Community Brag Posts

X console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/01/2017 - 19:37

X console 

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2x4 Banquette Seat

Submitted by boyledover on Sat, 01/05/2013 - 16:47

I have been wanting a banquette for years and when I spied Ana's version in the post about Grace's birthday party, I knew I could do it. I waited for the plans, and yesterday, I got out the tools and in 6 hours (real time - including cooking meals for kids, potty breaks, and life in general) I had my bench done.

I am so pleased with it. I had all the fabric on hand already, and was able to buy batting, foam and pillow forms all 50% off at Joann's, plus 2 zippers for the blue cushions. The woman who was cutting my foam asked me what I was making, and I told her I was building an upholstered bench for my dining room. She said "wouldn't it be less trouble to just buy one already made?" Clearly she has no idea how much this would have cost me. As it stands, I had the lumber and fabric on hand, so my total purchase price was just over $95.00. I would estimate the cost to build to be about $200.00 for everything, depending on how expensive your fabric is.

I love to sew, so I had no problem with the fabric portion of the project, though I did as Ana did and did not upholster the back of the bench. Instead of adding a piece of fabric across the back of the frame, I extended the side fabric by about 6 inches on each side and stapled it to the back. I hope that makes sense. I used a metal cleat to hold the seat back in place. I also used 3 L-brackets to attach the bottom to the frame. I think people will slide into their seat and I didn't want the seat cushion to move.

Not bad for a few hours work!

This project would be an easy starter project for building, though it is a little more advanced when you factor in the sewing. Here is the tutorial I used for the toss pillow cushions: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/02/add-a-zipper-to-your-pillow/, and here is another from the same blogger for boxed cushion covers (just leave the bottom off of yours for this project, since it will be stapled to the plywood, skip the zipper and handle, and add piping if you want to fancy your cushion up): http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2008/07/summer-sewing-perfectly-portable-cu…

Thanks Ana for the constant inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fancy X Farm House Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/05/2017 - 12:24

Great way to turn inexpensive pine into a beautiful piece. Our wood was quite wet so we were extra careful to keep it tight and straight. Once the top was assembled, out came the torch! The torch provided an instant partial drying of the wood causing a great bonding and snug fit. The flame brought out the grain in various colors. We opted to use polyurethane as a finish.

Of course we had to make benches to match! 

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Torch Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Playhouse Loft Bed- Thomas

This bed for my middle son (4 years old) was my first project, I enjoyed the build and my son absolutely loves it. He even want to go to bed early now.

I ammended the plans slightly to accomodate a UK size matress and reduced the stair width to fit the room.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
£350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Gloss on Redwood, Emulsion on MDF with Varnish coat where possible scratces could occur.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bed

My boyfriend and I made this bed in about six hours on a saturday. The instractions were easy to follow and I am in love with this bed! Its very sturdy and i get tons of compliments on it! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
blue paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/07/2017 - 18:52

Thanks for the amazing detail in your plans. I was able to make this table for my family. 

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Modern TV console table

Submitted by Anzura on Mon, 11/02/2020 - 16:58

This console table was a pretty easy build and looks great. We had the lumber store rip the boards to the size we needed. We used solid maple boards instead of plywood. We mitered the corners to avoid seeing end grain. Followed the plans pretty close. Used 6" hairpin legs from Amazon painted antique bronze to match handles. Very pleased!

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr water based early American
Lots of prestain conditioner
Wax top coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Craftsman Frame

Submitted by Mrsmike on Tue, 01/08/2013 - 15:07

I bought this really cool print from a shop on Etsy, but I was having a hard time finding a frame for it My husband made the bed for his room too, and I wanted the frame to coordinate.

This was a simple project and really looks great in his room. We used an inexpensive pine and the same stain as his bed. I really wanted a green stain, but I couldn't find any like the type Anna used. This frame took just a little over an hour to put together.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$6
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax Americana and minwax furniture polish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Built in Armoire (linen cabinet)

Submitted by cesqueda on Mon, 11/03/2014 - 08:46

I modified the original plan so that it would fit in the area wher my old linen cabinet was.  I also wanted the drawers to be visible.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Antique: I stained dark, rubbed the edges with wax. Then put two coast of white flat paint. I then put on a faux brown glaze. The last step was to sand down the edges and remove a little of the glaze with a high grit sandpaper.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Loft Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/10/2017 - 11:58

Made from the Camp Loft Bed plans.  Added some additional strength with 4x4 legs instead of 2X4 and added some additional supports underneath for the rambuncious kid that was going to be using it.

 

Also since the room was small, it was made to be dismantled with a ladder instead of the stairs.

 

Fun little project for a friend who is also expecting another.  So it looks like we will expand this loft bed for future expansion.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood Stain - Mini Wax Red Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Laundry Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/07/2020 - 10:17

My first project, something I took on with my kids. Lots of fun, errors, and lessons learned. Used an hvlp for stain and poly, so much faster and easier than brush or rag staining.

Thanks for the inspiration and instructions.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic logo end table

Made a gift for a Knicks lover. Used a dremel trio to etch in logo. Went back and forth on adding color and in end decided not to. But gave me another idea on my next logo table

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Min wax special walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

ekimwa

Thu, 01/10/2013 - 17:54

Now that's cool!!! Need a tutorial on how to do that!!!

Corner Cabinet

Submitted by T-Dan on Sun, 02/12/2017 - 13:02

built to fit messy corner.  wife loves it there!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$105 for wood and I had the stains and screws from previous projects. Fixtures (some yet to be installed), were about $20.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
mixture of walnut and gray stains, with polyeurethane topcoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Table

We recently moved from our small Minneapolis Bungalow to an apartment in Maryland. It was the prefect opportunity to build the Farmhouse Table plans I had been admiring. When we went to my parents farm in North Dakota for Thanksgiving we spent a couple hours digging through the barn to find old barn wood for the project. The wood then made the 1,400 mile trek to our new apartment in Rockville. Yes, you read that correctly…the table was built in our carpeted apartment! No excuses people…you can make this table in your apartment! If you do not have access to a saw your local big box home improvement store can make the cuts for you. If you go that route the cut list Ana has will come in very handy!

I do a fair amount of woodworking, so I was able to complete the project in one day. If this is your first project I would allow a weekend to finish it.

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish Oil Natural
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

rhettar

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 04:41

It's also nice to see the table up against the wall, because I have been thinking of doing the same thing, I live in a small mobile home, just a small kitchen.

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by jjack7 on Sun, 11/09/2014 - 05:52

Farmhouse Table with some slight modifications for sturdiness.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Pre-conditioner
Minwax Jacobean
Minwas Semi-gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Easy Kitchen Island

Submitted by tietjen7 on Tue, 01/15/2013 - 15:05

This is my first build ever! Since we recently moved into a place with little kitchen space, I thought this island would be perfect for extra storage we needed. I modified it from 5 2x6 on top, to 4 2x6 so it would fit in the corner we wanted it in. So the overall dimensions were 54" wide x 22" deep x 36" tall. I also changed the 1x2s that make the shelves to 3x5/8 boards, 15 per shelf, with approxinnately 1 inch between each. I predrilled countersink holes and screwed them on using 3/4" wood screws. The stain is a walnut colored water based stain, and I coated the top surfaces with a matte finish poly.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a water based "Plantation Walnut" colored stain with a Matte finish poly coating on top. I used two thin coatings of stain and didn't wipe off after each coating.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by JenM on Wed, 11/12/2014 - 07:44

This is only the second project I've done, and I think it turned out great.  I modified the measurements so that it fits 3 on each side and 2 on each end, 10 total (but it can seat more; the table is huge).

All I have is a band saw and a drill, and that's all I needed!  The legs and support are Doug Fir from HD.  The top is all 2x10's that I bought at a lumber yard so that they would have it kiln-dried and have the edges re-sawn.  The only 2x10's I could find at the big box stores were green.

I finished it by sanding with 100 grit paper (I read not to over-sand doug fir for staining purposes), stained with one coat of Special Walnut (two coats on the breadboard ends), and 4 coats of satin poly.

This table is a tank.  So glad I assembled it indoors, as we would have had trouble getting it in the house after it was all put together!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Leaning Ladder Desk - Made By Tara Holmes 2017

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2017 - 20:24

Leaning Ladder Desk - Made By Tara Holmes - Australia - 2017

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Pet feeding and storage station

Modified plans for the modern patchwork dresser so part of the top opens for access to pet food storage bins.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

TRYDE COFFEE TABLE

Submitted by makadams on Sun, 01/20/2013 - 18:38

This was my First project i still need to sand and stain.

Estimated Cost
35 or 40 bucks i had stain already
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Tryde Coffee Table

We took the origional plans and used that as the basis for ours. We re-designed it for our size needs on Vectorworks, a design program that we usually use for working in theatre. We bought all of our supplies at Lowes for around $80. Fortunately for us we have a fully stocked scene shop avaliable for our projects. We built it one day then the next we sanded it and stained and sealed it. Its a nice heavy table that we LOVE. we wanted a project to make something nice that will last forver, but still be cheap because we are on a college budget. We used an engraver to put our initials on the table so one day we can show our kids what we can do. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments