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Outdoor Wooden Cooler

An Outdoor Wooden Cooler is the perfect way to accent any deck, patio, or garage. Can be made from Cedar, Pressure Treated, Cyprus, etc. Sizes can vary from small 28 qt coolers to Large 120 qt coolers capable of holding hundreds of drinks. These coolers can be themed for your favorite sports team, favorite hobby, or anything of your choice. Engraving or wood burning is available.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain, painted, distressed, etc.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

sgilly

Fri, 08/31/2012 - 09:52

Well, actually, two. My beer loving son-in-laws would love this, and Christmas is coming! Do you happen to have any "step-by-step" directions you'd be willing to share? I can figure out the dimensions but it would be really helpful to read - or see - the components and how you put it all together.
Thanks for sharing!

Adam_Scheetz

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 11:41

I had to make a new page because of some password issues. Thanks for comments. I have no plans yet, I've built so many it's sort of muscle memory now. Shoot me an email at [email protected] and perhaps I can help.

And no, the lid style I like is nothing more than some tongue~n~groove boards cut to length, attached with pocket holes and nailed to the lid frame. Tongue~N~groove is optional of course, you could just use regular boards.

sgilly

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 11:58

I really appreciate your response. And, I did indeed send you an email!
I have a bunch of cedar milled and planed by one of my son-in-laws. He'll be thrilled to see that I've made something he can use for his favorite beverage!

rustic x coffee table

Submitted by RyanK on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 14:14

I modified the rustic x coffee table plans. I did not need a coffee table, but I loved the looks of this plan. I actually needed a TV stand for our basement, so I made this instead. I kept all of the dimensions the same except I made it 4" taller. I also took out the side "x's".
I used regular pine boards from Lowes. I bought a Kreg Jig, Kreg clamp and screws to get started, so my initial cost was pretty high just gathering all my supplies, as this was my first build.I wanted a rustic, worn look, so I chipped the wood, made fake cracks, etc.
I used Minwax Walnut Gel stain, and then went along the edges, over the cracks and knots with an Ebony stain. 2 coats of satin poly.
Can't believe how well it turned out. Next project is going to be the matching end table. Don't laugh at the size of the tv, it is all we have for the basement. We will be planning on getting an 55" for it and the kids to enjoy.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax "Walnut" Get stain with Minwax Satin poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Upholstered Leather Headboard with Stacked Wood Frame

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/27/2016 - 09:40

What could be more luxurious than an upholstered leather headboard? The inspiration for the design of this headboard came from the super cool textured wallpaper I recently installed in our master bedroom. See the full tutorial on my blog, The Handyman's Daughter!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Stain + Poly in Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Console Table

Submitted by boneill on Mon, 07/06/2020 - 20:31

Modified the size to 60” length , 12” depth , 36” height . Went with satin white frame , Minwax classic grey stained top with 3 coats of poly clear coat satin (quick dry).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax classic grey with poly 3 coats quick dry
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Reclaimed Wood Tidy Up end table

Submitted by baskelding on Mon, 09/03/2012 - 09:24

I was given old reclaimed wood from a house built in the 40's or 50's. Old rough cut pine 1x12's. I cut the wood to size to match the plans, however, I did have to modify the plans due to the actual true dimensions of the wood. After assembly, I appled 2 coats of shellac to the entire table. It may need a few more coats, but not wanting a glossy finish, I left it alone. Splinters were and are an issue, and the shellac did help to hold down the splinters.

Not having the 2x2 legs required glueing the 1x's together and glueing a veneer to the sides. If i had the legs the project would have taken less time.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Shellac - 2 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

brookifer86

Sat, 09/08/2012 - 14:30

I love what you did with this, and that you used salvaged wood. The legs would totally fool me, I'd never know that they were pieced together!

Haley platform bed/reclaimed wood headboard/rustic x leg table

i made this king size head board using Ana's website and for the bed frame i used Shanty 2 Chic's website. i just had to convert the measurements to king size when cutting the boards. thats a rustic x leg end table next to the bed, i built using Ana's website also.

Estimated Cost
$100-$120
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
watco danish oil dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

TV Stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/03/2016 - 11:06

Shortened the plan to fit my space. Used Georgian Cherry stain. 

Estimated Cost
$65
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Georgian Cherry gel stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

X Coffee Table

This was the best piece I have made so far, I had some trouble getting the angles right with the x's but in the end it worked out great and everyone can't believe its just plain old wood! Keep up the great work!

Moving on to the end tables!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$55
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I had a great time "experimenting" with the distressed finish too. I recommend testing it on scrap boards first! I finished it with a coat of polyurethene and in the end the color looked fine but it did change it from what it was before the coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Chrisv1041

Thu, 07/02/2015 - 15:10

How did you stain it and distress it? Did you use the gray paint and water on top of the stain to give it that look?

X-Side Table

Submitted by wthalin on Thu, 07/03/2014 - 07:48

This was my first project from Ana's site and I have to say I was quite pleased how it turned out. This is a very sturdy/heavy duty end table that I am sure will last a very long time. I made mine essentially straight from the plans except changed the X's a little bit to compensate for my limited miter saw.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Steel wool in vinegar as an oxidation stain finished with Vermont Natural Satin PolyWhey.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Double Farmhouse Bed with Trundle

This was the first Farmhouse bed I have ever built!  I am totally in love with it!  I found the plans very easy to understand and follow.  I used the Twin Farmhouse bed and adapted it for a double and also added some trim details in the head and foot boards.  I also changed the way I attached my bed frame as I wanted to be able to take apart easily if ever needed.  So I used 2 by 10s and attached them to my posts.  I also made a trundle for underneath it. Finally totally complete!!  Love the way it turned out.  

Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Triple Thick, Expresso. Rustoleum Triple thick Clear Coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Outdoor rolling bar top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2020 - 19:43

We had some leftover granite from an outdoor kitchen build and wanted to maximize the use of it. We loved the look of a rustic table from Pottery Barn and set out to find something that was asking the same aesthetic. I came across the Jilly and Mia workbench console and thought it would work great with some minor modifications. I shortened the overall length and height, went with some heavy duty casters to support the weight of the granite, and reinforced the cross beams that would support the 3/4" plywood sheet and granite. I went with cedar for this build since it was outdoors and I'll finish it with a clear sealant.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Armoire

This was the nursery armoire design we used. My husband modified it slightly. Beautiful isn't it.

Estimated Cost
$150-$175
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
paint color is valspar cabin red, with antique glaze over it.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Spa bench

Submitted by Joagirard on Fri, 07/04/2014 - 20:50

I had left over wood from previus projects and needed an entry bench. The closest i made my plan inspired by the spa bench.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
20$
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
One coat of dark walnut varathane wood stain applied with an old t-shirt. Followed by 2 coats of varathane satin professional finish. I sanded between the finised coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

andimat

Tue, 03/06/2018 - 19:18

This is exactly how I was hoping to modify this!  What did you use for the sides?  Is the top 2 x 6?  Thank you in advance!

andimat

Tue, 03/06/2018 - 19:20

This is exactly what I wanted to do!  What did you use for the sides?  Is the top 2 x 6s?  

Double X Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/09/2016 - 18:00

This was the second double x bench that I made.  It was very simple to make.  It took me around 3 hours to build it and another 2 hours to sand, stain and paint it (this does not include the  1 hour between coats that I allowed them to dry).  I used Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint and General Finishes Java Gel stain.  Annie Sloan Chalk paint does NOT need a topcoat if it is being used outside.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15 - i already had the stain, paint and screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint
General Finishes Java Gel
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse table

Submitted by kathiibeth on Mon, 09/10/2012 - 06:34

This is my take on the farmhouse table featured here on this site. The cut list was modified since I used reclaimed pallet material for my table base. I also used 2x12's for the top since I wanted mine a little bigger then the one on here. I took the extra time and effort to also add breadboard ends just to add the finishing touch to the top. The finish I used was simply whitewash for the base, the top was a combination of oxidation, black wash, white wash and distressing with misc. tools from the garage. We had fun (my husband helped)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
white wash for base, distressing then black wash and white wash for top. Because I wanted the top to look like it matched the base (mixing wood types adds a challenge) we took time to really distress the top using multiple tools: like a belt sander, chains, planers, and hammers and really added character. After this I oxidized with the vinegar and steel wool mixture and let that dry. Then I went back and used a very diluted black wash to really darken the wood. After that dried I did a white wash and lightly added white to acheive the look I wanted. After that dried I sanded to distress some more and love the results. Practice on scrap material to see what you like most.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Wolvesey

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 14:11

What a beautiful table. I would love to make one but can you please tell me how you attached the end panels of wood at right angles to the others and then how you attached the table top to the bases as I see no signs of nails or screws? Many thanks

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