Community Brag Posts

Simple Outdoor Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/26/2024 - 10:33

I made these chairs with 2x4s and some leftover decking for the back strips. I must say they turned out pretty good and it only cost me $17.00 to build. I followed Ana White’s plans. These chairs are very sturdy and comfortable. Thank you so much Ana for your free plans and video. I’m hooked! I also made the bench/table last year. Love it. - Maryann

Rozika's Dollhouse

Submitted by Bgergoke on Fri, 12/23/2016 - 10:34

Thanks Ana for the plans, it was big fun to build! Had to do it while babysitting after work hours in our Budapest appartment, so all our neighbors had a lots of fun too while sawing and drilling in the night! 

At the start I had some difficulties with your inches and feet, but at the end I had to realize that milimeters weren't my thing either... but it looks good from the distance. Still needs to be filled with furnitures and dolls, but that will be the task of Rozika. 

Estimated Cost
ca. 200 USD, had to buy some tools too.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
white lustre for the frames&walls, water based topcover for the rest, serviettes for the decoupage.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Storage Bin

I used Ana Whites plan and modified to fit my our space and outdoor pillows.

Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Gunstock 231
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bamboo & Tile Dog/Cat Bowl Platform

Submitted by Joni on Wed, 11/21/2012 - 07:05

When I couldn't find the exact right size wood that I needed, I grabbed a piece of bamboo from my wood pile. When I ripped it in 2 pieces, there was this cool edge that resembled inlaid wood. I avoided staining it because it would have "muddied" the edge. I applied a transparent glaze on it, which kept the edge look intact. I had never worked with bamboo before -- I love it, as it required little sanding and took the finish beautifully.

Finish Used
General Finishes Glaze in Van Dyke Brown, followed by 3 coats of polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hall Tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/26/2016 - 08:15

I started with your Hall Tree plan and added some upper storage.  The only trick there was to make two of the lower storage units and I turned one upside down to create the upper storage.  The extra space makes for double the storage.  Instead of using the pine for a back wall I substituted Wanescoting on the back and side walls.  I added 1-1/2' base moulding and a 1" moulding to finish off the seat edge and the top of the Cabinet. Also had to put moulding on the sides of the Wanescoting tofinish off the exposed edge.  I applied Rustoleums Cabinet Finishing kit to the bare wood.  This is a 3 step process and is similar to antiquing with a polycrylic finish.  The finish took as long as the build process but was well worth the time.  Finally I added the coat hooks that are black with brushed copper highlights.  I picked up some stamped rustic stars on-line for $3.50 for a set of 5 and painted them black and applied them with a hot melt glue gun.  Feedback from the family and our friends has been great and they all love the finished project.   

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350 Total
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Cabinet Finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pallet boxes

Submitted by nodos1975 on Sat, 11/24/2012 - 19:24

This is the first project my husband let me use the chop saw on.* I used some old 1x6's (3/4 in x 1 1/2 in) leftover from a chicken coop he built that had been on the floor and already had some nail holes in them - I figured that was was pretty close to pallet wood. He turned this from a beginner project into an intermediate because he made me measure and cut each side and end to custom fit the bottom of the box as as all my "pallet wood" boards were warped (does that make sense?) So make your life easier and use new boards! With his help it took about 25 minutes per box to cut and assemble. Putting a finish on was a little tricky because the wood just wasn't okay with some leftover iron acetate I had, so I just used Ana's black tea trick and they turned out perfect in about five minutes. My husband says this is an excellent first project for a beginner because a lot of furniture you build is simply A BOX, just bigger. We also built the laundry basket dressers the next day because I'd learned the concept of building a box! and I am having a great time learning to build. Really wish I'd taken wood shop in high school. Good thing my husband did.

* We built the laundry basket dressers and I dutifully assisted in the building of the Rustic X console table and I am so excited to post pictures, I just need to get some better ones!

Estimated Cost
$3 - for the house numbers - everything else was scrap
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Black tea over iron acetate. The iron acetate darkened the wood but left too pink of a finish, so I boiled about five black tea bags until it was REALLY dark, then brushed on a couple of coats and it darkened the boxes right up!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

rhettar

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 19:42

Those were eye catching to me in Ana's book, I have been wanting to make some too. You did a great job, I really like them!

2x4 Adirondack Chairs

Submitted by Sprochniak on Mon, 09/07/2020 - 11:16

I changed the back of this chair to use some lumber I already had. These are very comfortable. I see more in my future.

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams exterior semi-gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

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