Community Brag Posts

DIY Rustic Porch Swing

My daughter asked me to make a bench for her daughter’s school bus stop. After looking at many different plans I chose your plans for a 2x4 bench with modifications. I made it 7’ wide with an additional support piece in the center. I used pressure treated wood for the base and cedar for the seat and back. I finished it with a gloss “school bus yellow” and gloss black. It was very well received by the children and parents.

Ken Shallcross

We need bedroom furniture desperately! So, I decided, for my second build I would start in our bedroom! The dresser first, because I was going crazy without a place to put my clothes!

We needed a desk for the office. I didn't want particle board - or to pay a fortune! Thanks, Ana!

I had some leftover wood from building my daughters loft bed and after coming across this plan realized i had all the right lumber on had already so after a trip to the store to buy a few bolts i was ready to build. I built one chair following Ana's plans exactly, using 1x2's for the outside frames, the chair turned out awesome and I wanted another. For the second one, i didn't have enough 1x2's left so I used 2x2s for the outside frame. I kept the inside width (24") of the back frame the same and adjusted the rest of the dimensions to fit. While the 1x2 chair was great and very sturdy, the 2x2 chair is rock solid. I rounded all the edges of the boards with a 1/4" roundover bit and spray painted everything dark chocolate brown. The fabric slings are made of cotton duck cloth. I added a 1" foam pillow sewn onto the top of the sling because my head rests right on the top boards and I wanted a little padding.

All said, including wood, hardware, fabric and the foam for the pillow I think this chair cost about $40 to build and finish.

As my 3 daughters piled on my lap to read on night the 2x2 chair has been load tested to about 300 lbs!

Thanks to your clear plans it was easy to make these two chairs from scrap 2x4s. Found the cushions at Lowe's. I'm a grandfather with eight grandchildren live in Iowa.

I wanted a shelf to extend the entire length of our laundry room. It's 76 inches, so I had to modify the existing plan for one slightly longer shelf instead of three 72 inch ones.

Cut list for 76 inch floating shelf:

2 - 1/4 plywood strips @ 76" x 7 3/4" (top & bottom of shelf)

1 - 1 x 2 @ 76" (front of shelf)

2 - 1 x 2 @ 73" (shelf frame)

4 - 1 x 2 @ 7" (ends of shelf and shelf frame)

6 - 1 x 2 @ 5 1/2" (shelf frame studs)

I was able to build this using scrap 1x2 for the studs and ends. I bought two 8 ft 1x2 pieces and one piece of 1/4 plywood, which I still have a lot left of.

I have children and this was my first time building something on my own, so it took me any spare time I could manage over the course of a week.

I can't wait to build again! Thanks Ana!

So... I am a pretty dedicated baseball card collector as well as a new found hobbiest in wood building. It's been an ongoing issue in my household with my baseball cards and boxes cluttering up our dining room. I decided to resolve the issue while still being able to keep my cards in the same room with even easier access without being an eye sore! This just might have saved my marriage! I searched for months for plans for some sort of baseball card cabinet but they just did not exist. The closest I could find for what I was looking for was a storage bench plan here on Ana White. I liked the idea of a top opening for hidden storage. It was too small for what I needed. I then came across plans on another site for an aquarium stand cabinet. I figured the combination of these two projects was what I was looking for. After a week of planing and drafting and 3 weeks of construction/finishing in the little spare time I have, I created what you see. People in the card collecting forums I'm a member of are begging for plans or for me to build them one! Problem is, this is the first thing I have built following my own design and plans. I could pass these on but no one in their right mind would be able to follow my scratches on paper but myself! I'm extremely proud of the outcome but am looking for a way to come up with plans I can share! Hope you all like, and if I can come up with a way to make follow able plans I will share! This was all assembled using the kreg jig system, wood filler to hide the knots and lines where the wood joined and lots of sanding!

In order to make this island a little beafier I used 4x4 wood for the X as well as the the top and bottom braces. Top is made up of glued up 1x3 maple wood. It looked really good raw, but decided to stain it to give a more uniform look. I bought the rustic handles and the bottle opener on Amazon.com. I used lag bolts and washers for the finishing accents...similar to the pottery barn island. Painted them with Rustoleum oil bronzed paint and then dabbed it with a paper towel to give it a rougher finish to it and then sprayed the casters as well. This was a fun project and are getting a lot of use out of it. Thanks goes to Anna for the plans and inspiration for this island. Rich

$10 Ledges made with 1x3s instead of 1x4s and fronted with cute trim pieces I found at Orange store. Finished with Behr Marque sample paint that didn't make the cut for the hallway walls (color: Gotham Gray).

This was the first project that I have ever attempted, and I do believe it came out very nice. The color is red oak, and it has 3 coats of lacquer on it. I adjusted the plan sizes to make it from a queen sized bed into a king size bed. It took a lot of hours to build it due to measuring and cutting and ensuring accurate cuts, fitment, and square. The bed is made out of primarily Oak hardwood, but the 4x4 posts are ceder because Home Depot did not have oak 4x4 posts. The regular lumber (2x4, 1x3, 2x6 ect.) is white wood.

I grabbed this idea from one of the brag posts linked off of Ana's easy dining table post. The entire table top is made from clear Western Red Cedar. The legs are made from 4x4 cedar fence posts (the clearest I could find). The table top is 5ftx5ft. All the joints were made using Kreg's pocket hole kit.I did change a couple of things from the original picture that was posted:

1. I notched out the 4x4 cedar legs to accept the main frame of the table top (which provides the best support possible) and also bolted though the leg and frame. Not to mention it gives it a more finished look than simply putting the legs inside the frame and bolting through.

2. I also made a custom bracket to support an umbrella so that I did not have to have bulky umbrella stand under the table (see attached pic)

I finished the table and bench with two coats of Teak Oil. I am not convinced this was the best choice, but it sure did look awesome the first month after it was complete. The colour of the cedar has faded a bit now that it has been out in the elements for two months. Any further suggestions on great finishes that hold up to the weather are appreciated.

My first time building anything. Came out great. Thanks for the great instructions!