Community Brag Posts

Mini Wine bar

Submitted by ericaf on Sat, 10/18/2014 - 10:41

Be aware: some of the measurements and materials needed in the plan are off. For example, you need 1/8" hardboard for the bottom of the drawer but earlier in the plans it shows 1/4". Also, if you have larger wine glasses, you'll want to plane down your stemware holders so the distance between them is 3 1/8" instead of 3". It would have also been a good idea to pre-stain those before adding them in. Regarding stain, it would also look really good with a light stain. Another really nice thing about this project is that people are really impressed with it though it is fairly straightforward. :)

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

ericaf

Fri, 06/10/2016 - 07:09

Thank you. :) I don't remember exactly, I believe it was regular Minwax wood stain, walnut and/or red mahogany. I will try to find what I actually used.

In love with this!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/26/2017 - 15:12

This is one of my favorite projects I've done! Very easy and fun! 

Estimated Cost
$140
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Antique white paint and semigloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen Island

Submitted by TX_Richie on Sun, 10/18/2020 - 02:32

I’m very excited for my first project. Not to be boastful, but I am very proud of myself. So my wife decided she wanted a kitchen island. I began from the top of the plans and about halfway through I realized I have a small kitchen. The wife came in and said “that’s way to big). So I had to make a lot of adjustments. For instance, the 4x4 legs became 2x2. I was afraid it would not be sturdy enough, but it turned out nice. I left out the portion of the plans for the range and just made a bigger shelf to accommodate my wife’s mixers and other large kitchen items. Instead of a second shelf I made a slide out trash can (single instead of double). It fits the kitchen well and more importantly the wife loves it. Now to build stools. Thanks to your site Ana, I was able to make a place for my family to have dinner together. My daughter helped me with this project and has been asking when we will start our next project.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I did the top in Jacobean (Minwax). It only needed one coat. Then used clear (water based) polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Twin Over Full Simple Bunk-Bed

Submitted by Ksavtech on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 10:16

The twin beds that my boys were using took up way too much space in their small room so after much looking I found the Ana White site and this plan. The bed I made is per plan except for the addition of the side rails that slip fit onto the sides. When we change the sheets on the top bunk we just slip off the rail and stand on the lower bunk. We've had my two boys and three nephews all on the bed playing Xbox and it is rock solid!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Classic Grey and matte polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Loft Bed Tweak

 I added 6 inches to the height to be able to add a twin bed underneath. I also made the platform narrower to fit our room better. Love it. Cant wait to build more.

Estimated Cost
100$
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fathers Day Gift

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/30/2017 - 06:46

Weekend project for a friend. We built this for her husband for a Fathers day gift.. He is a fire fighter so we decided to paint it fire engine red.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$ 75-100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wood Pumpkin Treat Holder

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/21/2020 - 09:29

This was my first woodworking project and it was fun and easy. A few words of advice though...painting the wood first is a good idea. I did not so it took a bit more time. Using glue instead of staples would make the finish much nicer as you can see my staples, but it is rustic so that's okay. Thank you Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$0. I had the materials on hand from scraps of previous fencing projects
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Water-based craft paint I had on hand. I added water to thin it so that the wood grain would show through.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Dorm Room "Tidy Up" Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/02/2024 - 09:34

My son wanted a table to hold his laptop and Xbox at college, and wanted to match the height of his dorm furniture. We modified the plan of the "Tidy Up" table to match that height, and added an extra shelf. Build time was an afternoon, and he had a great time making a table that he can tell his friends he made himself! - Carl Nelson

Built from Plan(s)

Bunk Bed From a Loft Bed

This bunk bed was made out the Camp Loft bed plans. With my daughter out growing her toddler bed, we really needed a "big girl" bed without giving up too much space. This was perfect. It was really easy to add an extra set of 2x6's around the bottom of the loft, and poof, it’s a bunk bed. The kids really love it and it is really strong. I weigh about 250 lbs and it doesn't even move when I get on the top bunk. To accommodate for the lower bunk, I raised it to 72” high. As you can see, I also added extra vertical supports on the top rails. I did this so all the weight on the top bunk wasn’t only supported by the 2x6s, but also the 2x4s as well.

I also painted it white becuase that matched the other furnature in the room better than staining it. To keep the wood from seeping sap all over the paint, I sealed it with BIN primer before painting it with latex paint.

I don’t have much experience building furniture, but this was extremely easy. The wood cost us around $100. Slightly more than the post said, but I added a few extra 2x4s and since comparable bunk beds are being sold for about $800, this was a steal. The plans were great and my son and I had a great time building it. Thanks for posting it

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
BIN primer (2 coats), latex flat paint, a lot of sanding
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Extra Long Bed

Submitted by Lumi on Fri, 10/24/2014 - 16:36

My hubby is 6'5'' tall. Since most matresses are 80 inches long, he mostly ends up with his feet hanging out of the bed (since you don't lay your head down at the very beginning of the mattress, right?). So I tried to solve this problem by making the bed 4'' longer than the plans suggested. I added 2'' of foam on each end of the bed, so now its 84'' long and my hubby fits perfectly!

Thanks for the great plans, I had a blast building my own bed!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

X console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/01/2017 - 19:37

X console 

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse console table - Shortened

My wife wanted a console table for our dining room but the original plans were too big for the spot next to the grandfather clock, so I shortened them a bit and this is the result.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

2x4 Banquette Seat

Submitted by boyledover on Sat, 01/05/2013 - 16:47

I have been wanting a banquette for years and when I spied Ana's version in the post about Grace's birthday party, I knew I could do it. I waited for the plans, and yesterday, I got out the tools and in 6 hours (real time - including cooking meals for kids, potty breaks, and life in general) I had my bench done.

I am so pleased with it. I had all the fabric on hand already, and was able to buy batting, foam and pillow forms all 50% off at Joann's, plus 2 zippers for the blue cushions. The woman who was cutting my foam asked me what I was making, and I told her I was building an upholstered bench for my dining room. She said "wouldn't it be less trouble to just buy one already made?" Clearly she has no idea how much this would have cost me. As it stands, I had the lumber and fabric on hand, so my total purchase price was just over $95.00. I would estimate the cost to build to be about $200.00 for everything, depending on how expensive your fabric is.

I love to sew, so I had no problem with the fabric portion of the project, though I did as Ana did and did not upholster the back of the bench. Instead of adding a piece of fabric across the back of the frame, I extended the side fabric by about 6 inches on each side and stapled it to the back. I hope that makes sense. I used a metal cleat to hold the seat back in place. I also used 3 L-brackets to attach the bottom to the frame. I think people will slide into their seat and I didn't want the seat cushion to move.

Not bad for a few hours work!

This project would be an easy starter project for building, though it is a little more advanced when you factor in the sewing. Here is the tutorial I used for the toss pillow cushions: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/02/add-a-zipper-to-your-pillow/, and here is another from the same blogger for boxed cushion covers (just leave the bottom off of yours for this project, since it will be stapled to the plywood, skip the zipper and handle, and add piping if you want to fancy your cushion up): http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2008/07/summer-sewing-perfectly-portable-cu…

Thanks Ana for the constant inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Garage Storage from Rescued Lumber

My daughter and I used these easy plans to build these two shelving units for the garage. We altered the plan slightly.The sizes that I used were determined by the lumber I had available as we used rescued lumber for this project. The height on each is 5' (tallest 2x4's we had) and the length is 64". All I had for 2x4's were 48" pieces so we used some other rescued lumber for the shelves. We used whatever we had. So they are made from misc lumber. The 2x material made for the strongest shelves. Depth is 17" as in original plans. 

We added additional brackets for support under a couple of the shelves. We also attached to the wall to avoid tipping. I absolutely love these. So useful. No more unstacking each tote to find out what's in the bottom one. I LOVE IT! Thanks for the plans.

We completed these in one afternoon. 

Estimated Cost
Used rescued lumber and screws already on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Fancy X Farm House Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/05/2017 - 12:24

Great way to turn inexpensive pine into a beautiful piece. Our wood was quite wet so we were extra careful to keep it tight and straight. Once the top was assembled, out came the torch! The torch provided an instant partial drying of the wood causing a great bonding and snug fit. The flame brought out the grain in various colors. We opted to use polyurethane as a finish.

Of course we had to make benches to match! 

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Torch Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Brookstone Desk

This was a fun project. My first using drawer slides. Best advise would be to recheck squareness before attaching top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$65
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut stain
Poly top coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

DIY Step Stool

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/16/2024 - 10:28

I followed your plans for a step stool using poplar for the base (painted black) and boxelder maple for the top. (Finished in satin polyurethane ) I started out used pocket holes for all the attachments to hide the fasteners, but the first support piece I attempted to attach split the edge of the leg. I was able to repair it and fix the piece, but decided to use wood screws from the outside instead, plugging the holes with poplar. Thanks for the plans, they were a big help!

Seasonal And Holiday

Playhouse Loft Bed- Thomas

This bed for my middle son (4 years old) was my first project, I enjoyed the build and my son absolutely loves it. He even want to go to bed early now.

I ammended the plans slightly to accomodate a UK size matress and reduced the stair width to fit the room.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
£350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Gloss on Redwood, Emulsion on MDF with Varnish coat where possible scratces could occur.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bed

My boyfriend and I made this bed in about six hours on a saturday. The instractions were easy to follow and I am in love with this bed! Its very sturdy and i get tons of compliments on it! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
blue paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

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