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I think the hardest part of making this table was making it square. I think a tutorial video would be very beneficial. Took me a while to make due to life priorities, but it is finally done! Kids have already taken it over! My favorite part is letting them draw on it and make it theirs. Will be fun in the future to look back. We also wrote the date on it. I do think clamping is a must. I didn't do that at first and ended up taking the top apart and redueing it with clamps and glue.

I didn't want cracks that food could get into, and those 2x4's are rounded. So I ran those boards through a table saw to make sure they are flush with the 1x6's.

I somewhat followed the general context of the plans for the bottom, but I added bracing and general durability changes to the plans. As the original builder did not take thought into the event of moving/ un- assembling, warping, expansion or durability. I used kiln douglas fir  (4x4, and 2x4) and kiln dried pine bread board tops. All bracing joints were predrilled and then screwed in with 4.5 or 2 inch screws, as a kreg jig joint should not have stress- I want this table to withstand someone leaning or in the instance sitting on the tabe to be safe- a 1/2-1.5 kreg screw would not work. I also changed the bread board to a 1x10- as most of the 2x10 at the stores were warped or chemically treated. Underneath we added bracing with an additional 2 2x4 beams, with cross beams in the middle to prevent sress. We opted not to have breadboards, as I did not want to mortise or tenon joint the ends. We followed close to the plans- but inforced stronger bracing to withstand weight applied to the table and easy dissasembly. :)

My cost was a little higher - but I did not want chemically treated pieces or warping. There was additional cost in 4.5 inch screws, and brackets but under 50 dollars. 

Aged rustic turquoise 

I loved this plan as soon as I saw it. The only modification I made was I used a 4x16 8oz drop cloth up on over the center instead of curtains or fabric and painted the wood with orange gloss spray paint. The kids love it. I think we may make come doors and ties to make it cozier but they love it!

My husband built the table and benches and I applied the finish. It pretty much took us most of two weekends, but was well worth it. We learned that we should have used kiln dried wood for the table top, since ours warped pretty significantly. We will most likely replace the planks on top of the table in the near future. Also, the plans for the length of the bench don't allow for the benches to be pushed in under the table. The supports get in the way (make sure your measure!). I used Minwax Ebony stain and wiped it off quickly after applying it, so that the wood would show through. I also used a satin finish to keep true to the vintage look, yet give the table some protection from the elements.

A few weeks back, my niece asked it I wouldn't mind building a Toy Box to auction off at a benefit she's holding this Saturday (December 5th - 2015). She and her husband are adopting 4, count 'em FOUR orphans from Latvia, so naturally I was more than happy to oblige. I didn't use any specific plans per se... I just used some pocket hole cabinetry I've seen on this site and others, as well as some pictures I found on the internet of different toy boxes and blanket chests for inspiration. The final project cost about $55 all in, including lumber and hardware. I used 1x3s and 1x2s for the frame, one 4x4 sheet of 1/4" plywood for the panels, and one 3/4" x 16" x 8 foot project board (which I got for $11 and change!) to use as the bottom and lid of the chest. For hardware, I used a couple of box hinges, a lid stay so that the lid both stays open on it's own and closes softly (gotta save those little fingers, y'know ;) ), and a cool wrought iron knob I found at Hobby Lobby for about $2 (gotta love the 40% off Black Friday Deals!). Oh... I also picked up a little quote plate from Hobby Lobby too, just too add that extra touch. ヅ Stain is Rustoleum American Walnut with 3 coats of satin poly.

UPDATE:  The auction was yesterday and the chest sold for $330!  ヅ

Made a little smaller than original plans and completely out of oak  

I've taken quite a bit of time building this project. My goal was to use all material we had here so, I had to cut down 2x4's and 1x6 tongue and groove. I am proud of how this turned out, now to build it's match.

I started with Michaela's Kitchen Island plan, but reduced the dimensions and material sizes. I used 2x2s for the legs and 1x3s for the rest of the project. Everything was kreg jigged together. This project would've taken less time but the drying time for the stains ate up work time! :)

I built these out of necessity to keep my tipsy Christmas decorations from blowing over. The last couple years I spent a lot of time picking these trees up off the ground. I like how they turned out and were relatively easy to build.

I was excited I got to use my Kreg Jig for the first time, which looked more difficult to use than it actually was. Although these are cedar planters I used all pine from big box orange. Some leftover from the farmhouse queen bed I built and the rest I purchased.

The finish didn't turn out as grey as I would have hoped using the steel wool and vinegar, but I still like the aged look. I added the "x" detail in the front afterward and instead of staining my wife thought it looked better natural. Either way I would have been happy. I will be able to use these year round in some capacity.

My son saw this project and wanted a rocketship.  I was also tired of piling up his books on the floor.  The only wood I bought for it was 1/4" ply for the back as I used leftover 3/4" plywood for the bookcase itself.  Fairly easy with a Kreg, it just took a little while to finish all of the painting.

Made by my husband.

On this project we modified a few things like the arm rests which we cut at an angle to keep kids from pinching fingers in there if someone decided to move the bench back on them. We also modified the size which we made 6'x4' to maximize play sand space and kid space. Therefore this made our benches bigger so that big kids (my husband) could sit on the benches and play in the sandbox. Yes there was talk about putting cup holders but I won the conversation by mentioning sand in his drink and we would have to do a sippy cup. We notched out the handles instead of installing handles which made it look sleek. We used the template from the hinge so it matched the shape....clever huh? We decided to primer and paint this one sandstone in the brick and mortar sample book by Behr and had them put it in an exterior paint color for us. We used a wagner paint sprayer which made the project fast at the end. Overall still an easy project for anyone. I do suggest pre drilling all holes first before screwing in screws so the wood doesn't split when doing the slats on the top.

This is a 4 x 6 sand box. I took the Idea from this website and add a roof just for looks. It is made with 2 x 12 , 1 x 4 and 2 x 4. I used Flood Stain which I loved the clean up. I made the second one with 2x12 and 2 x 4 because it was going on a comminuty playground and I thought it sould be stonger. It takes 22 50 pound bags of play sand to fill it. Had a great time building them Thanks for the idea

The plans are pefect. Very easy to follow and the measurements make the drawer install a breeze. Very enjoyable project.

Using this plan I built my lounger with some changes, mainly adding lawn mower wheels to one end. The cushions I made have a mesh bottom to let the cushions dry faster, and zippers so they can be removed and machine washed. More details on what I used and many more photos on my blog.

I made this bench for a friend who had a very specific space that needed a bench. I had to make it so that there was about 30 inches of length on top but with enough room on the inside of the cubbies for 10-11 inch baskets but also had to make it so there wasn't enough space for a dog to get its head into the baskets when they were put into the cubbies. So it took some thinking with the math, but ultimately, I think they turned out great and the 10 inch baskets she bought work perfectly. I made the legs with 1x3s instead of 1x2s for extra support (and that's also what I had in my scrap pile). I left it unstained because my friend is going to do that part. This took about 3 hours to plan and build. I used the kreg jig to hide pocket holes to attach the legs to the top and bottom and also to attach the inside divider to the top of the bench (I used nails to attach the inside divider to the bottom).