Community Brag Posts
Loft Bed
Built my first loft bed using these plans! The plans are comprehensive and easy to follow. Excuse the mess under the bed, but that is why we needed the extra space :-)
We also need to touch-up the paint a bit.
Mirror Project from the book!
This project is the mirror from page 37 of The Handbuilt Home. I received my copy on Thursday night, built this and painted on Friday, then (impatiently) waited 24 hours for the paint to dry before distressing and hanging it up yesterday afternoon. The mirror was a plain one I found at Lowes for about $20 and attached with mirror clips. I attached to the wall with 2 1/2" screws through the frame into the wall studs. I was going to leave the screw heads exposed for decoration, but now I think I'll add a dab of gray on them to blend them in. This was a super fun project, easy to do. Love the book, and can't wait to build more projects from it! Ana, fab job on the book!!
Comments
Sun, 10/14/2012 - 14:25
Thank you!
Thanks Ann! This was a fun project. I've been wanting a mirror to match that table since last year, and this one fits just right. My family said they liked the visible screws too, so I'm going to leave them as they are.
:)
Joanne
Sun, 10/14/2012 - 15:26
Joanne, this is beautiful!!!!
Joanne, this is beautiful!!!! I am so glad you like the mirror. We adore ours! Thanks for getting the book! Ana
Sun, 10/14/2012 - 16:03
Hooray!! What fun to see brag posts from book projects!!
Great job on the mirror!! I hate waiting for paint to dry also....that's why Ive taken to painting everything with homemade chalk paint...dries in minutes and I can get right to sanding and glazing. Love the gray you used!!
Thu, 08/29/2013 - 13:57
Ana, Thank you
Ana, Thank you so much! I can't wait to get building on more projects from the book and from here too! You are awesome! :)
YankeeBelle, thank you! How do you make chalk paint? That sounds like a great time saver!
:)
Joanne
Wedding Guest Bench
I saw a post some time ago from brookifer86 for a wedding guest bench...I knew I would build one someday. First I'd like to thank Ana for her plans Fancy X Farmhouse Bench, and Whitney at Shanty 2 Chic for the wonderful instructions/pictures for this build. I would also like to thank Brooke at Killer B Design (brookifer86) for the mods to this plan.
This bench had to be able to break into the top and legs as it had to go from Texas to California. That is why I used Whitney's idea for pocket holes to attach the top to the legs. I used 2" screws. Brooke shortened the table with just two legs, and used a project panel for a smoother top for writing. I did, too. She also added a 1" x 2 " board around the edge of the 3/4" panel to beef it up. I used this idea and mitered the corners of the board and filled in the space between the board and the panel to make it very smooth. I sand a lot, and I painted three coats, so this took several days for me to complete.
For signing the top, I purchased fine-tipped oil paint pens. I learned from other brag posts that permanent-type "Sharpie" pens would smear when a finish was applied later. Also, you should use spray poly-acrylic finish to avoid yellowing the white paint.
My dear friend's daughter was thrilled with her surprise, and the guest bench was a hit at the reception. Thanks to all the brag posters - I studied every single one.
My first project from scratch-bar
My inspiration for this piece was the Grandy Sliding Door Console - I made this piece to fit behind a sofa so adjusted the plans to customize my piece.
I used plumbers pipe instead of barn door hardware - much more cost effective and still gave me the vintage look I was after. I stained and distressed the wood and added some hardware! Voila!
I am hooked to your site, stay tuned for more projects!
Fancy X Farmhouse Table
Finished this project about a week ago. Super easy directions and such a great look for our dining room!
Farmhouse bed with drawer storage
I had to come on here to thank you all for inspiring me to build this bed! The thought of building such a big piece of furniture never really occurred to me until I saw the Farmhouse queen plans, which really got the gears turning.
I wanted to add some storage to the bed, though, and so I kept looking at other projects on this site. I don't know which plans are all combined into this one, but you can see the one side table in some of the pictures which is based on a hutch plan here, and the concepts there are used in the drawer fronts on the bed. I still plan to build a matching side table for this side of the bed and also a dresser unit to complete the bedroom set.
This entire project was built on my deck as I don't have a garage. Started at the end of September and working by flood light on nights where I could find the time. It was finally moved inside to paint. The bed is built into four sections for disassembly - headboard, footboard, and a base section that is split in half with knockdown fasteners. The headboard and footboard are also attached with knockdowns, so the entire bed comes apart with an allen key.
The cost was incredibly low. My biggest cringe costs were for the 4x4 posts, which I had to buy in cedar, and the birch 3/4" plywood for the drawers. All in costs are still under $200, though I did own a Kreg system which got used a fair amount.
I did modify the footboard / headboard construction since I had the Kreg system. Rather than using a 1x4 backing board with 1x verticals and a 1x4 front board, I used a Kreg'ed 2x4 as the backing board, flush to the 4x4 post... no 4 1/2" screws required! The 1x verticals were then glued and nailed onto the 2x4s, and the 1x4 front board was glued and nailed to it.
The drawers are huge! 29" wide x 26" deep x 14" tall (more or less). Also, they are positioned so that when a side table is placed beside the bed the drawers can still open. The panel at the head of the bed is a door with a magnetic catch. I think of that area as 'deep storage' as you would have to move a side table to get in there. The door is there to get there if you want to though.
One cost not accounted for... my 'work bench' patio table sustained an injury. I still maintain I did not drop anything onto it. In fact, I was using a tape measure to measure a drawer length when the glass shattered out from under the piece I was measuring. It was cold in the morning, so maybe that had something to do with it. But now I just have to add 'fix patio table' to the project list.
Thanks again!
Mark
Comments
Tue, 10/23/2012 - 19:04
Love this!
I can't wait until we have time to build a farmhouse storage bed. Yours looks great!.
Sun, 01/06/2013 - 19:35
Very smart placement of the
Very smart placement of the drawers - I too am aspiring to build this some day and wondered about a fix on that - do I just store things in that drawer I rarely want to get at? No, I like your idea better. Beautiful job on the bed - it looks nice.
Sun, 11/10/2013 - 17:49
LOVE this.
This is exactly what I'm looking for. I love the drawers. Would you be willing to share more on how you did those, vs the plywood boxes in the plans?
Thu, 03/20/2014 - 11:40
Sorry for taking so long to
Sorry for taking so long to reply to your question! I missed it.
I don't have any pictures / details on how it was done, but I can explain it. The front face is built as a 2x4 surround with 1x6 inset boards. I then put a dado in the bottom side 1/4" up from the bottom.
I then made a drawer box from 5/8" plywood, kreg jigged to the front face. A 1/4" piece of plywood was used as the drawer bottom, and inset into the front face of the drawer.
This all sounds a bit difficult and confusing, but it isn't. Maybe I should take some pictures. Let me know if you'd like to see them.
Wed, 07/30/2014 - 10:55
More photos
Great build! I'd love to see some more photos of the drawer surround/frame with the drawers out. Is it all 2x3 stud construction? Any problems with warping or the drawer slides not square/plum?
Thu, 10/16/2014 - 10:22
Racking my brains out trying
Racking my brains out trying to figure out how you laid those slats across the top of the drawers... If you wouldn't mind posting a few more pics, I would really appreciate it. My daughter wants this for her birthday.
Thanks!
Counter Top Make-up Storage
I needed a way to store and organize my make-up without taking up drawer space. It is built very similar to a small dresser, but with no drawer slides.
Full size farm house bed
I found that if you use (16) 1x4's in lieu of the (8) 1x8's as for the panels no cutting is necessary for a standard full size bed. Worked out wonderfully!
My Fancy X-Desk
I needed a better desk for working from home. I didn't have room for the 6' desk in the plans, so I modified it slightly to be 5'. The only tricky part with that was getting the angles right on the support braces in the back. I think it ended up being around 42 degrees instead of 45. I used a scrap 1X4 as a template instead of trying to measure and cut. I think that helped a lot.
I wanted some character in the desktop so I used 3/4" knotty pine joined with pocket hole screws and sanded it quite a bit. I love how it turned out after applying gel stain and a varathane finish!
Thank you so much for the inspiration, Ana!!
Varathane Diamond Finish (3 coats)
Mom's Jelly Cabinet
Our first DIY furniture project. We told friends it was an assignment from couples therapy. lol Don't look too close or you will see the many flaws, but I can say it has character and will serve its purpose.
We had problems with the doors. I think they are true and plum, but the cabinet, not so much. They hang a little cockeyed, but they do swing. The plans for the doors didn't quite match the cabinet, but we are newbies so we could have misread the plans.
The hinges and latch are from the blue store - painted matte black from a can from the original nasty brass. The red is Balero and the shelves are a coordinating tan from Sherwin Williams. A coat of Minwax Polycrylic for protection. We used square wire from the blue store for the doors. We didn't router the doors to inset the wire, a stapler worked fine.
It was an absolute great first project that Husband & I enjoyed tremendously. Mom has been looking for a jelly cabinet for 6 months without success. Old functional furniture pieces just aren't manufactured anymore. This cupboard fit the bill perfectly.
Comments
Tue, 10/23/2012 - 08:01
This is awesome. Seriously.
This is awesome. Seriously. You two did such a great job and your mom will enjoy it for many years. That red with the black hardware looks so great.
In reply to This is awesome. Seriously. by Maira (not verified)
Tue, 10/23/2012 - 18:14
Thanks Maira :) That was
Thanks Maira :) That was sweet of you to say. Can't wait to start another project.
first project
My very first project, made it for my girlfriends birthday. Did not have time to stain and paint them yet, will add finished pictures.
Farmhouse Nightstand
I have been wanting to replace the nightstands in my master bedroom for quite a while now. I knew I wanted a small drawer and a square finish, but I was having the hardest time trying to find exactly what I wanted in stores. When I found these plans online, I could not have been more excited! I first started with working with an electric saw, but I finished the project using a miter saw which made it so much easier. It also helps in the consistency of the lengths of the pieces you are cutting. Overall not too bad of a project. You will definitely need either some really good clamps or another person who can help you hold some of the pieces in place as you drill holes or screw pieces together. I love that most of the pieces are held together using pocket screws. It made it much easier to paint without having to try to hide all kinds of holes. I am so excited to put these in my room and start using them!
Outdoor Farmhouse Table
I've been wanting to build an outdoor farmhouse table for quite some time. Getting it to look old with new materials was the idea.Using notches to hold part of the base and experimenting with finishes got the 'rustic' look. I took a few ideas from the Gaby Kitchen Island and implemented my own; it turned out to be a great weekend project!
Comments
Fri, 10/26/2012 - 23:43
a question about if it is waterproof
Love the table, especially the finish you used, it looks amazing. just have a question about if it is waterproof...i know it is an outdoor table, but is it protected by a veranda or is it completely exposed to the elements. i want to make one but am hesitant as it will be completely outside! Thanku!
Storage Daybed with Bookshelf Surround
Update 8/2017: This project started with the Storage daybed, which I built in 2014. My daughter is a book lover and I wanted to provide her with more space for her books. I recently added the following plans to the Daybed with Storage Trundle Drawers:
- Twin Storage Headboard Base
- Small Hutch for Storage Headboard
- Cubby Hutch Plans for the Storage Headboard
I also made one extra storage headboard base and added more shelves along the long side of the bed so she could be surrounded by books. There are two additional supports under long bookshelf and I placed them roughly behind each of the trundle drawers.
For the bed (I built two), I opted to use the alternate slat system. I also used 2" caster wheels and added dividers to the drawers--one drawer has three compartments, and the other two drawers were divided in half.
Note: In my main brag photo it looks like the drawers don't close flush... I didn't notice when I took the photo because I was focused on the new shelves. But they do close and line up perfectly!
Barnhouse X table
This was my next attempt after hte end tables. I used several ideas from different tables to get the finish i wanted. I also had to increase hte length and width slightly to suit my room. Had numerous complements from it and very happy with the finish
Outdoor Sofa using left over Trex material from my Deck.
Built this beautiful Sofa from Ana White's Plan, had to modify a bit as I had left over small pieces of trex from my Deck , and the back rest cushions were higher.
Kitchen Island from Reclaimed Wood
My wife found this plan so I decided to tackle it. Spent about $80 in supply's and had some 2x8s from a shed we tore down. Planed them down and made this beautiful piece. Now my wife can't get me out of the kitchen. Sorry for the mess in the back ground.
Comments
Cottage Vanity
Built this for my cottage out of 3/4" birch purebond and pine. I finished by pickling the purebond and painting the pine and then used a laminate countertop.
Modified Pocket Hole Farm House Tanle
I took these plans and changed the dimensions to match my dining room and made the cross members out of 4x4's. I wanted the bottom to be bigger, as well as making the top look like used yarn wood planks. Turned out great. It was wonderful to be able to have all the family around the table for Thanksgiving. Thanks Anna for the inspiration.
Truss Dining Table
Built this table for my wife a few weeks ago. Pleasantly surprised how it turned out. Love this site and it has sparked a real joy within me in woodworking.