Community Brag Posts

Benchwright/Tryde Console Table

I ended up combining two of the different plans (Benchwright, Tryde) because I wanted something that matched my Hyde Pottery Barn coffee table but that had drawers. My console table only needed to be 44" wide, so I ended up removing the middle 2x4 that was part of the Benchwright plan. I also used 1x2s for the bottom shelf because it was over a vent, and I knew that I was going to be using baskets for storage down there. I also used actual drawer slides because I knew that my console table would be used pretty frequently. The hardest part of the whole table was installing the drawers and making sure they were sliding smoothly and that the front of the drawers were flush with the front of the console table. Favorite part of the entire plan was the planket top...I love how it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Was trying to as closely match the mahogany stain that Pottery Barn uses on their hyde collection. Used two coats of Minwax Walnut stain and then one coat of Behr Mahogany on the console table before finishing up with 3 coats of semi-gloss polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

goose2

Thu, 02/23/2017 - 13:16

 This is exactly what I have been looking for! Are the legs made out of 4 x 4's? 

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by ekgade on Tue, 07/22/2014 - 09:08

This was my first project and couldn't be more pleased. Took about 20 hrs, and $120 including new materials (brushes, etc.) with borrowed tools. I filled cracks on top of table with wood putty and stained with Mission Oak; looks great, but make sure to dry wood putty with heater or hair dryer to avoid cracks if you go this route. Thanks Ana for the plans!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Mission Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Simply White Homework Desk

Had to make some modifications since I was using some old hinges.  Use some 1/16" cable with an eye fitting on either end.  Since my kids have a habbit of leaning, standing, jumping, and hanging on things I attached it to the wall using a french cleat system using a circular saw.  Pretty easy to do and extremely stable.  Last mod was the corkboard on the back for my wife to post homework and to-do lists. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Olivia's Doll Crib and High Chair sets

Submitted by Linda7 on Fri, 09/28/2012 - 16:15

I have three granddaughters and four great-nieces. I was able to find vintage 50's baby doll cribs for the older two, but not for my youngest granddaughter. I was so excited when I found Ana's doll crib, realizing that I could make the beds and high chair sets for all of the girls. I wanted to use water-slip decals to make the beds look vintage like the older g'daughters', and I found this great website: www.decalcottage.com. I wanted each set to be slightly different, so for the first two sets for sisters, I followed Ana's plans exactly for one, and using the idea from another brag post, used just a rectangle for the ends.The high chair backs are also slightly different. I have since made two more sets which I'll post later, but they all have vintage lambs on the beds and high chairs. It has been so much fun!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $20 per set for the lumber. I already had the paint and pocket hole screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I first primed with one coat of Kilz, then used Olympic brand white gloss spray paint and the clear spray finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wall Jewelry Cabinet

I made this awesome jewelry cabinet for my teenage daughter's room. It holds all her jewelry and then some, and it keeps it looking nice and organized. I followed the Wall Jewelry Cabinet plans, and made just a few minor modifications to better suit the style of my daughter's room. Plans were super easy to follow and this only took a few hours to build.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Refreshing Pool paint with Ralph Lauren Tobacco glaze
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jleigh333

Sat, 04/25/2015 - 12:42

I just love the details you added with the trim! It is beautiful! I really love the color too. You did such a great job! I think I may try that with my next cabinet.

Little Kids Picnic Table

Built this picnic table for our twin foster nephews for their 2nd b-day.  It was a hit!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Lumber $15
Paint $20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

X chair copy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/25/2020 - 10:32

I saw these chairs online at a cost of $5,580 each . I thought they were very nice, but way too expensive. Using the online photo and dimensions I was able to more or less figure out the way it was made. The tool required are a mitre saw, table saw, kreg pocket hole jig, drill and palm sander. The chairs were then burned with a torch to waterproof them and bring up the grain in the wood. 3 coats of spar varnish cut with mineral spirits were applied to finish the project. The cost was about $130 Canadian each including the cushion, around 2% of the chair seen online.

Estimated Cost
130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
First shou sugi ban (Japanese wood burning technique) the wood and then 3 coats or spar varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse bed with Cathedral Window quilt

Submitted by calara on Thu, 10/04/2012 - 12:07

Farmhouse bed with 2 inch foam mattress and fitted sheet set with cathedral window quilt (blocks made half size)

Estimated Cost
free
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

2x4 Bench

I found this plan on morelikehome.net and had to try it this was my first project in 20 years and I had so much fun building it. I am looking forward to building more in the future! Enjoy!

Estimated Cost
50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Brown semi - solid stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

farmhouse queen

Submitted by hurley on Mon, 11/07/2016 - 12:05

This was my second project. I built it with my hubs and we had a blast. We have a boxspring so we used 2x6s, but laid them flat. We also used 2x12s for the sides and instead of attatching the sides permanantly we used bed hooks that we ordered online to attatch the sides. 4x4s were impossible to find. We ended up buying treated ones and sanding them for ages.

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

Patio table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/27/2020 - 21:37

Modified some measurements and squared the legs. Also added LED lights under it for night mood setting.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Used Stain + Sealer from Behr brand. Color is called Pewter.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Classic Chair X 8, a poker room is born

Great, beefy chair with a rustic look around the poker table with side tables (another project that took longer than anticipated); the plans were great and easy to follow. I made a few modifications:

- Reduced the width from 19" to 16" to fit around the table.
- Made the seat out of 1x4's horizontally mounted with an extra support underneath. It helps to keep the cushions from sliding and I liked the look.
- Rather than pocket holes I counter-sunk and used oak plugs.

I did the whole thing assembly-line style creating "kits" as I went along. That allowed me to make jigs for each cut so things were reasonable close from chair to chair. Also, I only made one attempt at the jigsaw cut for the rear angle...the jigsaw got very upset. For the rest, I used the chop saw to make little slices and then chiseled and sanded.

Two coats of Danish Oil on everything gave me the look I was trying for, kind of the back-room-in-an-old-John-Wayne-cowboy-movie vibe. Leave your pistols at the bar.

The times and costs are per chair, the whole thing took a whole lot longer!

Estimated Cost
$35/chair
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish Oil, Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Sofa & Coffee Table

Submitted by Ulrike on Fri, 07/31/2020 - 09:38

This project took a while. Stained everything before assembly which made it easier. Plans are easy to follow. Thank you for making them available. Our property is starting to look a lot like your website.

Estimated Cost
180
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jwood4

Mon, 08/02/2021 - 08:35

Looks amazing! What method did you use (pocket holes, dowels, deck screws, etc) to join the visible portions like the arms?

Horizontal 6 hole cubby

Submitted by angeleyes on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 19:04

I really wanted a built in unit for toy storage for our kids toy room but truth be told couldn't afford what I wanted ie pretty and solid. So while searching on refinishing furniture I came across this site. Thanks a bunch Ana. You've inspired me to create things I didn't think possible, all on a modest budget - diy. This was my first woodworking project. It was actually easy to me because it follows the same principles as sewing in which the depth of the wood is like the seam allowance. I really liked the 6 cubby plan but wanted it horizontal. I had to replan this piece as the plan dimensions changed when I changed the orientation of it. I also added crown moulding (but this was kind of a ledger style that rested ontop of the 1x2 - they use it as a door headers). I initially intended to paint this white but decided that it would have got lost in the white wood panelling. (DH even commented that i was taking way to long on this project but after seeing the finished results said it looked amazing.) So I painted it a grey blue, distressed the edges and then used a stain that I bought from benjamin moore's mis-tint section for $5.00 which says it's a danish walnut based but seems to have a slight purple huge to it. thanks again Ana, its because of you I don't have to stare at a messy toyroom any longer!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125-$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
paint, then stained washed and sealed
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bunk Bed Build!

Submitted by ladyj on Sat, 08/02/2014 - 12:46

I built this for my kids who are now having to share a room due to another baby on the way. These plans appealed to me because it's junior height and it had stairs instead of a ladder, both of which made the top bunk sleeper feel safer. It was my first furniture build but I do have quite a bit of building experience. I was pregnant but loved these plans and had to build it! I stained/painted each piece separately before assembling it. I also drew up my own stair plans so I could add more storage (it fits 18 cube storage bins!) and built it using 2x6s and 2x12s and galvanized steel pipes for a railing. I added a bottom bunk as well. Under the top bunk mattress, I stapled a $7 grey flat sheet, with the staples hiding, to cover up the 2x4s supporting the upper mattress. The kids love it! Thanks Anna for the inspiration!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax classic gray, then flat latex white ceiling paint, distressed with sandpaper, then top coated with two coats of minwax polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Mini Firewood Shed

I made this using plans submitted by pericles49. Thank you, pericles49!

 

I altered the design to use materials I had laying around, and changed the size to fit my space. That made it take a little longer - especially because changing the fastening pattern is still tricky for me - trying to keep screws from hitting each other.

 

Design

I made mine a little deeper 27-1/2" instead of 24 on the plan.

 

Materials

  • Landscape timbers I had laying around. To save on weight, and wood, I ripped a couple of the landscape timerbers down the middle.
  • Roof - 5-V crimp tin roof
  • 1x4 pine boards (2nds from other projects)
  • 1x4 and 1x2 cyprus boards (2nds from a construction project)

What I'd do differently next time

  • The weight of the firewood is resting on the screws that fasten the floor to the posts. Next time I'll make the wood support the weight, and the screws just hold it in place.

 

 

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

Six Cube Bookshelf

Submitted by skane724 on Sat, 10/13/2012 - 12:40

I have been searching for something to replace my son's plastic Fisher Price bookshelf/toy box for some time now. He had so many books on the shelf it was sagging. I came across this plan and thought it was perfect. I love that the shelves are tall enough for his bigger books to stand up. I picked up three red totes at Target to hold his smaller toys on the bottom. This plan was easy to follow and I had no problem when putting together the frame of the bookshelf. I did however have some problems when it came time to put in the dividers for the shelves. They are not evenly spaced, but I don't think you can even tell. The best part is my son loves it and that is the most important. It is easy for him to go over and pick out a book whenever he wants.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Painter's Touch White (2-3 Coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

My Pallet Bookshelf

Submitted by Amy_C on Tue, 08/05/2014 - 10:16

I live in a small northern town that has very little choice for affordable furniture. After scouring kijiji for months I decided to make my own.

I was very happy with how my bookshelf turned out - using 2 pallets. I used wider shelves than this post said because my books won't fit on 4" shelves, and it was next to impossible to remove the pallet slats for re-use without splitting them. I used 4 - 6" and 2 - 8" shelves.

Power sander was my best friend.

Buying the shelving and stain cost me $20 for this project!

Estimated Cost
20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Ebony Woodstain.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project