Community Brag Posts

"Beginner" doesn't begin to describe me! I didn't know the difference between a skill saw & a miter saw before starting this project, but thankfully, my husband is a Mechanical Engineer & knows his way around a few tools. We're very happy with the end result, but they're not perfect. We learned a lot & I'm confident that the next project will be better. A couple of things I learned along the way--no need to buy exactly double the wood for two chairs. Probably obvious for those that are experienced, but I bought exactly double & could've saved a little $$ if I knew what I was doing. Not counting the investment of the saws & other equipment (that will now last my lifetime!), the chairs were less than $50 each for the wood, paint, screws, etc. We used the cheapest wood (whitewood, per the recommendation) available & now that I'm a bit more knowledgeable, I'll upgrade for my next project. The paint is regular Glidden Exterior, & the Home Depot reps were kind enough to mix samples of the two lighter colors so that I didn't have to buy a quart for such a small amount. Colors are Peach Crayon, True Peach, & Tropical Coral. It should be noted that samples aren't available in exterior, but the chairs will be used mostly on a screened porch--out of the direct sun and rain--so I didn't worry too much about it.

I primed and painted all of the boards before I cut them. Then I just had to do some touch up when I was done. This is my first woodworking project and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. I already have my next Ana White project picked out.

I didn't like the standard mailbox we had at my house so I designed this with my CAD program and mage it happen. thanks for this opportunity to post this.

I followed lady goat's instructions but made the seat back taller and the sandbox wider (4'x5'). I have more details here:

http://www.statelykitsch.com/diy-sandbox-with-lid-benches/

I had my dad and father-in-law come help with this project. We are all pretty much beginners, but have done some building in the past.

Because I'm not experienced, I didn't find the plans to be in depth enough. Some parts weren't not fully explained and took some guesswork.

I also didn't know what a Kreg Jig was or how expensive it was! This upped my cost by $100. It was well worth buying however, and will be used again in future projects.

We added a railing to the platform since the bed is up against a window with a screen. If the kids were to fall off the platform and hit the screen, they could fall 2 stories. The railing is just screwed into the side of the platform and can be removed at any time.

Overall, I love how it turned out and so do my kids! It fits the toddler-sized DIY bed that my husband and I built right underneath so my 4 year old and 2 year old can now share a room.

More details and pictures are on my blog: http://themombot.com/crafting/2014/05/09/details-our-diy-bunk-bed

I created a different top out various size select pine boards joined by biscuits and glue and then added utensil hooks on both ends and a bottle opener

This was so much fun to make, now my neighbor wants one 😁

Dale White

I made this for my Mom for Mother's Day. She has been wanting a little table to put next to her recliner (where she knits, reads and watches TV). For the top and drawer, I used Douglas Fir from Lowes. The rest is whitewood and redwood (legs). Overall the wood cost me about $50. I painted the body with high-gloss white paint and the stain on the wood is a mixture of min-wax Golden Pecan and English Chestnut. The finishing took the longest, but the build went very quickly.
I did notice that the cut list is a little off. You need 4 of the 1x2 pieces for the sides, not just two.

I may put a layer of varnish on it, but as of now it is not varnished.

Small computer desk built for mom. Was not built from a plan.

The one toy that we could not live without! Started this as a 2020 covid project and play on it everyday.

Fun project!

I had a friend ask me to build this for her daughter. The bars are bungie cord that you can order by the roll. I made 3 frames the same size then put 2x2's on the inside corners and counter sunk the screws the stapled the bungie cord at the top and the bottom. I would highly recommend securing this to a stud in the wall incase a little one tried to climb on it.

My Wife asked me to look into a night stand for her. I am so so so thankful that I was able to come across Ana's site. I showed the site to her and she asked me to build this night stand as opposed to going out and buying her some expensive poorly built nightstand. Thank you Ana for this wonderful site and the inspiration that some of us need to "get started."

One thing that I didn't think about when I started this project:
The cut list is a suggestion of what you will need to cut. I only ran into one major issue and that was with the inset bottom of my pull out drawer. I cut my drawer sides to the dimensions on the cut list (not paying attention to the note from Ana) and had to adjust my cuts for the drawer. I ended up ripping down the remainder of the 1x12 and paired it with the 1x6 that I had left over. Using the Kreg Jig I now had a perfect fit for my drawer.

I would have liked to have had a darker stain (more of an espresso) and that is my fault for not buying different stains and testing them on my wood choices. As far as my wood choices I used 1x6 and 1x12 "white board" 1x2 and 2x2 precut pine and bought a scrap piece of 1/4in plywood for the backer.

The Kreg Jig made this project very easy to complete as well as my counter sink drill bit. Although not impossible to complete without these two tools it is remarkable easier to complete.

I cannot be happier with the final look of my new bed. I decided to take on this task with intentions to make small changes in the plans based on my needs and preferences. The process was easy and original plans were definitely easy to follow. I had the head or foot boards completed in about 3 hours (without the herringbone pattern). I saw where someone else decided to add a herringbone design and I liked it so I did the same. It was a little tedious but overall not hard at all. Building the frame was easy as well and didn't take long at all. I started running into problems when transporting the footboard. I dropped it from about 2 ft and the leg post snapped off. I thought the pocket holes were not that strong from the beginning. This was not a problem though because I just followed the special note in the instructions and added a 2x2 to the back of each side and attached them with 3 inch wood screws. I did this for the head and foot board and it made me feel more comfortable with the stability overall. I was going for longevity for the bed so I wanted to make it easier to disassemble and move around (screwing the frame in would wear out with a few moves). I went to a woodworking shop and picked up some 5/8 inch insert nuts and bolts to match. I added one to each corner and tightened accordingly. This was by far the biggest headache for me. If I could do it over again there are a few things I would change.
1. I would have sanded my cedar post before attaching them
2. I would have attached my cedar post with the 2x2 and not used pocket holes (I l like pocket holes but not for such a heavy load)
3. I would have drilled and placed my insert nuts on the post before attaching anything to them (this would have helped to ensure a level hole).
My wife and I love the natural look of the wood but it doesn't really go well with the modern contemporary look in our home so we are having a hard time deciding on paint or stain. We are leaning toward stain because we love the grains throughout the bed.

I made the sectional from pallet wood

Needed extra wood for legs to be stable. I made these under the house, and unfortunately had to take apart to get out! luckily  i used screws.

I made to measure after getting the outdoor cushions first.

Taught me heaps

Great plan, I used knotty pine boards for the entire build, including glue up for 2x4 pieces. And the hooks came from a recent visit to England. The wood was reclaimed from a tear down of our family cottage. Using the material gives our new home a sense of history.