Community Brag Posts

This is our first project! My Husband did most of the work but was a team effort in places. We wanted shelves that we could easily make with the very limited selection of cuts available in Botswana (really only construction lumber around). We modified the width of the shelves to what was available, increased the height a bit so more of a console and shortened it to get the best use of timber. I did not want it looking too modern so went with white and distressed edges to keep it comfortable. Construction did not take very long but finishing took a while due to 3 coats needed.

We adapted these plans to build our treehouse, I hope it's not too much of a stretch for brag posts! Every kid seems to have two wishes: a fort or tree house and a secret passage way. Or is it just my kids? Turns out we live in the desert and trees are hard to come by. Our solution? Build a tree house in the house. Why not!? Our magic tree house is well used and well loved. This is one of those projects that simmered and in my mind trying to think of the perfect way to build the thing. The stuff our parents built and played in was a hodge podge of left over wood and their own creations, crooked construction and messy paint. So, I set the perfect aside and dove in. The only things our tree house really needs to be is safe and fun. Most families try to find indoor activities for the winter, but in the desert it is so blazing hot we need indoor retreats in the summer. This tree house is the solution a gagillion times over! Thank you Ana!

We needed a smaller breakfast area table and I found this mid century Drexel oval table top resting in my garage.  Variations include - used 1x4 select pine instead of 2x4's for a tighter more finished fit.  Used 5x7 pre-made shelf brackets for supports.  Nice elegant trim pieces and saved much time rather than shaping 2x8's.

Very happy with with the results.  Thanks Ana for the plans. 

Bed based of Ana's Lydia plan.

Simple not-so-white sofa. This is the nicest piece I've done yet, but also very time consuming. These plans ways take me waaaaay longer to complete than they suggest. But I am meticulous and stain everything ahead of time before assembling. This plan was great, but beware that the 1x4x8 and 1x6x8 for the back rest are not listed in the materials list! Also, I modified the process for attaching the back rest by adding some 1x2 pieces flush to the bottom back side of the 2x4 base support for the bottom of the back rest to sit on. I just wasn't comfortable screwing in the back when it wasn't flush. That being said, I would have attached the 1x2 pieces earlier before attaching the 2x4 base support. It's hard to get to in the end because of the back piece (2x6). I then just used the nailer to attached back rest to the upper 2x4. Now onto two matching chairs. Then we will be ready for a fire pit!

This bed took me just about 2 weeks as I only worked on it roughly 2 hours a day. I had to convert the plans to work with platforms because we needed a platform bed. I used whatever wood was around the garage to make the platforms so they are a mix of different woods and sizes. I originally was going to have the platforms detach but I wanted the bed to come apart in as few pieces as possible, so I made the platforms part of the main box. So there are only 3 main pieces. Although I do have 2 pieces of wood for support under the bed, beneath the center beam. I also used bolts instead of screws so I could take it apart more easily. I did end up putting the arch in using my handheld jigsaw.

We love the bed and think it turned out great! Love this website!!

This is a project where we built the cabinets for our friends, and they added their own top to the desk.

These cabinets are each 18″ wide x 24″ deep x 26″ high, with the overall desk size being 72″ wide x 27″ deep x 27.5″ high.

These are constructed out of 3/4″ and 1/2″ plywood, with poplar face frames and shelf fronts.  The finish on the cabinets is a distressed white latex paint, finished with a few coats of clear Valspar Sealing Wax to give the cabinets a nice, soft feel.

You can see more pictures on our post on our site, or even get the plans if you want to build your own.

I built the Tryde Media Console with a few modifications. I had to increase the size to of the console to accommodate the 60" T.V. that it would be housing. You will also notice that I added a shelf in the top center of the console so that I could fit more components on the top. I also modified the console plans to create new plans for building two matching bookcases, one for either side of the console, giving it the "built-in" appearance. This turned out beautifully and we couldn't be happier with the plans that we downloaded from Ana-white.com! P.S. - The Kreg jig was a must for this project. All of the boards creating the back of the console are joined using pocket screws, pre-drilled with the kreg jig. After using this inexpensive tool for about ten minutes, I couldn't believe how long I had gone on without it!

We built this bench for the same women's shelter for whom we built the storage table and benches at their request. They wanted a place for the children to come in and remove their shoes. Since it was for children, we modified the height to be the same as the other small benches, 14". Leftover gray primer was used and they requested the same color scheme as the previous build. Therefore the leftover paint from the other project was used plus three coats of semi-gloss Polycrylic. I think the paint brand is Olympic. It was a joint effort between a friend, my husband and I. It was built in an evening, but I put a week long project because of the coats of primer, paint, and top coat with all of the drying time.

I've been thinking about this one for a while, and finally built up the courage to do it.  Ana had lots of good plans and I learned so much from her other table plans, but the brag post: http://ana-white.com/2012/03/simple-square-cedar-outdoor-dining-table is the one that ultimately pushed me over the edge to start.  I spent a ton of time researching wood types, Minwax types, Kreg Jig settings, etc.  Finally pulled the trigger and got started.  It took me several weeks start to finish, but it was usually only a few hours at a time at night after everyone had gone to bed.  The most labor-intensive part was triple-coating all of the redwood.  Coat, dry, flip, coat, dry, sand, repeat.  Took a loooong time but the finish is absolutely gorgeous.  The photos don't really show how deep red the wood really is.  Actually assembling the table didn't take that long.  Big thanks to Finns-Dad (user) for the inspiration and good photos - it was relatively easy to build my own plans in Illustrator from those.  Now to make some matching benches...

Built this for my teen daughter's room. I changed the legs to 2x6 in order to fit in a tighter space as she has a small room and we needed to spare as much of the space moving around the foot of her bed as possible. It saved a few inches total in length by not using 4x4 legs. I also changed the style of the headboard and footboard to a slat design. She loves it and even says she hopes to hold onto it for her kids to have someday. Makes my heart smile! This is just part of why I love to build. It's quality, sturdy furniture that will last for years to come. 

This was my first project, an introduction to saws and drills, after my pug ate a bag of chocolate that was sitting next to my bed. The plan was picked because it said "simple" and had a drawer to safely store remotes. And chocolate.

I made this table and benches for my daughter

My dream project...took me a lot longer than anticipated. But a very sturdy bed when finished. I only have the matress and not a box spring, so i raised the support for mattress almost to the top of the sideboards.  The large posts gave me problems at first because i was unsure if ''special 3x3'' meant actual 3x3 or 2.5x2.5 so i ended up having to send them through table saw twice.

Our daughter said she wanted a desk like Daddy. When I found these plans I was so excited! My husband doesn't know it yet but it was his practice for a large farmhouse table that I want for our dining room. The Clara's table plans were easy to follow, I can not remember the exact prices for our materials since we built this back in the fall (over 6 months ago). We will eventually make the chairs. I was pleased with the way it turned out with the stained top and the legs were painted a ballet pink. I believe the stain is Dark Walnut, it was something we had leftover from another project and the paint for the legs was leftover from painting her room. It has held up well the past 6 months, it has a few dings from markers and other toys but I love the character it adds to the table. We plan on making the chairs soon.