Community Brag Posts

It took a little bit to finish, but it was worth the wait

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/23/2020 - 19:34

My wife wanted a Farmhouse table for as long as I can remember. When we bought our first house it was the first project I undertook. I finished building it in time for all 15 members of our extended family to come for Thanksgiving but didn't have time to stain it. After the holidays I went back to school and staining it went to the back burner. When I finished my degree three years later it was time to finish the table. The end result was worth the wait according to my wife.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Minwax Satin Poly
Valspar Cabinet and Furniture Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pottery Barn Wide Camp Dresser

My husband and I did this together. It took him about 4 days to get the dresser built and then I did the finish. It is SOLID and we absolutely love it. It's in our 10-year old daughter's "horse" room and goes really well with the barn wood on her back wall and her barn door (closet).

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
steel wool/vinegar
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic farmhouse table

Submitted by AustinM on Thu, 07/24/2014 - 19:03

I built the Rustic Farmhouse table and I only had to make minor changes because I got the wood rough cut milled in my neighbor's backyard. I built the bench with the left over pieces without any plans, just tried to make it match the table. We love it and it is definitely a step up from what we had before! I just have to browse your chair plans now because these chairs in the picture are from our old table.

Estimated Cost
$95
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Used a standard red stain and varnish on the table top/bench top and a semi gloss in the legs/skirting.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

LSU Builder

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 13:07

Are you willing to divulge your exact paint color and stain? Is it white? Looks kind of bluish. Love the contrast. Great job.

Rustic X Sofa Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/03/2016 - 23:07

Slightly Modified from the Console table plan, but 2 toned Rustic X Console or Sofa Table with colored distressed finish

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Outdoor Loveseat

Submitted by mhineman on Thu, 10/04/2012 - 13:33

Did this project for a friend. Super easy and instructions are extremely helpful! I didn't have a jig to create pocket holes so I left the screw holes exposed. I then covered them with wooden dowels and sanded it down. I kind of liked it better than hiding the screws underneath!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Shellac
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rocking moses basket stand

This is the third project I've built from Ana's blog, and my husband and I just LOVE it!!It was very easy to build, even six-months pregnant. I lucked out in that I had everything I needed for this project on hand with the exception of one 1x3 (and the basket, of course), making it a super affordable and much nicer-looking alternative to purchasing a portable bassinet.
I used pine for this build. The only modification I made to Ana's original plan were the rockers. I couldn't find the pattern for her rockers, so I took a rocking chair we had, laid it on it's side and traced its rockers onto a large piece of craft paper. I just used the sander to round off the corners on the top so that the legs would be easy to attach.
I built this in an evening and my husband was able to stain it that night as well. (He's not great with stain, so I had to clean it up a bit after this picture was taken and before the poly was put on.) Had I started earlier in the day, this would have easily been a one-day project including our trip to the store for the 1x3.

Estimated Cost
$7 (Plus $30 for the basket)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain in kona
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Our Beautiful Wall Tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 11/07/2016 - 16:29

My husband and I did this as a weekend project. We had been looking for a bench like this for quite some time but they were either cheaply made or way too expensive. My husband went through the plans and decided he could do it. We added a shelf to it and also made it larger to fit the area we were putting it in. The great thing about the plans is that you are able to easily modify them to create what you are looking for.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We did a mix of 1:1 stains that we had on had then used a satin clear finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kentwood Twin Bed

Submitted by boneill on Tue, 07/28/2020 - 13:29

Here’s the final pics of my sons Twin sized “Kentwood bed” that me and him built together . The color is “Indigo Cloth”. Was really fun doing this build. Now he’s been in his room all day today and never left and dads laying in his bed lol. I used Maple Hardwood Plywood and whitewood 1x’s, 2x’s

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$180
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Cabinet / Furniture Satin “ Indigo Cloth” blue.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Helper Tower

Actually building this tower was considerably easier than finishing it (primer, paint, wood filler sanding). 4 hours to build 16+hours to finish!
Once I had the tower built, I used the pre-made Kregs pocket-hole wooden fillers to fill the pockets. I glued them in place with wood glue, and then used a chisel and orbital sander to get them flush. In a few areas, I had a small 1/64" discrepancy in surfaces, so used the wood filler and then sanded it smooth. I deviated from plans by making my arches a little different with flattened tops; it was easier with my jig-saw this way.
I took my cut-list to Home Depot and had them make all my cuts with their laser sight radial saw (super clean cuts) Achieving clean-cuts requires a nice saw, I almost bought the Bosch table saw to build this little guy. Considering that I never built anything before, I quickly found out that furniture, especially small furniture requires a lot of patience to look good. Spending a few extra hours making sure everything is square, flush etc. will prevent a ton of finishing work later on.
Once I had the tower built and all my pocket-holes filled and sanded, I primed twice with Kilz II. I waited about 2 hours between the coats and made a few wood filler adjustments in between coats. I then used Olympic Latex and painted (2) coats with about 8-10 hours in between.

Extras
•I religiously put (2) Kregs pocket holes on every joint, the stability is incredible!
•I went to the local skateboard shop and purchased some clear grip tape to add a little extra grip to the footboard.

Recommendations:
•A nice saw or a mediocre saw with a good blade OR someone else with a nice saw make the cuts for you.
•A few extra bucks on the “Select” pine wood. The nicer wood probably only cost an extra 20 bucks.

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Once I had the tower built and all my pocket-holes filled and sanded, I primed twice with Kilz II. I waited about 2 hours between the coats and made a few wood filler adjustments in between coats. I then used Olympic Latex and painted (2) coats with about 8-10 hours in between.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

King chestwick headboard and platform bed

After 16 years of marriage our bed literally fell apart. Rather than agreeing to buy a new bedroom set, my husband said I should just build a new bed. It turned out even better than I ever thought it would. I got the platform bed plans from addicted2decorating's blog. Thanks Ana and Shanty sisters for another great plan! I had to modify for the king size and mounted it to the wall because it was HEAVY. I used metal French cleats from HD.

Estimated Cost
$133
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane ultimate stain light walnut and varathane fast drying polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Two toned toddler bed

Submitted by Katurn89 on Sat, 11/12/2016 - 12:50

This was the first building project I have ever done. it was easy and fun. The end product is sturdy and looks stylish. I'm very happy with it. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Ultimate roll away workbench

Submitted by maker4510 on Sat, 08/01/2020 - 05:22

NINE MONTH UPDATE: After using the bench for almost nine months, we’ve made some changes. The first is that our table saw, a Dewalt 7491 didn’t fit in the way the plans called for because of the fence. We ended up cutting down and rebuilding the table to make a platform for the saw, then we built three “tables” around it to leave a gap for the fence operation. We also added a curved piece that can be removed to access the riving knife lever.

The other change we made was to take out the clamp storage that was in one of the cart ends. When we rolled the cart in and out, the clamps would catch and fall off. We put in another shelf instead.

Otherwise, we love the bench. Having the two rolling carts that we can reposition based on where we need a table extension is great. The miter saw stand works perfectly, and our dust collection setup rolls right underneath. We’re also in the process of building a router table that fits in the removable bench room area.

ALSO, sorry for the upside down/sideways pics. It won’t let me remove or fix them.

We made the ultimate roll away workbench with very few changes. Added the clamp hanger on one end as pictured. We didn’t add the shelf under the miter saw, as well be putting a dust collection cart.

We absolutely love the cart.M, now to save up for a table saw. The only change I would like is that I wish the side shelves were a little deeper, more like 10” instead of 8”, so more tools would fit.

Estimated Cost
380
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Floating Corner Entertainment Stand

This is a corner entertainment stand. I didn't have a plan to follow so I made it up as I went. The dimensions are 40" L xW and 27" tall. It has a base hidden underneath it help support the weight and is also screwed into wall studs to prevent tipping. The angle for the front cross section is 22.5 degrees. I made this for a friend. She is going to paint it unfortunately. Materials cost only around $120. 3 sheets 3/4" plywood, some 1x2s and a couple hinges and cabinet knobs.

Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Justin G (not verified)

Sun, 01/06/2013 - 04:49

This is REALLY a nice looking corner unit. In our living room, the ONLY place for the tv is in the corner. I have a prebuilt unit now that cost me quite a bit, and we hate it. Its all modern with glass shelves. This corner cabinet is EXACTLY what I want to build. I have a 1 year old so having doors to hide the electronics is a must.

I would VERY much like to build this. Are there any more detailed pictures or a plan I could download? Ive been searching for the last few days an just cant seem to find anything that catches my eye like this one.

Looks great!!

Wounded Marine

Sun, 01/06/2013 - 06:18

The shelves are made out of premium plywood. For the top, bottom, and the middle shelf, I measured and cut out on pieces of plywood. Then used plywood for the "walls" of the unit. I trimmed it with 1x2s. The doors are also plywood. I just rabbit jointed nice wood for the frame of the doors. Underneath the the TV stand is a 2x4 set back a little bit to give it that floating looking. It is anchored to the wall on the inside of the unit with screws going into the studs of the wall. I hope this makes since.

arod718

Thu, 09/05/2013 - 19:13

Is it possible to get dimensions of the stand and what you based the base from. I would like to build the Ana version for my wife because of the storage it has. Thank you, best site ever.

Hallway table

Submitted by Nicto21 on Sat, 08/02/2014 - 16:43

I made this hallway table for my gf's bday. It is really simply apart from taking apart pallets and squaring them off. The project only costs about $40-50, which most of the cost came from the purchasing of the table legs. I angled the pallet boards to be approximately 45 degrees. For this project, I used a table saw to cut, pneumatic brad nailer, tite bond wood glue, kreg jig pocket hole and paint/stain.

Estimated Cost
$40-50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

2x4 shelving unit

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/15/2016 - 12:05

I built your 2x4 shelving to fit a small space in my garage. The unit is really easy to customize and ended up being a perfect fit for my saws. Thanks Ana!

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

First Big Project!

Surprisingly easy! Have received a lot of compliments and it’s sturdy too! Decided not to stain it because we like the look. Very, very happy with this table, thank you!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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