Community Brag Posts

I have been wanting garage cabinets for a long time but couldn't afford them. When I saw these shelves I knew it would be easy to add side panels and create doors for the sections. The size is 8'x8' with the 4'x3' under the ceiling rack. I put a 2"x4" in the middle to divide each section, measured and cut doors from 5mm lauran plywood. I also cut the stiles and rails from the same material to give it interest but mainly to make it thicker to avoid warping as much as possible. I added 2"x4" to create a facing for the doors to rest on. Also used overlay hinges to simplify the hanging as much as possible. I was able to follow the design plan and the only thing I did was add a shelf at the bottom. The cleats were definitely not necessary, it's very sturdy. 

Making the doors

The first thing is to learn how to measure for cabinet doors. There are plenty of sites and YouTube videos showing how to correctly measure. If you are doing the same type of doors like I have, with no middle divider, then be sure to pay attention how to correctly measure for those instead of a single door.

The easiest way to make the doors will be getting 1/2 in sanded plywood and use a table saw to cut each door to size. Skip the shaker style trim and put the hardware on and be done. Make sure the hinges will be able to hold the weight of the door.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a table saw but I did have a router and a jig saw, and found a great video on YouTube on how to use a router to cut straight edges without a table saw. I measured out one door and used that outline to cut two identical doors. It turned out that each section was slightly a different width so I had to do two at a time. However, if you have a circular saw you can rig it to make a table saw and make a guide to rip the doors. It all depends on what tools you have available to you.  

I have a compact plunge saw and was able to cut the 3 inch strips for the shaker style with it. Honestly, that was the most tedious part and most time consuming by far. That also had to do with the fact that because the plywood is only 5mm thick I cut strips for both the front and the back to make it over 1/2 inch thick to help minimize warping and give the hinges something to grab.  

I used the miter saw to cut the stiles and rails to size and a 23 gauge nailer with 1/2 nails and glue to get them on the door. I glued and nailed the front and the back of each side at the same time because the nails are a bit longer than two pieces of plywood. I then turned it over and nailed the other side. The great thing about using a 23 gauge is that I didn't have to fill any holes because they are so small you can hardly see them at all. 

The last thing is to use your sander to ensure all of the pieces are even. I used a 60 grit and then followed it with a 220 where needed. 

If you want to avoid cutting the strips but still want to have the shaker style, Home Depot sells 1/4 thick Polystyrene flat moulding that will add vertially no weight to the door but the cost can easily add up if you have a lot of doors.

Lastly, if you are wondering why I got such thin plywood that ended up creating more work. The reason is because I wanted to save money on hardware and I didn't trust the inexpensive hinges I got off eBay would hold a heavy door for many years.

This is one of the cheapest projects for my kids I have ever completed!! And the most rewarding. I think everyone of my neighbors has been on the teeter totter...including adults :) My kids just love it and I am thinking of making a few for my nephews for Christmas. I was able to find all the wood I needed in my scrap pile. I had the PVC pipe and bolt already also so all I had to make a trip to the store for was the foam for the seats. My son helped me build this in an hour. I liked the unfinished look so I just sprayed it with a little Thompson Water Seal. Thank you Ana White!!

I made this play kitchen as a Christmas present for my kids, and it’s been a big hit! It’s built mostly from leftover hardwood plywood, and a couple of 1x12 pine boards. The oven knobs and faucet were cut from redwood scraps and attached with 1/2” dowels to freely rotate. The vertical surfaces were painted with leftover house paint and sealed with water-based polycrylic. It was a fun build, and I learned some new skills (like installing hinges)! Thanks for the plans!

Ana, thanks for these plans! They inspired me to make my first bed build. I also want to thank all of you that added brag posts! They gave me ideas for some of the modifications that I made. I did this build by mixing your Queen Farmhouse and Queen Farmhouse Storage bed plans. I also added a number of modifications to suit my own preferences. The drawer boxes I changed by building a faceplate (I didn't want the plywood ends exposed), and by increasing in depth to maximize some additional storage. Since I increased the drawer sizes, I went with the euro roller bearing slides. I increased the foot-board height to be slightly higher than the mattress. I also designed the footboard to have a removable inner section with hidden latches on the inside. I did this because I wanted to make use of the "dead space" between the drawer boxes. I then used this space to house a hidden drawer, that is approx six feet deep (I couldn't help myself-I love hidden drawers ). Because I added the hidden drawer, I changed the opptional center support to 4X4 blockes that were pocket screwed under the center of the boxes. I ended up using birch plywood and fir for this build. For my first bed build I'm fairly happy with how it came out. Thanks again!

We altered the original plan by enlarging the sandbox (approx 5' x 6') which made for wider benches that can comfortably seat an adult.  The benches and back rests are three boards deep instead of two.  We added 2x12 supports under the benches for additional support, as well as another 2x4 support in the middle of the backrest.