The only difficult part of this plan was making sure all the cuts were precise and fit together as they should.
This is my first wood project, and first time using a Kregg jig. A HUGE THANK YOU TO ANA! Next is the matching end table and then outside chairs and a pagoda.
Jeff F.
modifications to plans: legs not tapered; shortened table by two feet.
I made this as a gift for my niece. I fully assembled it, instead of presenting it as a kit. When I made the frame, I hadn't quite figured out how to make perfectly straight cuts with my circular saw, and I cut all the pieces before I came across Ana's tutorial on using a circular saw. So the bed is not perfectly square. Fortunately, a few pieces of thin craft foam glued to the bottom of a couple of the legs eliminated most of the wobble. That, and a generous application of pocket holes and screws. Each side rail is attached to the headboard/footboard with (6) 1 1/2" screws! I could probably jump up and down on the frame and it wouldn't budge. And I think I over-painted. Not to good with my spray painting technique yet. Plus, I forgot to sand between coats, and I didn't have time to add a clear topcoat.
When I look at this project, I see every flaw and mistake and feel dissatisfied. But, I just remind myself that I am my own worst critic. My niece, on the other hand, loved it. And no one else seemed to notice the mistakes: I received several nice complements. And the best part: it was practically free! I bought a can of pink spray paint, but everything else came out of my wood stash or my fabric stash. A present made with love, not money. And my first "real" building project.
This was a Christmas gift for my husband, who has resurrected his old turntable. I wanted the stand to be the same height as the chest I had previously refinished to house our stereo and cds. I also wanted to have two shelves for vinyl, so I modified the Channing bookcase to fit.
Mon, 02/26/2018 - 20:53
My husband has been looking for a stand for his turn table and this one looks perfect! Do you mind my asking for the adjusted measurements? I’d love to see if we could make one for him, if you don’t mind sharing. It looks fantastic!
Sat, 12/01/2018 - 12:11
Apologies, I have not checked the site in almost a year. The height of the unit is 37,3/4' tall, the shelf widths are 14" inner width, and the spacing between shelves is 13" between the lower 2 shelves for vinyl, and 5" for the top shelf (for brushes or an occasional CD. Hope that helps.
Okay, I hope you like this... it was the second and third thing I ever built!!! The table is made from 2 doors hinged together with accent hinges screwed on top. In the middle there are locks (hook and latch) for design. The frame is oak. measures 81X 56 and fits a good 10 people around.
The bench is an old cherry tree slab that someone I know did not want. its about 72 inches long and it is slighly curved. I ushed a shilac and kept the same color.... I just sanded it down.
We stuck with th original plans, but instead of making table ends, we did full 2x10x8 boards and capped it with 1/3’s. We filled in the gaps in the wood with stainable wood filler. We also used a 1/2@ Forstner bit and recessed the screws and used wooden dowels to cover the screw holes. It gives it a beautiful finish. We also enjoy our pew pews, so we recessed .40, .45, .223, and .22 empty shells into the table. My husband wood burnt a message in the center of the table, then we sealed it all with one step minwax finish in mission oak.
I wanted a window seat that would fit my window. There was no way I could afford to buy anything. Ana's site inspired me to modify her plans to create what I wanted. My husband and I worked on this during the weekends and between my son's nap. The piece is so large that 2 people were needed just to pick up the wood. The finished piece is 8' long, 2' deep and 18" tall. If we ever move, it might have to stay with the house.
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 16:47
Working on a plan for my own window seat ... attached to a book shelf to hug my big window. This is inspiring.
Dona
Love this bench, you can fit lots of kids on it and it is very sturdy.
This was my husband's 3rd or 4th Ana White project. We also had to go back for mre wood as the shopping list was not complete.
Mon, 05/13/2019 - 15:53
This is gorgeous, can you share what you had to go back for? Also, what is the finish?
Gorgeous Barnwood Fireplace Surround by Scott Snyder
This was the second part of my Tryde media center build. You can read about the console build here.
This part of the project was very quick to put together, I spent a lot of time reading the brag board and looking at pictures of what others produced. I really appreciate when people upload high res pictures of their builds so you can really look at the details - I've tried to do the same on my blog post about this project in case you needed further information (see link below).
I made the plan as per Ana's original, with some modifications. These were:
I hope you would give this project a go, as a hutch it is very simple to put together for a beginner and quite satisfying. To get more information about my build please read my blog post where I go in to a lot more detail (and leave a comment too, I'd love to know what you think!)
Happy building!
Tue, 10/25/2011 - 08:34
Annie this looks great!
I'm glad you found inspiration in my design. I think I'll go back and upload a side picture and the sketchup model I worked from so that other people can see the details of how I did the trim. I think yours turned out wonderful!
I don't like painted furniture in my home but I really like the look of your furniture. The antiqued white goes well with the stained console top and the faux drawers.
Great job!!
Tue, 10/25/2011 - 15:37
Aww cheers Perchik... You're right, the natural beauty of wood is lovely, but I have so many different shades of wood in my living room from collecting 2nd hand furniture and old college furniture over the years that nothing seems to match :) Plus I do like this modern trend of stained top and painted legs, it looks quite fresh. The hard part with this stuff is deciding which project to do next - so many to choose from :)
Tue, 10/25/2011 - 15:38
Oh also I think if you have that sketchup stuff to hand I would definitely upload it, I zoomed in quite a lot on your photos and others photos of completed builds to understand details that are sometimes difficult to visualise on the plans.
I just wish to point new bandsaw users toward trying to make bandsaw boxes as a way to really learn blade differences, tensioning, cutting curves, setting up the bandsaw and generally getting comfortable with your new tool.
The fun thing about bandsaw boxes is you can just almost cut free form and still have a great result. From start to finish it takes about two days some of which is just waiting and sanding.
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 16:31
I love the boxes, Jake. I did have an inexpensive band saw and I tried using it to make small boxes similar to yours. The saw scared me to death - when the blade came flying off I put everything back in the box and returned it! I'd like to, someday, try again.
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 18:14
I have only had my bandsaw about 6 months and in that time I have had two blades break and occasionally slip off the wheels. Bandsaws are considered to be one of the safest power saws you can use so don't be afraid but know where the off switch is if something happens. You just need to experiment with proper setup including the placement of guiding blocks or bearings, blade tension, and blade choice. Also a 3/16" blade can make a very tight turn where it would be foolish to try it with a 1/4" blade. I like a 3/16", 4 teeth per inch skip tooth. Youtube has many tutorials on how to make a bandsaw box.
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 16:31
I love the boxes, Jake. I did have an inexpensive band saw and I tried using it to make small boxes similar to yours. The saw scared me to death - when the blade came flying off I put everything back in the box and returned it! I'd like to, someday, try again.
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 17:04
These are awesome! My son was looking over my shoulder at these and said, "Mom, you have to comment and tell this guy your son says these things are awesome!" And I agree with him! How did you cut them to fit the drawers? These are so cool, do you have any in-work pictures?
In reply to Awesome project! by JoanneS
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 18:24
Many thanks to your son for recognizing genius. Ha Ha Sure!
Everything fits because every piece is cut from the same block of wood. I want you to go to this link http://www.woodworkingformeremortals.com/2010/05/how-to-make-bandsaw-bo…
I was inspired to try it by Steve Ramsey of Woodworking for Mere Mortals and slowly progressed to what you see in my pics. Search Youtube and you will find a ton of bandsaw box videos.
I am limited to the size because of my small bandsaw but they are really fun to design and build, especially when you mix a variety of wood (including plywood) in your product. For your first box just take a 4x4 of any wood and cut into a 8 or 10 inch length and go from there. If you screw up it hasn't cost too much.
In reply to Awesome project! by JoanneS
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 18:28
Yes I did document the building process of one box and I will try to add the pics in the Brag post within a day. I may be limited on the number of pics however.
Fri, 10/18/2013 - 20:37
Thank you, Jake, for introducing us to bandsaw boxes! I've seen these for sale at craft shows and always wondered how they were made. They always look so complicatedly intricate. After watching that tutorial I now know that I CAN make them, too!!!! I've had a bandsaw sitting in my barn/workshop for several years and have only used it once. Now I think I'll be using it quite a bit more!
Made this with an oversized removable center top. Wanted this to double as a vanity and art table, so I made this with a 20" deep center top. By being removable (set into slots) the two end pieces can later be used as separate storage shelves or night stands, as these are made from solid alder wood.
Full timelapse and thoughts in the imgur album.
Modified the junior loft plan to add a house design element and storage stairs, by Amy Mott
I painted the entire cabinet a dark blue, then painted over it again with an antique white. After it was completely dried I sanded it all down to give it a distressed look. I used antique label holders for the drawer pulls.
Sun, 10/30/2011 - 19:53
Love these things! You did a great job - especially like the pulls!
Sat, 11/12/2011 - 02:55
It's funny cause I have been thinking about doing the same set up with the apothecary console under a wall painted tree. I have to ask how you made the tree - is it stickons or stencil (if so please tell me where you got them) or is it hand painted. It's absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tue, 11/15/2011 - 08:39
Its a vinyl wall decal. I bought it on etsy. I love it.
Tue, 11/15/2011 - 08:40
Its a vinyl wall decal. I bought it on etsy. I love it.
I love my new photo ledges. I had a huge space on my wall and these ledges are perfect. The ledges were so easy to make. I got a kreg jig for my birthday (I never thought I would ask for a tool for a birthday present) and I have gotten so much use out of it. I saw similar ledges at pottery barn for 10 times the cost of this DIY project. I saved so much with these ledges. The kreg jig has already paid for itself. The ledges make it super easy to switch out photos and I love being able to display so many fun photos. Everyone who sees these ledges loves them!! This was my first project. Thanks Ana for the great plans!
I used the rustic x coffee table for my inspiration for this project. I found the mechanism for the lift top table on the web and was able to work it into my design. I used oak plywood for the top instead of the 2x6's and trimmed out the rough edge, however, I have thought about redoing the top with the 2x6's to match my tv stand and end table. I am still really happy with the way it turned out though. After posting this I decided to upgrade the top as I had described and I am way happier with the look of it!!
Tue, 01/19/2016 - 13:19
Great job with this project, it looks amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Wed, 04/13/2016 - 10:43
Where did you find the mechanism for the lift top table on the web & how much was it I would like to try this project.
This is the 5-board bench and project #2 mirror from Ana's "The Handbuilt Home" book. The bench was shortened to fit the space that I wanted it for.
