Community Brag Posts

Sandbox

Submitted by andygurbal on Wed, 05/18/2016 - 15:10

I followed Ana White's instructions to a tee and things turned out great! I chose a dark brown wood stain and used an exterior Helmsman Spar Urethane for protection. Because the sandbox will always be outdoors, I ended up putting 5 layers of urethane on it.

I also attached a tarp (not seen in the pictures) to the bottom to hold the sand in. This way the sandbox can be dragged if you want to move it's location.

Estimated Cost
I bought all of my wood from Home Depot, as well as the wood screws, brushes, stain and spar urethane, so it ended up being a little bit more than I expected. All in all, it was around $125, but it could definitely be made cheaper if you have wood already on hand or the screws, brushes, stain, and urethane readily available.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Corona square coffee table

Submitted by ygoryanina on Fri, 02/21/2020 - 09:26

Farmhouse style wood coffee table with gorgeous balustrade legs, 38" x 38", 18" high. Stained antique oak, sealed for long life...

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
under $200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes water based stain antique oak, flat water based poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Bar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/16/2023 - 09:01

Built a bar for my patio overlooking the lake.

RFR191

Large rustic bench

Submitted by qfiffle on Wed, 05/09/2012 - 06:28

This is the first woodworking project I have done since high school (16 years ago!) and it's more ambitious than anything I attempted then!

It was easier than I thought on the whole, although I got a bit baffled by Australian standard timber sizes being totally different from USA ones. (The guy at the timber yard was all "One WHAT by two WHAT?") And because I couldn't find a 1x12 longer than 47 inches, I had to make the bench slightly shorter. I didn't anticipate how incredibly hard that would make it to calculate the cross support angles. (It's not just trigonometry, because there are multiple possible solutions).

It was the first time I've tried to upholster anything, too, so it's a bit wrinkly at the corners, but I'm happy with it.

I think the painting took the longest. I built the bench in one afternoon, but I had to do four coats of paint (and one of primer), each of which took nearly 24 hours to dry, so it took forever to finish.

Estimated Cost
$70 ($30 for the wood; $25 for fabric and batting; $10 for paint; $5 for screws and sandpaper)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Black acrylic "enamel" paint. Four coats over one coat of water-based primer. Upholstered top with upholstery fabric and batting, using a stapler gun.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Porch End Table

Submitted by Smokeydog on Sun, 05/22/2016 - 17:21

I made this little end table for my daughter-in-law to accompany the porch bench I made for her about 2 years ago. It's a simple little table but it does have one unique feature.  My son and daughter-in-law cut down a large old cedar tree from in front of their house and gave me the wood.   I thought it might be nice to build something for them from the tree so aI milled several pieces of the tree and let them dry in my shed for about one year.  It took a while to run the wood through the planner to get it just right.  I used the wood for the table top and the wood grain looks just beautiful.  In fact, I'm  just now leaving to their house on Bainbridge Island  to give them the table.  I know she'll  love it!

Estimated Cost
$0.00 I used scrap wood for the legs and apron and cedar from their tree for the top. I had paint on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Spray Paint ... Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by pde00311 on Mon, 02/24/2014 - 23:05

My wife has always wanted a king sized bed. While my hobbyist woodworking skills are not (yet) to the point where I can create the mahogany sleigh bed she has always dreamed of, I think she has enjoyed the farmhouse bed that I built for her X-mas present. We bought a new gel mattress for the bed, which sits on a few sheets of plywood over a frame of 2x4s. While we have no current plans to move anytime soon, using some of the advice of commenters/posters, I constructed our bed and frame with bed rail brackets and hanger joists that will allow us the option to disassemble/reassemble it in the future.

Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr off-white #1873 paint distressed with Minwax Special Walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JanieMR

Sat, 04/22/2017 - 13:35

    What did you ue to connect the bed rails to the Headboard and Foorboard.

     I am at a loss.

DIY Barn door Pantry/Coffee station

Submitted by tcossins1 on Mon, 03/09/2020 - 08:19

My wife has been asking me to build her a pantry since we bought our house last year and I finally got around to doing it. I used the Barn Door Entertainment center plans as inspiration but Instead of using the 1x12x8ft lumber suggested I used 1x6x8ft boards connected with pocket holes to save on costs. The Barn door hardware is the SMARTSTANDARD 8ft heavy duty (double door) which I purchased on Amazon for 73$.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350-$450
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint: Behr Plain White paint and primer
stain: Varathane classic dark walnut.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Chalkboard Shelf Memo Board

This was my first "build" and was a lot of fun. Very quick and very easy. I'm so happy with how cute it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$18.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I marked 3-6 hours only to account for drying time of the chalkpaint. I cutting, sanding and assembly went very quickly.

I used Rustoleum chalkboard paint from Home Depot along with some brushed nickel knobs that I got from Home Depot.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Great couch!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/30/2016 - 15:39

Biult this for my outdoor patio. Got the cushions from Lowes.ca for about $80 each.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Primer then an outdoor white
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Nailed it!

Submitted by yiffergan on Mon, 03/16/2020 - 08:30

I only work with reclaimed/junk wood and this has literally been the most rewarding thing I've ever done.  I absolutely love these projects! can't thank you enough for sharing plans- and for free!  (I also made a chair but it won't let me upload a pic.)

Estimated Cost
$10 for nails
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2x4 Desk

Submitted by Livvyhill on Mon, 03/03/2014 - 18:40

I had fun with this project. I needed a long and narrow desk for my son's room, and this was perfect. It was sooo easy. I used countersink drill bit and filled in with wood filler. I sanded to smooth it out and make soft edges. I stained first with a black cherry stain, then spread teal paint around (was inspired by a lot of rustic wood and teal pieces that I saw at homegoods), then coated it with kona miniwax stain to darken it up. I put a clear polyurethane finish on it to protect it. Super easy and I love it. Got all of my wood for under $30.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Black Cherry miniwax, Teal paint, Kona miniwax, polyurethane finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Garage Shelving

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/02/2016 - 10:16

I used Anna's shelving plans from this video https://youtu.be/cTxRBckenI4 and it was super easy.    I also made a cut out for the mini freezer on the far end and also cut the ends closest to the garage door track at a 45 degree.    The shelves are 24 inches and the run is 16' long.   The cost was right at $100.    We are building more of the same shelving in the garage very soon.  

 

Thanks Anna for the design!

Ron from Houston

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Captains Storage Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/04/2023 - 14:46

We made the captain’s bed for our two grandchildren, and they love it. We have made several things from Ana’s plans. They are so easy to follow! Thanks so much!

Dena

Built from Plan(s)

Rugged Outdoor Table

Submitted by cdrum89 on Thu, 03/06/2014 - 06:05

Ok I decided to construct my very first project - a small outdoor table that would look a bit ancient mostly because the need for it in my house has been screaming since I could remember. I would selfish to say that I did it alone but I got a bit of help from my hussy. I'm happy that the kids love it and all struggle to have lunch on it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Coated with a transparent paint/thinner as I wanted to keep it a bit raw.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

LV wine case

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 06/05/2016 - 13:09

I built this wine case for my for my daughter and her husband. I couldn't done it with Ana"s great plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Daughter and son-in-law will use it to store the many wine bottles they receive as gifts.I think natural Oak is beautiful and just use a poly finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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