Community Brag Posts

This was our first build project! We spent the most amount of time picking the color than we did on the actual assembly. We extended the back 2 legs 36 inches to accommodate the window frame and shelf.

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.

I built this loft bed for my neighbor's daughter.  It has a lot of space for storage and the book shelves with desk really add a lot of stabilty.  I added some supports to the back rail as it moved to much for me and made the ladder out of 2x material as it kept costs down and seemed stronger.  Neighbor wanted the ladded straight up and down so I connected it to the lower bookshel too!  Would not recommend cutting pieces in advance on this one!  I also used plywood for the shelves and trimmed them out as it was cheaper!

This was my first real project from start to finish. We bought rough lumber from The Home Depot.  Between having a toddler, tweenager and a life it took about a month of sporadic work but it was a great bonding project for my husband and I.  Guess the overachiever in me should have seen that one coming, I wanted have the full experience of jointing our own wood.  I learned a lot and had a lot of fun working with the table saw, miter saw, jointer, and kreg jig, all of which my husband already owned.  I did not use any glue on this project simply because I wanted to avoid the mess.  The best part about this project was the easy measurements..I'm not too good with the confusion.  It made it so much easier when cutting, specifically the 45degree angles. 

I used the Farmhouse Bed Plans and a picture posted on the FB page to get the look I wanted. We have a split king adjustable bed and needed the bed to allow the mattresses to adjust up and down at the headboard and footboard. The actual opening for the bed is 82X82. I used birch plywood for the main panel on the headboard and footboard and trimmed it with 1X4's, 1X2's, cove & chair rail trim. The headers are 2X4's and 2X6's. I tapered the untreated 4X4 posts which I found at our local store. For the sides I used 2X12's and raised them to allow extra room under the bed for storage. I used lots of wood filler, sanded for a whole day, applied wood conditioner and used a gel stain. I made the mistake of not wiping off the first coat of stain because it looked so good. After I applied the second coat it was too dark and showed brush marks. When it isn't so humid outside, I plan to sand it down and re-stain. I'll also apply a protective top coat at that point. I did purchase bed rail brackets online and they provide a nice tight fit.

I went with inset doors with chicken wire instead of the sliding barn doors, and I added an additional shelf.

Once I saw the plans posted I knew my daughter would love it and she does!! Every time she goes to bed she has to put her babies in bed too. This was a simple build but very rewarding. THanks Ana!!

Built 2 of these for a customer. Stained with Rust-Oleum Dark Walnut and finished with Rust-Oleum Satin Ployuerethane.

We've searched for a corner TV stand but couldnt find anything we liked. I finally decided to build one. 

Modified the plans to have sides like the wide cabin dresser, and took out top two drawers for media center

I asked my husband to build me Ana White's farmhouse table a few months ago...but he never found the time. Finally I announced I was doing it myself, expecting to get halfway through and then need my husband to finish it. I found out later he expected the same thing.

We were both surprised that I did manage to finish it myself, in about a week from the first trip to the store until it was finished and waiting to set before it came in the house.

I found notching the boards to be difficult at first, but my second try went great and everything fit as it was supposed to. We love our new table, and using the tools made me feel so empowered. I think I've found a new hobby!

My boys have to share a room so I needed to have some storage and increased usability. I added a 10" deep headboard to the top bunk and extended the desk to 10" deeper. I couldn't put the ladder in the middle of the room so i had to put it beside the bookcase and in turn had to turn the drawers to the inside so they wouldn't be under the ladder. I then needed a gap between the bookcase and the bottom bunk to access the shelves the the drawers on the side of the bottom bunk, so now there is a large shelf above the desk which is also the underside of the headboard. I also modified the desk to accommodate a computer tower when they get a bit older. There will also be a slide out keyboard tray and a small drawer. (haven't built them yet.) I managed to build this without adding much materials at all. the headboard was all scraps from the rest of it. The desk and bookcase are also 3" taller than the plans(seemed too short, in hindsight, now its too close to the ceiling... oops. )

Although it looks like a console now, the eventual use of this project will be as a vanity with a top-mount sink! 

My husband and I decided to tackle the farmhouse bedside table as our first project. It was a test to see if we could build together without fighting and bickering. We succeeded! It is a little "rustic" but we are pretty proud of our first build. It was definitely a learning experience. The top is a little uneven due to one of the boards having a slight bend to it. I also should have put epoxy on the knots of the pine before painting it. We are going to make one more to match for the other side of the bed. Thanks for the plans Ana!

I modified the original plans to fit the height and length of my sofa as well as to show off the chevron planks. I was offered some pallets...so, I greedily accepted them, to which my husband rolled his eyes and sarcastically said, "Great, more wood!" I tried to make all of the table from the pallets but I ended up using pine for the table edging and the "X."
I laid out the table top in a chevron style on 1/2in plywood, glued and screwed them in from the bottom with wood screws. I attached edging with pocket holes. For the bottom part of the table, I attached larger pallet boards using glue and pocket holes instead of attaching to plywood. I actually attached the edging first to the bottom boards and then attached to the table rather than attach the bottom edging and then try to make the boards fit. I sanded the top and bottom tables with 40, then 80, then 120, and then 240 grit sand paper until smooth. I also sanded the legs the same way. To say that total time sanding for the entire project was 20 hours maybe an understatement. If you look at the underside picture, you can see the roughness of the wood...and I had already lightly sanded them! I ripped my own 1x2's for the edging and "X" from 2x4's with my table saw because I could not find anyone who sold unwarped wood...so frustrating!! The wood was so much straighter when I ripped them. I will rip my own wood as much as possible for now on!!
The "X's" were a challenge and I ended up cutting the ends at a 47.5 degree angles. I do not know why I had such a problem. I had right angles, but the wood is imperfect in many ways and not perfectly straight. I attached the "X's" together and to the table with glue and pocket holes. The legs had ink stamping, so I tried to keep that and not sand the ink completely off.
I added the metal "bling." I dulled the metal, primed and painted with metal paint. The paint chips off easily. So I think will end up replacing these pieces later on. The bolts were originally black, so they will stay.
Total time...several weeks because of all the sanding. I cannot devote whole days to woodworking because of family and work and I can only sand one hour at a time before my hands start to go numb. Also, the Waterlox requires at least 24 hours between each application. Cost: approximately $15...for the pocket holes screws (fine Kreg screws), hardware, other wood screws and 1 8ft 2x4. Everything else I already had (I already had the Waterlox, bolts, screws) or was given to me (pallets).

Skipped the 2x4 top and shelf and replaced with a 1x4 board. Got lucky with some scraps. The Colorado logo was distressed with a rotary sander. 

I would like to thank www.stonecoatcountertops.com for the ideas on the countertops, 

first off I used 3/4 MDF for this project, Ana White's momplex cabinet plans and just extended the plans to the size i needed, i created the doors out of MDF cut to size and used a router to create the design on the edge and the countertops are made with MDF, expoxy,spray paint, and metallic powder in 91% alcohol. this plan was so eazy, and my kids had a blast doing it, Thanks Ana for the cabinet plans

My first project where I made the whole thing by myself! My friend and I each loved this idea and so together we each made our own version! It was just what I needed for some bathroom beautifying in a small space!!

My husband made this for my daughter's 4th birthday. she loves it! We did decided not to add the wheels and it seems to be fine without them. We chose to do her name in letters as well. I did the lines and dots with a sharpe marker.

I built this for my oldest brother.  I only used 2x2's for the legs.  I built the carcuses out of plywood and used 1x2 select pine for the face frames.  I built the top shelfs to be 5 feet tall.  So the whole thing is 7 feet high by 8 feet wide.