Community Brag Posts

Wooden 6 Pack Caddy

Made from re-purposed fencing slats, shims & copper tubing . The handle doubles as the bottle opener. I like that the piece will improve over time as the handle oxidizes. The Holiday Spirit now comes in packs of six.

More at:
www.facebook.com/chuckedwood

Estimated Cost
$7 (including wax)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Homemade stain from steel wool soaked in vinegar & coffee. Wax furniture polish.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Reclaimed Wood Headboard, Double Size (Cedar Siding)

Made with leftover lapped cedar siding from our woodshed, plus a few pieces of reclaimed 1x4 and some new 1x3.  Wanted it to be navy, and it is.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Navy blue satin paint. Don't - I repeat - don't prime with white primer, if painting a final dark color! It took 4 coats of navy to completely cover the primer. Either skip primer or have it tinted closer to the final color. Should have known better.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Balin Console Table

Built this for my wife for Christmas. It was super easy and she loves it! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Ana White Old World Finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Small rustic x console

Submitted by nprice on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 12:05

First woodworking project. Made some mistakes but learned in the process. Satisfied with how it turned out considering it was my first project. Using it as a printer table for my home office.

Estimated Cost
I had to purchase some tools so estimating $40 for the lumber
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane stain in Expresso
Lacquer in Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wood Pumpkin Fall Decor

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/17/2024 - 15:07

We had a pallet all summer that we wanted to something cool with. When I saw these plans I knew this was it. We had everything except what I placed in it. Total cost $17. Love it! - Erin and Dwight S.

Built from Plan(s)
Seasonal And Holiday

Truss Shelves- my first project!

Submitted by Slrusch91 on Thu, 11/29/2012 - 16:28

Not going to lie, as this was mine and my husband's first time building we did run across a few challenges BUT, nothing that we weren't able to figure out and correct. It came together beautifully and I can't wait til we purchase our first home in January so that I can figure out what color to stain it!

FYI- the angles were difficult to get perfect especially since we were using a makeshift work bench (ie: a pallet and the sidewalk) and a circular saw - we were also rather unfamiliar with some of the terminology used in the directions

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified Queen Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by kclime89 on Fri, 09/12/2014 - 17:46

I'd been looking for plans to build a bed, since I wans't finding anything even remotely affordable that I liked in the stores, especially anything solid wood.  I live in a renovated 4-square farmhouse, so the farmhouse bed plans seemed like an obvious choice.  I absolutely loved the style, but I wanted to modify it a little.  The original plans closely replicate the PB bed it is a knock off of, but I wanted a taller footboard that would come up above the mattress.  I cut the footboard panels to 23" instead of 15", and the footboard posts to 35" instead of 21".  

I scored on a gallon of oops paint at HD for $9, so total for this project was about $150 including the finish materials, $130 for just the lumber and hardware.  This included adding an extra 1x8 to accomodate for the taller panels on the footboard.  I did get 6' 1x4s instead of 8', which brought the cost and the material waste down some.  Overall, my scrap pile was pretty tiny when I was done.  It took me about a week to complete this project, but I worked slowly and a lot of time was spent watching paint/stain/urethane dry.  It probably could have been done in a weekend if I was diligent.  

Should I ever need to move this bed, I purchased knock down bed rail fasteners here and cut my 2x10 rails to 80", then mounted them to the posts with the fasteners 60" apart.  I used 2x2s cut to 80" for "cleats" on the inside of each rail, glued and screwed about every 4" with 2.5" screws.  Then I cut five 2x4 slats to 60" to sit on the cleats.  

I measured from the floor to the top of the cleats and cut three "feet" from the 2x4 scrap to screw to the center of three of the slats to add center support (not shown in CAD drawing), as many mattress warranties require this.  This sounds confusing, but I just used leftover chunks of 2x4 from the slats to make a "T" with three of the slats - top, middle, and bottom - so these slats rest on both the cleats and the floor.  I have a split queen foundation, so I was worried about sagging.  So far so good, feels super sturdy!  The knock down fasteners are very secure, and there isn't a single wobble or squeak to be heard.  

To get a good finish, I used a good wood filler.  I think it was a JB brand wood repair product that was like a two part epoxy.  I didn't just fill the screw holes, I filled any gaps and uneven places where joints didn't meet 100% exactly, like where the 4x4s meet the 2x4s.  I didn't skimp on the sanding, either, even though I hate doing it, and even sanded lightly with 220 between coats of paint.  The stain over the paint was totally experimental, but I loved the way it came out.  

I'm super happy with the end result, but the taller footboard puts the bottom of my box spring around 13.5" off the floor - which gives me room to store stuff under there, but also makes for a very tall bed.  Obviously you can adjust how high you want to hang the rails, I just wanted the bottom of the rails to line up with the bottom of the footboard panel, so it ended up tall.

Everyone who has seen this bed, or at least a picture of it, is absolutely in love with it.  It's a showstopper in my bedroom, for sure.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130-150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr paint & primer in one in satin enamel, Minwax stain brushed on and wiped off to distress, Helsman spar urethane to seal.

Painted two coats of paint (unknown oops color from Home Depot); lightly sanded edges and added random marks with flat head screw driver; brushed on Minwax wood finish in dark walnut and wiped off after 2-3 minutes (work in small sections at a time); sealed with one coat of spray on spar urethane once stain was dry.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

King Farmhouse Bed

Used the Farmhouse King Bed plans to make this and made a few adjustments to make it fit my matress.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Steel wool and vinegar to distress the wood. Then stained with Minwax Provincial. Then applied 2 coats of lacquer. The barn wood was purchased at Home Depot.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 09/12/2020 - 17:58

I built this to use as a dessert table for my wedding. Stained with Early American and finished with semi-gloss polyurethane. Can’t count how many complements I’ve received!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American/semi-gloss oil based polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Double Wide Dog Kennel Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/25/2024 - 10:31

Thank you so much for sharing your tutorials, I find you projects easy to follow and have made some but we just got our 1st puppy in a while since our last past away a few years ago, her name is Maggie and she is a golden doodle, and she is adorable and only 12 weeks old. We needed something to put her in when we go to work so I took your double design and made it work for us. 60” wide with a single door in middle, plan on having a bed to left and eating to right and I left it open like your plans for a pan or mat for accident s as I’m sure will happen. I took the bars and spaced them 3” apart but 2 areas by the door are about 3.5” and she can slip through still need to add a few more bars so she don’t but again thanks love your projects

Play Kitchen

The standard play kitchen. The pine planks used were not a consistent 12 inches. I would recommend using plywood. Finished with hardware from IKEA ( blue handles) and lowes (flowers and hinges).

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Pink and white latex paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wooden Crate

I used scrap wood and rope for this project. Its actually more of a serving tray/storage for remotes and etc. But I guess it could have multiple purposes. We're possibly going to use it as part of our centerpiece in our rustic-themed wedding next spring.

Twisted Rope http://www.lowes.com/pd_349209-258-071514065106_0__?productId=3587874&Ntt=twisted+rope&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dtwisted%2Brope&facetInfo=

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

Cabin Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 17:56

Great plans! Thank you!!!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Antique White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor planter steps or benches

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/15/2020 - 00:45

A very enjoyable project. I'm relatively new to diy woodworking projects but these plans make it so much easier.

Thanks.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Hexagon Coffee Table for the patio

Ana, I borrowed the structure of your hexagon picnic table and created a coffee table to compliment my collection of Adirondack chairs on our patio. The rib structure using 30 degree angles is surperb, and with pocket screws on the joints plus Gorilla Glue, it is far stronger than I anticipated.

The table is first shown unpainted, then again on the patio in poor light (sorry for that.) I primed and then painted it brick red and am in the process of updating the paint on all of the chairs to match.

The 30 degree angles are probably the trickiest part. If your saw is off by even a tiny bit, the tolerance buildup will come back to bite you. For example, if each cut is off by 1/2 a degree, you have six cuts, which equals 3 degrees of error. My mistake was not calibrating the cuts made on my table saw or mitre saw. A professional woodworker buddy of mine suggested buying a cross-cut sled for my table saw. That's my next purchase.

Overall I am very happy with the final outcome despite the slight imperfections in the spacing between the slats. A little wood filler covers a multitude of sins!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
water-based primer, then water-based semi-gloss latex enamel (three coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Fred C

Wed, 05/15/2013 - 16:21

Really like this table. Besides a coffee table I think it would make a great picnic table for the little kids, where they could pull up their small chairs and I also think I might try building this out and up a little and use it as an addition table for dining on the deck. Now I just have to decide what kind of chairs to build to go with it. Thanks for all the additional ideas.

Granddaughters bedroom makeover!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/07/2017 - 05:09

Twin beds, nightstands, play table and chairs all inspired by Ana White plans. I did a lot of improvising as I went along.

This was a Christmas gift for my granddaughter's and my second project. 

My sister made the curtain, the personalized flower pillows and the bench cushion.

My daughter painted the flower art.

Estimated Cost
Honestly, I lost track! Guessing around $300. Mostly for hardware, screws, sandpaper and Lego plates.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Gray acrylic paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Base cabinet

Submitted by AhmaNaz on Thu, 09/17/2020 - 10:45

Built to fill space where I removed the dishwasher. Built with no toekick so have to make/order legs or build base.

Finish Used
Semigloss paint in Onyx

Kitchen Nook

Submitted by Scheppie on Sun, 12/09/2012 - 13:06

I modified the plans from the storage bed to create two benches according to the sizes I needed. The benches were arranged in an L formation and secured to the walls and to a base that I built from 2x4s. I made overlay (correct terminology?) drawers using accuride drawer slides that were super easy to install. Floor molding around the base and some 1x2s for the trim. Drawer handles from the depot. Custom cushions ordered online (I can't sew and yes this was the most expensive part of the project). Pillows from Kohl's with free ship and a 30% off coupon - whoo hoo!

Estimated Cost
$200 (not including cushions)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
zinsser primer, BM semi gloss white, polycrylic spray (water based)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments