Community Brag Posts
Ten dollar ledges
My very favourite thing to build, so cheap and simple.
Lack Inspired Entertainment Center
The IKEA Lack Inspired Bookcase plans became my inspiration for the entire entertainment center. I made a few changes to the bookcase plans. I increased the height of the bookcases to 84 inches and added adjustable shelves. I also included some major extras including a console for the TV, a bridge to connect the bookcases, and doors inspired by www.shanty-2-chic.com.
DIY Kitchen Island
Island dimensions Bar 36" deep x 50" wide, counter top height and base has 24 inch depth. I was lucky enough to have the walnut donated for the project which I cut into 1" stips and glued together butcher block style. Also put a 1 1/4" band of walnut around countertop for appearances and to help strengthen the top. The base was made with pine and painted turqoise. The double waste basket was another touch I added. Thanks for looking.
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Adirondack Chairs
This was a fun and simple project. One of my first attempts at making outside furniture and it was nearly perfect the first time....why?... the plans were so easy to follow, the techniques used were not demanding, and the tool selection was ideal for my workshop. I put them outside and I have had good reviews, and requests, for these chairs.
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Coat Tree
With my 3 young kids and all of their winter gear, I needed a coat rack that they can use. Since I don't have a miter saw, I asked my Father-in-law to make the cuts for me so I can't claim to have done that (although I am asking for a miter saw for my birthday!). Assembly was pretty easy with 2 pocket holes each on the roots and one for each of the limbs. With the small pieces of wood, it was tricky to get the holes centered using my Kreg Jig Jr. so I added some small finishing nails to some of the limbs for more support. (Think young kids tugging to get their coats down!) Some things I learned: Sand all pieces to the way you want them BEFORE assembling as it's nearly impossible to do later. Stagger the bottom roots because screwing in 8 screws to the same center point does not work. I ended up using shorter screws than the 2 1/2" recommended and had to add felt pads to stabilize the legs that were moved up to allow for me to fit the screws in. I am pleased with this project and while it's not perfect, it will get a lot of use around here!
Antique workbench console bar
This project was much easier than I originally anticipated. Even cutting the legs at angles and sanding them down to appear curved was easier than I expected. I also used early american stain by Minwax. I used only one coat though and in hindsight might have done two to make it a bit darker. I used Minwax clear paste wax (two coats) to achieve a low sheen and protective layer. I was able to find a toilet paper holder similar to the one Ana used at one of my local big box stores. I wasn't able to find anything else I liked better.
Triple Pedestal Table & Bench
It's turned out way more beautiful then I had thought. It was all the mini details that took the longest but made the look worth it
Storage Bed
So we really needed a better bed than the flimsy moderny thing that would shift at least a few inches when I would get into the bed. And I like storage. So this was a great fit. The folks at blue were really good to me and help me cut all my lengths of plywood. I did modify the headboard to be 3 inches taller. Otherwise the plans were great! I had one hiccup in adding the divider to one of the benches. It came out kind of slanted. So I would recommend having a lot of light and measuring it out in the back of the box when you are inserting the divider
Wine oak barrel Adirondack chair
I got some oak barrels from a local vineyard and decided to try making some adirondack chairs. It was harder than I thought it would be, but well worth it!! The stain was a little darker than I thought it be, but it's rubbing off on me!
predrill, predrill, predrill, and learned a valuable lesson in predrilling, as solid wood under strain cracks easy when using 2 1/2" deck screws!
I need to whip out the nice camera and stop using my cell phone for finished products!
Comments
Sun, 07/21/2013 - 19:45
Yes I did
I did have some plans, which made it easier. I didn't use them as designed i.e. tracing, and I also altered the plans some to my liking. I got the plans for 15$ from here: http://www.gcwoodworks.com/Wine-Barrel-Adirondack-Chair-Large.htm
Farmhouse Bed
This is my favorite build so far! I love the look of this bed!
One thing I wish I had known was how long it was going to be. The bed is a good foot and a half longer than my mattress, which is a standard queen. I would recommend measuring and cutting your side rails according to your mattress - I think I am going to go back and shorten mine.
Also - I used my bed rails, instead of the slats this called for. I also used bed rail hooks (I ordered them from Amazon for $20) so that I can take this bed apart.
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Loft Bed
I made this loft bed for my 4-year-old son. It is plenty strong. It can easily hold him and his daddy for bedtime stories. I followed the plans to the letter. I found this a challenging but attainable second project and only needed help with final assembly. I'll start working on some bookshelves for under it but need to figure out how to work around the supports I already added (that are omitted in the bookshelf plans).
outdoor sofa from reclaimed wood
Using Ana's plan as a guide, I built two of these sofas to fit an outdoor cushion I already had. I used wood from our old deck -- a great way to re-use and save money, too!
Conner Side Tables
Built a set of Conner Side tables for my Daughter and Son-in-law that live in Austin Texas.
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Toddler bed
I made a loft bed for my 4-year-old son using Ana's Chelsea Loft plans. When I finished, I was able to build this toddler bed for my 1-year-old using almost entirely scraps left over from the loft (save for the 1x6 runners). I skipped the curved headboard design and went with a solid piece of 1x12. I was going to round the top edges or cut a more rounded design, but my wife said she liked the squared off look better (she has lots of ideas for painting various designs on it, apparently). Since we were going to use paint and not stain, I ripped some leftover MDF board for the 1x6 footers. The whole project took a single afternoon, including cutting, assembly, woodfill and sanding. The end result is pretty sturdy. My wife laid on it with both our small children and the slats hardly bowed at all.
Loft Bed
My 8 year old really wanted a loft bed. We were homeschooling and he was struggling with fractions so I decided to use carpentry to teach him fractions. He was hands on in every aspect of this project and did 80% of the work. I’m very proud of him!
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Fri, 10/08/2021 - 10:43
Now that's smart!
Such a great way to teach real world applications, thank you for sharing!
Coffee Table
My wife said she did not want anything for her birthday, so instead of buying her
something after she said that, I decided to try and make something. We did not have a coffee table in our living room - when we hosted Christmas, we had a piece of plywood over boxes, covered with a table cloth. So I decided to try and make a coffee table for her.
Made some mistakes sanding the top, so then had to spend a lot more time sanding out the gouges.I did not use a plan per se, but when I started looking here, it was remarkable similar to Clara's Table, with differeing dimensions. The cost was a little higher due to the oak boards for the table top. Those alone were $50.
Cedar Deck Box
I used cedar siding that was removed from a home remodel. I had to rip all the wood down on a table saw to work with the plan. I was glad to put this good wood to use for my recycle bin and it looks good on the back porch. I had to change the plan a bit to fit my bin.