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Modern farmhouse console table

Used Ana’s modern farmhouse console table plans to make this pet food station 😍

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Used varathane briarsmoke
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

The no more "you make a better door than a window" media cabinet

Submitted by bookette on Sun, 08/12/2012 - 12:30

I absolutely fell in love with the Tall Corner Media Console the moment it was posted. We had a decent corner stand for our TV, but it was low and was hard to watch when kids and adults alike were constantly saying "I can't SEE!" or "You're in my WAY!". I've learned that explaining "you make a better door than a window" over an over to a 7yo and a 4yo only takes longer.

Two dilemmas faced us:
1 - Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? DH insisted that we needed a big screen tv before building the console. I insisted that we needed the console first, so that we would have a place for the tv. Since it was determined the that console was cheaper than a tv, I won :)

2- What to color it? Paint? Stain? I was the one building, so DH said he didn't care, but that he liked the idea of staining. Having never stained before I was a bit intimidated - paint was my safety net. DH got this one, but only after I made him choose the stain.

I have the doors built and they are in the garage. With other things in the living room we wouldn't be able to open them all the way anyway. That and my final build weekend topped out at 105+ deg - and I was DONE being outside :) All in all, i like the open look of it, although I reserve the right to install those doors if need be.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Stain - Vermont Maple
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

debandtom25

Thu, 08/30/2012 - 18:18

You did a fabulous job and I can definitely see it working without the doors too. The nice thing about stain is that can easily be covered with paint, if you change your mind down the road.

Kitchen Helper

This project has been one that I've been putting off for a while now. My wife was threatening to just go out and buy one so I figured it was either now or never! Our little girl loves to help in the kitchen and standing in one of our old wobbly dining chairs just wasn't cutting it anymore.

I knew that I wanted to build something that would be more like an heirloom piece of furniture instead of one of the cheap knockdown types that you see in stores. I am sure that I could have possibly come up with my own design, but Marc already had already come up with a good design in the arts and crafts style, which is my favorite style of furniture. I saw no reason to come up with a "new" design just to say I did, plus I was lazy, and Marc already had plans hahaha. In all honesty, I think sometimes as woodworkers we get in our own way trying to be "original", when at this point, it's pretty much all been done before.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Fancy X Farmhouse Table

This is my first project and I am so happy with it! Thanks for the plans!

You can see my step by step process here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/category/table/

I'm especially happy with how I was able to attach the top to the bottom without drilling through the top. I describe that here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/2012/08/my-table-is-done/

Thanks for the inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
< 150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean (2 coats)
1 coat polycrylic satin finish on top followed by 3 coats of wax
3 coats polycrilic high gloss finish on base
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bar Height Patio Table

Submitted by VincentP on Thu, 06/05/2014 - 12:24

Built this from a couple of the plans on here and ideas I have seen around the web. This is the very first project I did and with plans from Ana White I found it pretty easy to get through the whole thing. I built this to be bar height and now that it is done I might cut it down to be regular table height just because I didn't realize how big it would actually be. But first I will build a couple chairs and a bench to go along with it.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used Sikkens Cetol 123 system, 3 coats and the colour is dark oak.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Work Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/06/2016 - 17:23

I needed more room, so I changed the dimensions to a 4 x 4 table.  Used the same amount of materials.  I made the side leg measurements 48" wide and the cross braces 45".  My top sheet of plywood is 48" x 48" and the bottom sheet is 48" x 41".  The rest of the leg measurements are the same. 

A little overkill on the screws, but made it extra sturdy. 

I saw this site, copied down the materials list, bought everything I needed and was finished before dinner.  I did it all myself, only had my husband cut the plywood, the rest was all me!  Woo hoo, so proud of myself!

I rough sanded the edges and corners to get rid of any splinters.

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Rough sanded the top, corners and edges.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Workbench

Submitted by Ulrike on Sun, 06/21/2020 - 09:37

Built 2 of the workbenches for our garage. The plans made assembly very easy and quick. We had Home Depot cut the plywood to size.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

Comments

Hailey Storage Bed

Submitted by mebohn on Fri, 08/17/2012 - 19:36

I think I Iove this bed more than my little girl. It's really a beautiful bed with lots of storage. I put magnetic closures on the insides of the cabinets to hold them closed. I also put the same applique on the headboard as Ana. I looked for a different one, but it's the girliest we could find at the time and my little princess loved it. It's a very sturdy bed. I put a week long project, but again, as I've stated before on other posts, it would probably not take nearly as long if you have help with the building or especially with the kids! When you have to stop every 5 minutes and take care of kids and home, it takes a little longer. All the building mommies out there know exactly what I'm talking about! Thank you so much, Ana, for all you do and for all of the empowerment and motivation.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar White Spray Paint, 2-3 coats, sanding in between coats
Minwax Polycrylic Spray
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

RH Inspired Shanty Hutch & Sideboard + glass doors

Submitted by mandi10uga on Fri, 09/09/2016 - 10:50

This was my first woodworking project ever - and am thrilled!! Thank you Ana-White.com!! I needed a beautiful china cabinet for a fraction of the retail cost. Once I found plans on this website, I bought some power tools and got started! I only worked a couple of hours each weekend so it took a while to finish.

 

I modified the Shanty sideboard and Shanty hutch plans in a few ways: Shorter overall width to more comfortably fit my dining room, shorter height (which I now regret), fewer shelves in the hutch, different method to attach shelves, and added glass doors to the hutch. My shelves were not perfectly flush with the cabinet walls (oops) so I couldn't use pocket holes to attach them. Because I detest traditional shelving hardware, I just secured 1/2-in quarter round to the walls and rested the shelves on that.

 

For the glass hutch doors, I built frames similar to the sideboard doors' frames -- two frames for each door, for a total of 8 frames. On 4 frames, I used a rabbit router bit to create an inset for the glass I bought and had cut at Lowe's. I secured the glass with glazier's points and silicon caulk, then attached an un-routered frame to the back of each door with screws. I chose to keep the screws on the back visible and accessible so that I could easily replace the glass if needed without destroying the door.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$630 plus $70 for fancy door knobs
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Followed Ana-White staining tutorial and used Minwax Weathered Oak (1st coat) and Minwax Special Walnut (2nd coat). Used matte polyurethane clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ultimate Workbench for me

Submitted by ianr on Mon, 06/22/2020 - 15:13

I altered the original plans in the following ways:

  • Only built one rolling cart because I already had a multi-drawer tool chest that fit right under the workbench.
  • Built the right half of the workbench as a separate piece from the miter table because attic access is right above it and we need to move the workbench to get to it.
  • Built a half cart for the table saw because the Dewalt contractor saw extends too far to the sides to have it boxed in.
  • I'm going to add a sliding plate that locks down for my miter saw so I can pull it away from the wall without dragging or lifting it.
  • I used a nail gun with two inch nails instead of staples since I don't own a staple gun that holds staples that long.

I'm not that experienced with projects so here are a couple of things I learned:

  • Attach the castors far enough under the cart so that the wheel never extends beyond the sides.
  • Watch what grade sandpaper you use on the plywood. It's easy to strip off a layer.
  • This was not a one-person project for me. Even with clamps, I still needed help bracing parts and rotating pieces.

Thanks for the great plan! Now I can start on all the other projects on our improvement list.

Estimated Cost
350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Boardwalk Shoe Bench

I love the legs on Crate&Barrel's Boardwalk Bench, but I was on a tight budget (under $10), so I needed to make many modifications so that I could use the random pieces of wood I had accumulated from my local deconstruction warehouse, including free wood louvers for the slatted shoe shelves. If you'd like to make your own, more photos of my process are on my little blog: http://sunnysideup-stairs.blogspot.com/2014/05/boardwalk-shoe-bench.html

Estimated Cost
$5
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None applied, yet. :)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Tue, 06/10/2014 - 17:06

Great use of materials! The lines are elegant, it's a wonderful build! (Also, I love the floor!)
:)
Joanne

yurra-bazain

Tue, 06/10/2014 - 22:00

Thank you, Joanne. :) I really like the floor too. I expect lots of patterns will be appearing in our home this year or next. :)

Connie's coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 09/10/2016 - 23:45

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/connies-coop

 

I built this and posted it on 6/8/15 on backyardchickens.com and it has been "pinned" a few thousand times since then... 

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

2x4 Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Iraida on Wed, 06/24/2020 - 22:57

Have been wanting to spruce up my little outdoor patio with an outdoor sectional, but couldn't bear to purchase one due to the high cost. Made the decision to build the outdoor sectional, but purchased the cushions first in order to commit myself to the project. While I worked on the outdoor sectional, my younger sister built herself a bed frame from Ana's plans. I purchased the pre-drill screws, but my dad suggested I pre-drill the wood with his horizontal table drill (made the screws go straight in). Extremely happy and proud of the final product. Super affordable and it was a great project to work alongside my parents.

You do need to add an additional 28.5" 2x4 Outdoor Sofa /One Arm 2x4 Outdoor Sofa (missing from the plans). I can't remember which one was missing the piece.

~$350 ("grey" cushions were a little less than ~$200 from Big Lots (used 15% discount during Memorial Day Sale). Wood, stain, screws, wood putty, and glue ~$150.

Originally used Valspar Tintable Neutral Base Semi-Transparent Exterior Stain and Sealer (1 quart) in the color "Dutch Licorice". The color was more of a blue-grey, which was not what I was going for. Had some leftover Varathane Carbon Gray Interior Wood Stain (less than 1 quart) from a ladder blanket project and painted over the Valspar Stain/Sealer.

Estimated Cost
~$350 ("grey" cushions were a little less than ~$200 from Big Lots (used 15% discount during Memorial Day Sale). Wood and stain ~$150.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Originally used Valspar Tintable Neutral Base Semi-Transparent Exterior Stain and Sealer (1 quart) in the color "Dutch Licorice". The color was more of a blue-grey, which was not what I was going for. Had some leftover Varathane Carbon Gray Interior Wood Stain (less than 1 quart) from a ladder blanket project and painted over the Valspar Stain/Sealer.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Standing Console for Teaching

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/10/2024 - 07:48

I am a teacher and constantly bending over lower desks and I did not have a table to teach off of in the front of the room. So, I built one with Ana’s ideas of a console table with two shelves. I found a link to Kreg from her site and here was this table. I changed the height and width to give proper support of my back (counter hight) and a width that would hold a teacher book. I liked the A-Frame loom and had not built anything like this before, so I learned. I burned the wood for a fun mix of light and dark wood tones. My dad gave me some router bits and I used one to curve the edges of the top, ropy under frame, and shelves. That way all edges are curved for myself and students. I finished it with a coat of poly and a light sanding in between. Thank you Ana for the skills, confidence, and now a love for creating something useful and fun! My students and parents were shocked !! Plus it adds so much warmth to the classroom. Blessings, Jennifer

Lego Table

Submitted by jwerne2 on Thu, 08/23/2012 - 10:33

Our two boys are really starting to get into Legos so we knew we needed a place for them to play (especially after repeatedly stepping on Legos--ouch!). My husband designed this simple plan after looking at some expensive designs online. He cut a small notch out of the top so legos can be pushed into the storage container. We just used a simple under bed storage box, which is great because it is large and holds a ton of legos.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hailey Wall Magazine Rack

Submitted by dave_83 on Sat, 06/14/2014 - 23:03

This was my first ever project. I initially intended to use it for office storage but it ended up taking its place in the kitchen - and proving most useful for storage there too!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Colron wood dye - American Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

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