Community Brag Posts

Motorcycle Jacket and Helmet Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/19/2016 - 10:52

Built from left over Rough Cut Maple.  Jaket, Helmet and Key Rack

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Stain and Polyurithane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Small Balustrade Coffee Table

Submitted by mmadden20 on Sat, 02/22/2020 - 12:33

This might be my favorite build yet! We made some minor modifications to the plan since we only needed a 2’ x 3’ table. The legs were ordered from Osborne Wood - delivery was super quick and they make the table! The plan was easy to follow. I still can’t get over how much I love the final product!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
1 coat of special walnut and 1 coat of weathered grey. I used a wipe on poly for the legs and water based triple thick satin finish poly for the surfaces.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Sliding Barn Door Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/16/2023 - 09:30

I was remodeling my house. I couldn't find anything that I liked in my price range. I decided to try my hand at making some furniture. I'm wasn't sure if this was something I could tackle, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Comments

Large rustic bench

Submitted by qfiffle on Wed, 05/09/2012 - 06:28

This is the first woodworking project I have done since high school (16 years ago!) and it's more ambitious than anything I attempted then!

It was easier than I thought on the whole, although I got a bit baffled by Australian standard timber sizes being totally different from USA ones. (The guy at the timber yard was all "One WHAT by two WHAT?") And because I couldn't find a 1x12 longer than 47 inches, I had to make the bench slightly shorter. I didn't anticipate how incredibly hard that would make it to calculate the cross support angles. (It's not just trigonometry, because there are multiple possible solutions).

It was the first time I've tried to upholster anything, too, so it's a bit wrinkly at the corners, but I'm happy with it.

I think the painting took the longest. I built the bench in one afternoon, but I had to do four coats of paint (and one of primer), each of which took nearly 24 hours to dry, so it took forever to finish.

Estimated Cost
$70 ($30 for the wood; $25 for fabric and batting; $10 for paint; $5 for screws and sandpaper)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Black acrylic "enamel" paint. Four coats over one coat of water-based primer. Upholstered top with upholstery fabric and batting, using a stapler gun.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic Twin Bed with Upholstered Headboard (Matching Nightstand & Dresser)

I started my son's bedroom set back at the beginning of January and have finally finished! I began by building the matching dresser (http://ana-white.com/2014/02/rustic-dresser-and-bedroom-set) and then started the bed only a week ago. The night table was taken from http://ana-white.com/2011/06/mini-farmhouse-bedside-table-0 - I had built it over the summer, but I couldn't get my pocket holes on the inside of the table because my drill wouldn't fit, so I wasn't going to use it.. until I realized it was the perfect little bedside table for a two year old who might destroy it anyways!

Back to the bed... I just had this vision of what I wanted my son's room to look like after seeing the rustic rolling dresser plan, and I stumbled on the Emme Twin bed plan. It was kind of perfect, but I didn't like the whole "window" look on the headboard. I still may add a divider on the foot board, but haven't decided yet. Regardless, so I envisioned something else with the same concept of the Emme twin bed. Building it exactly the same way without the dividers, I ordered the clearance shams from pottery barn that matched his new quilt and bought another piece of half inch plywood. I cut it in half and left about a quarter inch on each side of each piece of plywood to accommodate the fabric in between the 2 by 4s. I added one inch of foam and a couple layers of batting, matched up the two shams side by side, folded them each around the batting and foam, and stapled them. They fit perfectly into the headboard with some 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch screws (There is a gap from the fabric on the back, so your screw needs to account for that. You could put like a 1x4 onto each panel to screw through, but I placed the back plywoood attached to the 2x4s too far in, so it would have made the panels "float" and I wanted the fabric of the panels flush to the back plywood) holding them to the back plywood attached to the 2x4s. I wanted the padding on the back of the headboard because I always hear my son slam his head into the wall when he's sleeping and i just wanted to make sure he wasn't hitting the dividers that were on the EMME twin bed.

The bed was so easy to build, stain and finish. It turned out exactly how I had envisioned it. I had to lower the side rail 2x4s because I bought a ten inch memory foam mattress (You can see the foam mattress and pillow rising in the picture!) and didn't want it coming above the headboard, but now I don't think I'll need a guard rail since he is so close to the floor! The 2x4s sit 5.5 inches up from the bottom of each leg. I also added quite a bit of length to the foot board legs because I wanted the footboard to come above the mattress. I wish I had realized that there was much nicer plywood at Lowes, but when I asked, they told me "this is all of the plywood we have" and I got stuck with the ugly stuff.. I will fix the footboard with some nicer looking plywood, but it's good enough for now!

Estimated Cost
$50 for wood, added $30-$40 for the upholstered part, including the shams
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American
Minwax Plyurethane, one coat and sanded, one coat of light wood minwax furniture wax to follow
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Custom X Console

Submitted by RobA on Mon, 05/23/2016 - 06:36

Thanks for the plans Ana! Here's what I came up with.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 CAD
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The top has Mini wax walnut gel stain with 3 coats of Miniwax water base polycyclic semi gloss. The bottom has 2 coats of Classic black polyshades.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kentwood Bookshelf, kid version

Submitted by craw4dz on Thu, 02/27/2020 - 11:42

I have built three of these so far: one for my daughter, one for her best friend, and one for my cousin's son for their baby shower (books instead of cards).  I've modified it and tweaked it a little each time but the overall finished product is basically the same.  It's about 36" tall but the same width and depth as the Kentwood plan.  I put the one shelf tall enough so that the biggest books can live on the bottom.  I used beadboard for the backing but I think the next time I'll use either 1/4" plywood or common boards and Kreg them together.  This takes less than a day to build and less than $40 in lumber.  Easy to make, easy to assemble, and endless possibilities to finish.

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Whatever your heart desires
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Custom Craft Room!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/20/2023 - 07:58

My daughter asked for a corner desk for art, sewing and work. She wanted storage drawers on each end and also a mobile island to use as a place to lay out and pin sewing patterns. She also wanted her art side of the desk to have an easel that laid flat or raised up at different angles. I’m very proud of this and still can’t believe I built it. My son drew the plans on sketch up and then I cut and assembled.

Karla Stevens

Comments

Farmhouse Table

Farmhouse table from plans. Shortened length to 6.5 feet to fit our area. Good plans.

Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax oil-based Dark Walnut with two coats of brush-on poly all around. One additional coat of brush-on poly on the top followed by one coat of wipe-on poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

lipstickandsawdust

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 07:39

Very nice, nice stain work as well. I also really love the "filled" screw holes. I think it gives it so much character. I too have made this table and wanted the markings to show through. Thumbs up!

Debi_G (not verified)

Sun, 06/10/2012 - 16:30

Love it. Planning to make one for our new house once we get settled.

Joyous_Jems

Fri, 02/15/2013 - 10:40

Just go to the blue bar above Ana's picture at the top of the page where it says "plans" and type in the kind of table you're interested in. Prepare to drool over all the gorgeous furniture and projects!

Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by pde00311 on Mon, 02/24/2014 - 23:05

My wife has always wanted a king sized bed. While my hobbyist woodworking skills are not (yet) to the point where I can create the mahogany sleigh bed she has always dreamed of, I think she has enjoyed the farmhouse bed that I built for her X-mas present. We bought a new gel mattress for the bed, which sits on a few sheets of plywood over a frame of 2x4s. While we have no current plans to move anytime soon, using some of the advice of commenters/posters, I constructed our bed and frame with bed rail brackets and hanger joists that will allow us the option to disassemble/reassemble it in the future.

Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr off-white #1873 paint distressed with Minwax Special Walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JanieMR

Sat, 04/22/2017 - 13:35

    What did you ue to connect the bed rails to the Headboard and Foorboard.

     I am at a loss.

We love our playhouse!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/26/2016 - 15:38

We used the free plans. I bought the materials and my son-in-law built it and it only took a day!  My grandkids love the playroom now. We have a nice pool in the back yard but when the weather is not good for swimming, the kids were easily bored. Now, the weather doesn't matter!  Thanks, Ana White, for inventing and sharing!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Lovely

Submitted by NanOk on Mon, 03/09/2020 - 20:15

The plans were simple to follow and made an awesome headboard! Just what we wanted! All pieces were finished prior to assembly. Built a simple box frame for the mattress to match. Love the result! Thank you Ana! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chalkboard Shelf Memo Board

This was my first "build" and was a lot of fun. Very quick and very easy. I'm so happy with how cute it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$18.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I marked 3-6 hours only to account for drying time of the chalkpaint. I cutting, sanding and assembly went very quickly.

I used Rustoleum chalkboard paint from Home Depot along with some brushed nickel knobs that I got from Home Depot.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse Table

My brother recently became a homeowner and asked me to build him a dining table for his new (and first) house.  He picked out the Farmhouse Table plan from the site and I spent a few weekends building this table for him. The most time consuming part of the project was sanding and applying the stain & polyurethane. 

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
They wanted a red-toned finish so I blended Minwax sedona red and dark walnut oil based stain, followed up with a light coat of minwax gel stain in Hickory. Also used Helmsman Spar Urethane in clear satin for top coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern farm house bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/19/2020 - 00:11

Project was quick and easy

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Miter Saw Cart

Submitted by Rennie82 on Fri, 05/18/2012 - 12:12

Coped the design almost to the "T." I loved this design because I only have a small shed to work out of and this stand for my miter saw was much needed.

The major difference between the original and my design are the folding arms. I was working within a very small budget and couldn't afford the fancy folding arms so I was able to do a little creative thinking and decided to go with a removable piece of 1x3 that is wedged under the arms with a block installed on the "leaf" and the main table. I used the old pythagorean theorem to figure out how to make it a level 45 degrees. With a little playing around I have both arms completely level and the stand is perfect!! I am excited to get some other projects on the way now that I have somewhere other than the ground to work with my miter saw.

I didn't use any pocket holes, but am picking up a Kreg jig set from someone this upcoming week and am looking forward to putting that into some use on my next projects!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
30 bucks or so
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

stephanier (not verified)

Fri, 05/18/2012 - 19:04

I would like to see a close up too if possible. I am wanting to make the saw cart plus two more carts with the middle flush with the top so I can push the two together to use for a workbench. How much weight do you think your sides can hold the way you set them up?

In reply to by stephanier (not verified)

Rennie82

Sun, 05/20/2012 - 11:28

I honestly am not too sure how much weight it would hold. I havent seen any bowing or pushing yet. I have used this so far to cut a piece of 4x4 12ft long made of cedar for my next project and didnt have any problems. I think if I need more weight holding strength, I think I would just change out the 1x3 and maybe use a 2x4 in there. I am also not a 100% sure how much weight the hinge can hold, maybe someone else reading these posts can be a little more helpful as far as that goes.

2x4 Desk

Submitted by Livvyhill on Mon, 03/03/2014 - 18:40

I had fun with this project. I needed a long and narrow desk for my son's room, and this was perfect. It was sooo easy. I used countersink drill bit and filled in with wood filler. I sanded to smooth it out and make soft edges. I stained first with a black cherry stain, then spread teal paint around (was inspired by a lot of rustic wood and teal pieces that I saw at homegoods), then coated it with kona miniwax stain to darken it up. I put a clear polyurethane finish on it to protect it. Super easy and I love it. Got all of my wood for under $30.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Black Cherry miniwax, Teal paint, Kona miniwax, polyurethane finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

My farmhouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/02/2016 - 11:07

Simple and easy to build from plans provided

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish yet we are torn between a dark stain or a white chalk look.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Back