Community Brag Posts

In love with our new bar! Easiest build yet!

Submitted by maryday on Mon, 09/15/2014 - 17:15

We've built a headboard, two nightstands a farmhouse table and bench all off of knockoff wood and this workbench console table and hutch was the Easiest build yet !

We didn't use pocket holes so instead of doing the middle center shelf of the hutch we chose to keep it open. I actually love the way this looks better than the original plan!

Waiting on our black bear mount bottle opener that will be attached later this week and then we can't wait to stock up our new bar. It looks great next to our farmhouse table and bench!!! Thanks for the deer antler inspiration - this gave the perfect finishing touch!

Estimated Cost
$110 lumber for both hutch and table
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 16:52

4'x4' Coffee Table 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Jacobean for base
Golden Oak for top
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Easiest $35 DIY Desk

This DIY desk provides workspace for two people. A portion of the desk is for my oldest son during homeschooling and the other portion is for my husband while he continues to work from home. Cost : $35 Difference in length, width and height will result in a change in price.

Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Doggie Daybed

Submitted by moosmani on Tue, 12/04/2012 - 20:18

Since making a twin size daybed still seems intimidating to me, I decided to get some practice by making a small version for our dog. I modified the doll farmhouse bed making it a bit larger and in daybed style. We'll see if our doggie takes to it. If not, it will be a toddler couch!

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

Comments

dananryan

Tue, 12/04/2012 - 22:14

I love the modifications you made. I believe you are ready for a twin size. Lucky doggie...

spiceylg

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 05:40

Oh my gosh, I love it. I have to build one for my dog. You did a great job. You are definitely ready for the twin, go for it! Love the dog cushion, too!

abbpim

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 07:07

I built the big farmhouse storage bed and nightstands in my bedroom and my dog needs her own little farmhouse bed now. I've been trying to decide how I want to do it... You've just decided for me. Thanks!

Ashley I. (not verified)

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 09:00

I love this!!! I think I might steal this idea and make one of these for my nephews as a little couch. About how much did you spend on lumber?

moosmani

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 20:52

I pretty much just followed the plans, except making it taller and wider by adding more slats and making everything taller. The finished dimensions turned out to be approximately 26 ½” x 16 ½”. I kind of made it up as I went, but I did take some notes. Here is the first part of my altered cut list:
9 ea – 1x3 @ 8” tall (headboard panel slats)
10 ea (5 for each side) – 1x3 @ 5 ¼” tall (side arm panels slats)
2 ea – 2x2 @ 8” tall (side arm legs)
2 ea – 2x2 @ 13 ½” tall (headboard legs)
For the rest of the cut list, I didn’t take notes. I just cut the lengths to fit my new dimensions. I hope this helps. If you’d like more measurements just let me know and I can measure the actual bed.

moosmani

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 20:21

Thank you! I made the cushion with foam and batting. I got the foam piece from the fabric store. It was 2" thick, 22"x22" square. It was on sale, but I don't remember how much I paid. I cut it down to 22" x 12” to fit the inside of the bed. A regular handsaw worked great for cutting the foam. Super easy, but messy. I wrapped it in batting so it finished a little bigger, 23” x 13”. I bought one pillow sham from Walmart because I liked the design and cut it apart to make the cushion top. The rest is from one of those cheap fuzzy blankets.

moosmani

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 21:08

Thank you! I have much to learn about finishing. I first used regular stain. I think the color was gunstock. It turned out so not what I was going for. It was too orange. So then I stained it again with Minwax Hickory Gel Stain. Better, but the wood putty still showed and looked terrible. So I resorted to Minwax Bombay Mahogany Poly Shades which I found difficult to work with, but it did a fantastic job of covering over the wood putty filled holes. I think I used either 2 or 3 coats of the Poly Shades. I’m sure I could have skipped the first two stains and could have had the same result!

colsen

Mon, 12/17/2012 - 19:30

Fantastic bed!! I've been shopping for a dog bed. This is 100 times better than anything in the store. I may have to borrow you're idea :)

New TV Stand

Submitted by mrloren on Fri, 01/06/2017 - 20:58

2 years ago I mad a TV stand that was nice. I decided to make a new one now that I know more about wood work. First one was made from Lowes top choice oak plywood and took a lot of work. I have discovered real hardwood stores and for plywood I like Baltic Birch.

I didn't  make any hard plans for this one, made it by ear. 2 sheets of 5x5 18mm (3/4) 1/2 sheet of 12mm (1/2) and a 1/2 sheet of 6mm (1/4) Baltic. For edging I left the baltic alone and just rounded it over.

60'wx20"dx 28h

Estimated Cost
$180
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Old Master Cherry wiping stain
Deft Waterborne Acrylic semi gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modified Folding Workbench

Submitted by AhmaNaz on Thu, 09/17/2020 - 10:38

First build of my woodworking journey

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Raw
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X TV Stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/08/2024 - 12:39

This was the 2nd piece of furniture my husband and I have ever made. We recently moved to the country and I wanted a large, functional piece for our bedroom. I studied Ana's plans for the freestanding garage shelves and then modified those with my own custom ideas - ie, used two 2x8's instead of four 2x4's for the shelves. We bought cheap lumber and had to deal with some twisted boards but in the end, it turned out perfect for our space! The goal was to get the TV at this exact height and to give us some room to display photos, etc. I absolutely love the contrast of the walnut and the espresso stains - we can't stop looking at it! :)

simple bench

Submitted by tumbarej on Sat, 12/08/2012 - 06:42

my first project and I am thrilled with the results. This was a Christmas gift for my daughter and son in law. I wanted something a bit rustic looking so I used inexpensive 'whitewood' and one light coat of stain (Cabernet) that I wiped off right away, then sanded the edges down. I loved using some of the tools my dad has given me.

Estimated Cost
$26.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
'Cabernet' (Can't recall the brand)
1 light coat and wiped off immediately. I just used what was on the rag to wipe the top board as I did not want it too dark.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Helper tower!

Submitted by CJCram on Sat, 09/20/2014 - 13:12

We used Behr cloud burst for the colour and Minwax special walnut for the stained platform.  I hand drew and painted the owl (the wings are scrapbook paper) and coated with three coats of polyurethane.

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Ana White Loft Bed Playhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/08/2017 - 13:22

It was very easy to follow the directions and the costs were minimal. Our granddaughter is in heaven with this bed. 

Estimated Cost
$150 not including the cost of the Kreg Jig.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Will be using enamel paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Truss and Beam Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/14/2024 - 14:41

I made my first project from your website this week. Here's a picture of the finished work. Thanks for supplying your plans. They are really helpful. - Doug Davis

Built from Plan(s)

Benchmark TV stand

My wife and I wanted a nice TV stand for our new living room. Like always, we did not want to spend tons of money and I thought about building something anyways. My wife found the Benchwright series at Pottery Barn and loved it, but for almost $1,000 that was not in our budget. Of course I came straight here and found these plans! I had a great time building this. The measuring and cutting took only an afternoon, and the staining took a long time as this was my first real staining project. I also wanted to get nice glossy coats of clear coat, which took time.Overall we are thrilled with how it turned out! The biggest headache was the euro hinges. I followed the directions that came with them and they did not turn out right at all. It was trial and error to finally get this placed correctly.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used miniwax pre-stain for most of the project (although I couldn't tell much of a difference honestly). We used miniwax Dark Walnut for the color. I put on 2 coats of stain followed by water-based clear coat. 5-6 layers of clear coat were put on the gorgeous top and about 2-3 coats were put on everywhere else.
I tried out both oil based and water based polyurethane on this project to try them both out. I highly prefer the water based clear coat over the oil based. The water based is almost twice the cost, but it goes on much thicker so it is easier to apply and took less coats to get a glossy finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 05:24

Really great job! Isn't it nice to have options rather than dropping so much money in over priced stores?!

Rustic X Console

Thanks again to Ana for the instructions. It turned out great!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Honey
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Floating Wall Shelf

Submitted by REDCANVAS on Tue, 09/22/2020 - 17:17

Use a combination of ideas for this floating shelf. Overhung the top to give it a lip. Finish is Minwax Provincial.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Provincial
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Printers Cabinet

I built this console because I love it. I built the other printers console and when I saw this one, I decided to build it too. My house is not so big but I found a place for this console in the entryway.
It took me three weeks to achieve it. I was affraid drawers but now, I know I can do it. Thanks Ana and all of you because you inspire me!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250 euros
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark Oak Stain and 2 coats of semi gloss Polyurethan Varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Plane Old Shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/12/2017 - 11:31

I wrote a blog entry about this project that you can find at:

https://1thing1week.com/2017/01/09/airplane-shelf-for-a-nursery/

This shelf is great for beginners, easy to assemble and very inexpensive! I had a blast making it. I made it for my expected son's airplane themed nursery. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments