Community Brag Posts

This is what got me started in woodworking.  I started by repurposing different things. This is a piano that I repurposed into a bar.  I have repurposed many items. Then I got the urge to build new items.  I can't stop!!!  I am totally addicted!  I have built the sandboxes with the lids that fold into seats, (I adapted the plans to make a 5' by 5'), toys boxes,  childs tables and chairs, lego tables, and the list goes on.  I cannot stay out of my garage.  But I am loving it.

I made this pantry workstation by modifying the six laundry basket plans. Added 2x4 stretchers between the front and back frames, top and bottom. Made cleats from 1x3 for a less bulky look. And added 1/2 inch AC plywood shelves. Sand and stain later.

This is not my first build, as I built some tables for my shop using various plans.

Anyway, here it is, the hall tree! I changed up the trim a bit. So much of me went into this, and a couple of times I pulled out the crowbar and started over on the moulding and on the cross supports on the top because I was a bit of a perfectionist... something I need to learn to control with this new found hobby.

Let me know what you think! Already the picture have about 50 likes on my facebook and people want me to build them one! I think I'll just send them the link... !!!

We had a big wall in our living room and nothing to fill it.. To buy a piece of furniture this size would have been so expensive. I worked on this piece over a week and a half... during kids naps. I used cove molding around the outside edges instead of the two base moldings on top and bottom. I added a very large crown molding on top. I wasn't able to find a prefab base molding thick enough that was stain quality so I just used a 1x4 and another molding on top of it. I made 4 shelves but after getting out all my decor I decided to only have one on the left side. I applied edge banding to finish off the plywood edges on the shelves. It was super easy to use and was stainable. The kreg pin hole jig was used so that that the shelves can be adjusted to different heights. I'm planning to order cabinet latches for the doors.. for both look and function with two little kiddos. I used minwax dark walnut stain. Oh, I also added a support underneath the middle bottom section.. it really needs it otherwise its flexible.. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Sofa table

Made the swing then just kinda came up with my own frame.

This was our first build from this website and we are so pleased! Having seen very involved plans on an Australian website for a similar sandpit, I was so pleased to come across this version, with its far simpler design!
We wanted a slightly bigger sandpit, so I needed to do some modifications, and while I was enlarging it, I also converted to metric sizes, and designed specifically for the timber I knew I could buy locally (very obscure and inconsistent seeming German sizes). So the end result is a 1.5x1.5m sandpit, that has so far had 6 kids playing happily in it at once!
I've put in the drawings I used, and the cutting list for larger sizes in case anyone else is working in metric, or wants a bigger size!
Our other modification was to offset the shorter sections of the base to run along the front plank of the bench seat - there were two main benefits for this - we need a lot less sand, as there is none wasted under the seat, and the seat is supported and can't bow downwards!
The dimensions and layout we used are in the images.

Supplies

Timber
2 - 200 x 40 x 3000mm
6 - 120 x 24 x 3000mm
1 - 80 x 50 x 3000mm

Hinges
12 - 140mm long (the original design had 8, we went with three per edge to allow for the extra width)

Self tapping decking screws
18 - 5 x 80
48 - 5 x 50
96 - 3 x 20 (or enough for your hinges, depending on the design)

Paint
3 - 375ml PU Acrylic Paint, suitable for exterior use (top planks and seat supports)
1 - 750ml PU Acrylic Paint, suitable for exterior use (base)

Weed matting and staple gun

Sand
I calculated I would need 20 x 25kg bags - in the end we needed 11 - don't ask me where we went so wrong!

Cutting list

2 - 200 x 40 x 1500 (long sides of base)
2 - 200 x 40 x 1415 (short sides of base)

12 - 120 x 24 x 1495 (top slats - just under half a plank, to allow for waste)

4 - 80 x 50 x 245 (armrests / seat braces)
4 - 80 x 50 x 495 (back supports of seats)

I gladly paid 5 Euro for the wood to be cut in Hornbach - it should have been more than this, but the guy was generous!

12 hinges (the original design had 8, we went with three per edge to allow for the extra width)

On Sunday we had the idea, on Monday I drew up the plans, on Tuesday I went shopping! Once all our wood was home safely, we sanded it down - most edges weren't badly finished, but there were a few splinters that needed getting rid of!
The next two nights Mr W gallantly set to work with the paint brush. After two nights, the wood all had two good coats of paint and we were ready to start assembling on Friday.
I pre-drilled the base of the bench before the second coat of paint - three holes for each butt joint - with some careful measuring this made screwing the base together really easy!
The top planks were also pre drilled, but there unfortunately my tiredness made me make mistakes, and some had to be re-drilled! Spacing the planks out took a lot of time, but I am glad I made the effort. I used cereal box, and experimented with different numbers of layers - I knew I wanted a theoretical 5.4mm gap, but it took some time to get the right number of layers of carefully creased and concertinaed card!

Having got our spacing wedge sorted, we screwed the blue planks in place at either end of the base. We then assembled the green seat section, and the blue/yellow back rest. Following a tip from the comments section, we added the hinge to the seat/back combo first, as this ends up being on the underside. Once those two hinged sections were made, they were then laid in place on the base (card wedge spacers in place) and then the final hinges added. The final assembly took about 5 hours - but this was partly because we started outside, then had to move everything inside when a huge thunderstorm rolled in!

The next morning we got busy with the staple gun and tacked weed matting over the base, then it was hauled in to position and filled up! For us getting this done and dusted was important, otherwise it could have dragged on a lot, but we are terribly proud that it was done in less than a week from being fist conceived!
I hope the metric/enlarged plans are of use to someone else too. One other idea we had, which we didn't get round to building in, was a support bar to be fitted when you close the pit, so the kids can play on top as a stage when it is not being used for a sandpit!

After being deployed for a year, my husband and I needed to spend quality time together.  I showed him the Queen Farmhouse Bed Plans and he loved it. We spent a weekend clearing out our over stuffed garage - sorting through things with a common goal in mind.  He loves woodworking and we love spending time together.  We spent two weekends cutting and sanding and putting it together.  We spent another doing three coats of stain and two MinWax poly coats.  We finally finished this weekend and I absolutely LOVE it.  I SERIOUSLY love how solid this bed is.  He bought the wood to build two matching nightstands this morning...and I can't wait until tomorrow to start on them.  

Thank you so much for sharing your plans and for so many sharing their brag posts - it was wonderful to read through them and see all the variations. 

DIY Wood Barn Door

The Swede in Norway

First build ever and we're thrilled with how it turned out. Definitely took us longer than the 4 hours other users have cited, but not bad for total newbies! Thanks for the plans, we love it.

This is my second build - first one using a jig saw. I built this so my daughter can easily get up and down on the daybed we have in our sunroom.

This took me much longer than I anticipated, mostly due to my being a novice and stubbornly trying to complete the project without the Kreg jig.  Everything went much more smoothly once I had all of the proper tools. 

I had to sneak to do all of this during my toddler's naptime on school days.  It took me nearly 20 hours over two weeks to finish as I had to clean everything up and hide it so he wouldn't see it and tell his sister!  If I would have had the Kreg jig from the start, I would have saved myself a significant amount of time and effort.

I built this for my grandsons first birthday! I added a hydraulic shock from Lowe’s. It was really stiff and it took two cabinet door magnets to hold it shut. The name board is from my great grandfathers saw mill from the farm my dad still lives on. I do hope he enjoys it as much as me and my dad enjoyed building it for him!!

Chappy

We built these bunk beds and absolutely love them!

A nice quick build to add some decoration to the house. I made three ledges at 80" long. I had initially made them for a different room that could only allow 80" ledges, but ended up not being able to put them there because the wall was too curved to attach the ledges. Ledges have two coats of Miniwax Special Walnut Oil stain and Polycrilic.

All the "art" things were painted on old scrap from a years worth of ana-white projects. I used the three different stains I had left over (Miniwax Aged Oak Gel Stain, Weathered Oak Oil Stain, & Special Walnut Oil Stain) and alternated them on the three different types of wood scraps (Oak, pine, & maple). Then I "distressed" them with physical abuse and watered down acrylic craft paint. The designs were also acrylic craft paint. Then I sanded it all down to give it a worn look.

We needed an entry way table with storage.   The Balin Console Table was the perfect size for our needs.   I modified the drawers by attaching a wood frame around each one.  I decided to taper the legs with my mitre saw.   The hardware was purchased at Pottery Barn ($4/each) and the color is Valspar Turquoise / Gray - Semi Gloss.   I extended the leg length 6" to make the cabinet counter top heigth (plans call for a table heigth).

Project was easy (8 hours) from construction to finish.  

One advantage I had was using a sliding power mitre saw with a 12 1/4" cross cut for the 1x12 material.   It's possible to get a decent cut with a circular saw but the sliding compound mitre saw definitely makes that portion of the project go much quicker.

For best results, I recommend finish sanding with 220 grit and 2 coats of paint rubbing with steel wool after first paint application.