Community Brag Posts

This project started because a corner bathroom vanity that fit my space requirements and budget did not exist. A plan specific to what I exactly needed also did not exist. After combing through what plans I found online, the Wall Kitchen Corner Cabinet best matched what I wanted. I modified it with the Momplex Sink Base Kitchen Cabinet in order to turn it into a sink base.

But, there was a problem. I hadn't actually built anything before. In order to get at least one project under my belt, I built the Vintage Step Stool. It turned out great, so I figured I was ready to go! Strangely enough, after spending about $100 and several weekends picking away at this project, it was done! It looked great, even. Then, I moved the vanity into the bathroom and realized that, while it may have looked great, it wasn't very square. Lesson learned was that this is a two person project. It is too difficult to keep things square and screw at the same time when there is only one person.

At this point, everyone was tired of having to use the kitchen sink to brush their teeth and wash their hands, so we needed to get this project done. $100 later, we had more material. Since I had figured out what needed to be done with the first vanity, let's call it our prototype, the second vanity went together REALLY quickly. 

Within a few hours, it was pieced together. Since it was going to be painted, we used Bondo to cover up our imperfections. Yes, of course there were imperfections. While much better than the prototype, it still was only my third woodworking project. Sanding, caulking, and priming took another hour or so. A few coats of the finish paint went on, followed by a couple more coats of a clear sealer, and it was done.

We moved it into place, screwed it to the wall, put the soapstone countertop on along with the sink and faucet, and it truly was complete. Sink is Kohler, faucet came from our local Habitat for Humanity store and I'm not sure what brand it is, and the soapstone came from soapstones.com. If we had oiled the soapstone with mineral oil, it would be a very dark gray.

Made with western red cedar from Lowes. So pretty!

We’ve been looking around for some plans for a doggy bunk bed for a while now, but couldn’t find anything that we liked so I decided to build it from scratch. This is a huge bunk bed that was built based on the size of our larger dog’s bed which is 44 x 35. This was pretty simple to build although the stairs we’re quite challenging as I have never done them before so if I can make it, anybody can.

I must stress that before I found Ana’s website about 6 months ago I could barely cut a piece of wood straight. Over this time I have made several things based on the easy to follow plans on this website which ultimately gave me the confidence to go it alone and build this bunk bed. Friends and family are shocked at some of the furniture I’ve made and some don’t even believe I made them and think I’ve bought them from IKEA. My wife has got a list of furniture she wants to make now including a TV console, an armoire and a twin bed for one our daughters. Every spare second I have now is spent is making furniture and I LOVE it.

For anybody who has never built anything and is apprehensive to do so I would just say, do it. Grab what you need and dive right in. You may get frustrated and scream a bit at first, but the reward at the end is well worth it and each project you do will get easier and easier. Be warned though. The better you get, the more people will pester you to make things for them.

Thank you, Ana.

This was made using cheap 1 x 3 and 1 x 4 furring strips for the railings and bed slats, 2 x 4s for the posts and 1 x 10 board for the stairs.

For my brother's 35th birthday, I helped him build a fence and side deck on his house. Using the leftover lumber scraps and screws, I adapted the DIH Adirondack chair plans to build this for him. He wanted a big, sturdy chair with a wide arm rest that looks "rustic". I used 4x4 and 2x4 post scraps, deck boards, and fence pickets. I also widened the seat just a bit for comfort. This is definitely the perfect chair for him!

I didn't build this shoe dresser because I particularly needed one, but it looked so lovely that I couldn't resist.

- I modified the plans by building 3 bins instead of 2 so it could hold more shoes.
- I decided against the dowel stick and opted for hinges instead, which were surprisingly not too difficult to assemble. I found that I didn't even need the magnets after installing the hinges as the doors stay closed.
- I used 7" chains on both sides of each bin instead of a belt to make it extra sturdy.
- I added two back legs.

Et voila! This is the end result. I'm very pleased.

PS. Those flopping bins are a pain when you're trying to build!! An extra pair of hands is definitely recommended.

We had pool toys and nerf guns all over our porch! I decided to build a locker system for all of it! I already had the bench, so I modified the plans a bit to fit around it. I also added extra hooks for wet towels and goggles to be hung up to dry. Some of the hooks are large bolts that we had laying around the tool shed. They actually hold wet towels in place better than store bought hooks ;)