Community Brag Posts

Barn with lean to

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 19:20

When we wanted a barn for our children to play in and use for their farm we discovered that nothing could be found to fit our fancy online. So with the use of some pictures of old barns and basic ideas we started on our very first wood project. Our tools consisted of a sawzal a table saw and cordless set of tools. Many hours later we have this to show for it. We used lots of scrap wood and bought only the hinges, latches and one sheet of plywood so our costs are skewed from someone trying to do it with new material.

Estimated Cost
$50 and possible as high as 120 for new material
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint and clear coat. Some of the trim is painted which requires taping to get the crisp edge.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

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

K&S Barn Door Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/19/2017 - 16:20

Barn door console built by Kathryn and Scott Winkler of K&S Coastal Furnishings in Pooler, GA. The hardware is a custom design by Scott and Kathryn sets it off with her one of a kind chippy finish. Fb.me/kscoastal

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Custom chippy finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

American Girl doll house

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/27/2020 - 19:20

Such a fun surprise for my 8-year-old daughter for Christmas! It took my 10-year-old and I several days to finish it, but we are so proud of the final product!

Estimated Cost
$60 (but we used some materials we already had)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Reclaim wood look bed side table

Submitted by asmith7103 on Tue, 01/22/2013 - 14:46

Took a while biting think it came together well. Removed the top drawer so I could use it for the iPad. Then added the bottom shelf to hold the lap top.

Estimated Cost
175.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Pecan
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

First Country Try

Submitted by Fetridge on Mon, 11/17/2014 - 17:55

First ever shot at this. Loved the turn out. 

Finish Used
Special Walnut mixed Grey
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

pallet wood covered sand box

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/21/2017 - 12:29

I used the same plans as posted but I tweaked them to work for the pallet wood that I ripped and sanded and stained with outdoor polyurethane. I also moved the short boards in so the box is smaller and added beams to support the bench separate. Because of Florida bugs and ants I also screwed a painting tarp to the bottom and punctured it several times for drainage to try and prevent bugs and weeds. The plans were so simple and I had so much fun making this.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50$
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Just sanded and clear satin polyurethane outdoors coating. The product will look different depending on the pallet wood used.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Stocking Stand

I paid $5.99 for this entire build... that was the lighted garland! All other materials I had leftover from previous projects. We have extended family for Christmas so 13 people/dogs are here each year. I made 14 'hooks' just in case any family are added, and these were old brushed nickel drawer pulls that I replaced on my kitchen cabinets. I couldn't be happier with the outcome and now I can simply store in the attic each year and not have to use command hangers all of over my walls and mantle. This turned out beautifully!

Quick note: I had to drill into the back for the drawer pulls (hooks) screws because the long screws I had in previous installs wouldn't go all the way through. I predrilled the smaller hole for the screws all the way through then countersank the hole with a bit the size of the screwhead so it would disappear into the 2x4 and come out far enough for the knob to attach.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$6 (used leftover materials)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Mission Oak Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Master Bathroom

This was a bathroom remodel. We installed new windows new tub new sicks. Made a tub suround and tiled the whole bathroom with marble tile. Lots to watch for on projects like this. Yu need to watch for tile spacing and gettin everything square. Also watch your cuts. Get fast setting mud for yur walls the slower it sets harder it is to go up the wall. Crown molding watch your angles we used cheater blocks in tge corner one thts what the guy wanted and liked. The pillar is fasted into a rough joice and the bottom is also fastend same with to each ends of rhe wall. Then wrap with trim. Its a long process thtll test your patients but yull get it start small and then go big

Estimated Cost
500+
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Stain and high gloss finish
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Stacy daybed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/24/2017 - 21:28

Followed the plans exactly. Seems sturdy and looks great. Our exchange student will love her new bed! Thank you!

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

Stocking Stand

Submitted by mpjacob08 on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 06:34

So fun! Directions were easy! Can also be used as Backpack hanger if you put a little bit longer feet on them. I bought the metal hooks from Walmart.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$18
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Jacobean Minwax stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by shackrock on Sat, 01/26/2013 - 08:12

Based off of the Ana White design w/ pocket holes. This was really our first big project, so we made plenty of mistakes. Some lessons learned:

1. Pick non-warped wood to start with!
2. Clamps are pretty important to use when screwing into your kreg jig holes. It is REALLY hard to keep things flush without some strong clamps. Biggest lesson learned!
3. Always do your polyurethane coats in 60+ F temperatures. I did one coat when it was pretty cold, around 40 degrees. The liquid ended up beading and it was extremely hard to get out, eventually I just put many more coats on and called it a day.
4. Sand, sand, and sand some more!

This build is very rustic, but next time I think I could build a pretty perfect one. We're going to use this one, I like how rustic it is.

Estimated Cost
135
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
1 coat of water-based wood conditioner, Some dark MiniWax stain (2 coats), 3-4 coats of water-based polyeurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Guest Bedroom Closet

Submitted by muses44 on Sun, 11/23/2014 - 08:07

Modified width to fit the closet.  Prep work of sanding and painting took longer than we thought it would; assembly inside the closet was simple but definitely a challenge in the small space.  At 81", the top shelf was higher than intended so had to remove front slat in order to be able to use it - will make the next one slightly shorter.  But love the final product and am now on a mission to get all the cheap wire shelving out of the house!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
white paint; filled in the screw heads with wood filler.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Loft bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/27/2017 - 08:44

What a fun project.  Took me a week and about 40 hours to complete. Made some modifications, used 4 x 4 posts and made the bed area a little bigger.  

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

First Piece of Furniture Ever

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/13/2020 - 20:51

So, my skills have been as a cobbler, handy kind of guy for decades. Rough shelving for shop/garage basement storage etc... I've always done all my home maintenance and repairs so I'm familiar with a lot of stuff in and around the house. However I've never attempted a finished piece of furniture before. As always, I love the build and hate the finishing process.

My daughter had a pretty new mattress that she loved which was 13 inches thick and her celling is the standard 8 feet. Consider these kind of things before you build this design. We did and the plans were altered a little bit. We'll be building the bookcase later and either buying or building a desk as well. She can set up in bed with several inches above her head and there will be plenty of room over her head in a standard height office/computer chair underneath. All I basically did was; add a few inches to the height of the legs and uprights for the guard rail (4" I think), increased the head, foot, back and guard rail top planks from 1X4s to 1X6s. Which changed the dimensions of some of the spacers too. She isn't sure she wants the top rails on it but I think I'll put them on later.

We made our own bunkie board for firmer support, which also raised the thickness about 1/4" over just slats.

Details: Ladder fits tight between the leg and the guard rail. Glad I got those dimensions right. We'll be using Velcro to fasten the ladder to the bed (it's that tight, it'll be fine and she's 14yrs old). This way we can take it off easier to clean, move etc. Glue and screw everything you can except the long boards that will allow it to be broken down. Glue them and you'll never get it apart without breaking it. I used Titebond III on everything else with lots of clamps along the way.
On the front and back of the ladder treads I simply smeared some filler in the joints to smooth them out. You can see the result in the pictures. There is one closeup of the finish so you can see how it turned out doing it the way I did. If you want is smoother then a 220 sandpaper finish is what was called for on the clear finish, which I didn't do.
I also said it was a weekend project 10-20hrs. Had I bought better wood and did an easier finish it would have been. My learning experiences/errors made it longer than that for me.

Lessons Learned:
1. Buy better wood! If you want a better finish buy better wood. By the time I was finished filling, sanding, filling again, sanding some more... I used almost a whole quart of filler to make knotty pine smooth. Just buy smooth wood, I'm tellin ya! Hours of work and dry time. Again, if you want a good finish, then you need to shellac knotty pine so the resin from the knots doesn't bleed through. Better wood might have added 5-10% to the materials cost but saved several hours and would have looked even better that what I achieved. Better wood and you could cut the shellac ($15 per quart) if you didn't want the two tone distressing.

2. Check the actual board dimensions. For outer facing pieces I bought some better wood with no knots (radiata pine). These were for the outside pieces on the legs. They were just a bit wider than the common boards that were sandwiched between them... more sanding and filling to get a nice square smooth finish. It also made clamping and gluing them together harder before the filling and sanding could even begin. See number 1 above. lol

Anyhow, I'm not afraid of building furniture anymore and my daughter loves it. OH, yes now we have to repaint her room and accessorize for the ocean cabin look. More projects with my daughter. YAY!!!!

Thanks Ana

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400-500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
In order of operation: Wood putty for knots and filling in marks. 120 grit sanding each coat. B-I-N Shellac-Based White Interior Primer and Sealer, for sealing knots and prepping for even paint application. Light sanding again with 120 grit. Behr Designer Collection Chalk Decorative Paint (color: ocean boulevard). 220 sanding thru to wood in some places for distressed look. One thick coat of Varathane Triple Thick Polyurethane (clear matte). The matte did preserve the chalk look while making it smooth and easy to clean. I didn't sand after the Varathane though it called for light sanding with 220 grit between each coat (if you use more than one) and a light sanding after the final coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Camp Loft Bed w/ Stairs

Submitted by marievilla on Sun, 01/27/2013 - 14:22

My husband built this bed for our son by combining 2 of the plans from here. The Loft bed and the Camp Loft Bed w/ stairs. We knew we wanted to build a loft bed for our son but liked the idea of the platform w/ stairs so it wouldn't block his window. We also wanted to incorporate a bookshelf for his growing collection of Legos to display as well as books, etc. The next project to add to this will be the desk for underneath. I'll add pictures when we build that. Instead of using 2 x 4's for the top rails of the bed, he improvised and created his own version of a panel for the top. I love how it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Fully sanded the furniture down, then applied 1 coat of Minwax American Chestnut Polyurethane & Stain in One Gloss Finish. After allowing it to dry overnight, we applied a second thinner coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bxrsnkds

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 22:25

absolutely love this, just what I would like to have for my son! Thanks for the inspiration :-)

CandiD

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 05:14

Just love this, I'm hoping to do something similar in a full size for my 9yr old daughter. She feels a bit sketchy with a ladder so the stairs will be better and I love using my Kreg jig so not having to piece together the supports sounds good to me!