this! I would greatly appreciate!
Family Project
Great family project, thanks Ana!
Combined the Kentwood and Farmhouse Beds!!!
We loved the storage of the Farmhouse bed, but loved the headboard and foot board of the Kentwood. We also wanted a twin size bed. Instead of trying to figure out the measurements to make the farmhouse to a twin size (which is shorter in length), we made it at the full size length and just bought XL twin size mattresses, which were not hard to find and now we can keep the beds even after our boys become teenagers :-)
We basically built the headboards and foot boards from the kentwood exactly as Ana's plans state. Then we built the Farmhouse storage drawers. We love them!!! Thank you so much Ana for MORE great bed plans (this is our second set of bed plans we have made!
Comments
Tue, 07/24/2012 - 20:48
Fantastic!
These look great. I'm sure your kids are thrilled with their beds, and how amazing that you made these for them. They'll probably take them with them when they move out - years from now!
Book Stand
This was a project undertaken to facilitate my current pursuit of learning how to cook, but I think it will serve me well as I study, too, holding my textbooks up. It also let me experiment a little with staining and with using milk paint (which has NO VOCs but is kinda weird to work with). And it let me put to use some scrap wood that I think I was unconsciously saving for something special.
Because I had a scrap pile, screws, a few hinges, and the finishing products, this project was Almost free...I had to buy a narrow hinge ($1.50? I think?), and I chose to buy some pretty page weights ($3 including both pendants and the chain). So...not too bad, right? For a solid book stand that has meaningful beauty to me?
Ok, so this is all scrap wood. The stained pieces are maple leftovers from my cabinet project, and the rest is a mix of pine and poplar. See the dimensions in the last photo. The paint is Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Lucketts Green, and the stain is Red Chestnut oil-based stain by Minwax. I finished the whole thing with one coat of wax buffed to a soft sheen (my new favorite finish).
I used a miter saw for my cuts and a router for the kickstand grooves, but really a regular circular saw would've worked just as well (or better, for the grooves). It took me several days to finish this project, but there's no reason it should take (someone other than me) more than an afternoon.
Minwax oil-based stain in Red Chestnut (I applied mineral oil first as a conditioner, then the stain for a few seconds, then wiped off - it still turned a little blotchy, though)
Regular furniture paste wax, one coat
leaning bathroom shelf
This was a pretty easy build, always a plus when you're looking for more storage. I'm not sure about the darkness of the stain though; I usually go with a walnut to match the rest of the house and wanted to try something different. This seems like a bit much. Might be easier to build an entire second set vs re-doing the stain though...
Easy Build DIY Planter
Directions were perfect! This is my 3rd project and I really enjoyed it! Fast and easy.
Trash with Lift-up Storage
Replacing a trash bin for a friend whose cats could not get into. At the last minute I thought a little hiding area on top would give them some storage for bags and things. Had to go one size down on the Rubbermaid to allow for clearance when tilting open. They love it, the cats hate it.
Rustic Table
I made this table before the PB plans came out on the this site. I used gate hinges on the corners and 3/4" piece of all thread on the bottom. The top was poured with the High Gloss glaze from Lowes. It fits 8 all around and you could squeeze in 12 if you really needed to. All together this only cost $350.
Simple White Outdoor Chair
These chairs followed the simple white outdoor chair instructions. There were a few adaptations. I used 2x3s instead of 2x2s for the legs, like in the simple white outdoor loveseat instructions. I purchased my cushions from Target, and their dimensions are different than the cushions used in the instructions, so I changed some of the chair dimensions. I created the pattern for the ottomans, but it is very much based on the simple white outdoor chair instructions.
Fun project and happy with the results. Staining instead of painting probably made the project take twice as long.
Deft Exterior Polyurethane semi-gloss- 3 coats
Comments
Thu, 05/22/2014 - 13:37
Beautiful!
Your chairs are gorgeous - I feel compelled to go copy your handiwork immediately. :)
Would you mind sharing a link to the Target cushions you used? They look great on your chairs.
Sat, 05/24/2014 - 10:56
Thanks! Threshold Outdoor
Thanks!
Threshold Outdoor Deep Seating Cushion:
http://www.target.com/p/threshold-outdoor-deep-seating-cushion/-/A-1508…
Threshold Outdoor Deep Seating Back Cushion:
http://www.target.com/p/threshold-outdoor-deep-seating-back-cushion/-/A…
Just a note on the cushions, they are beautiful and highly economical, but that also means they likely aren't as supportive as cushions 2 or 3 times their price and the covers do not have a zipper, so you can't wash them. That being said, I am happy with cushions.
Fri, 05/23/2014 - 07:44
Love the ottomans!
I built these chairs and love seat last summer and have sat on them wishing I had ottomans! You inspired me to build the ottomans. I have the same Theshold cushions from Target and they are great! Good job!
Sat, 05/24/2014 - 11:09
Ottoman notes
Thanks!
The only tricksy part about the ottomans for me was attaching the "armrests". There isn't enough room to use the pocket hole screws after attaching the side aprons. I tried screwing the "armrests" to the legs before the aprons, but that just caused problems. In the end I screwed the side aprons and legs together and then screwed the "armrests" down from the top. I used wood filler to fill in the holes above the screw heads. So it isn't quite as clean looking, but worked for me.
My Outdoor Sectional Couch
This was built off Ana's Outdoor Couch plans. I just made some additional things to it and made it larger.
I added the vertical back supports so the cushions don't slip out the back. I raised the seat height to 17".