Community Brag Posts

Modified Wide Cabin Dresser

Submitted by dbwalk on Mon, 01/12/2015 - 20:02

This build was for my daughters.  They needed a new dresser and I figured I could pull this one off.  

 

I used regular boards from the Big Blue Box store.  I went a step up for the birch playwood because it would take paint better.  The drawer pulls are stainless steel.  

 

I modified the given plans so that I could add two more large drawers.  I made a few modifications to pull it off and give the dresser more support.  For example I added some supports under the top plywood board and in between each row of the drawers.  You can see that I added a middle support under the bottom set of drawers as well to keep the weight of the drawers from saggin in the middle.  I also had never installed drawer slides before.  This was way harder (and frustrating) than I was expecting.  My drawers don't have slides but they still work well.

 

All in all this was a moderately challenging build for me.  However, the paint and finish ended up being super nice.  My girls love it and I think it is going to last for a long time.  I am now working on modifying these plans to build a matching side table with drawers.  I hope to have pics of that soon as well!  

Estimated Cost
$275. The wood cost around $200. The handles and paint cost about $75.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Teal colored paint and primer in one. Before and after each painting I sanded the wood.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

DIY Folding Workbench

Submitted by suzeet305 on Mon, 10/18/2021 - 18:32

I'm a beginner DIYer and I knew one day I was going to have to make a workbench. I made mine 24x48 so I wanted a little more support to hold up the drop down leaf. I searched your site and found another plan with these gatelegs and knew this is what I wanted. I love the way it came out. What do you think?

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Fancy Jewelry Box

Submitted by JoanneS on Thu, 06/04/2015 - 14:35

One of my friends at work is going to a new job, and this build is her going away gift. It is a variation of the Fancy Jewelry Box, with the following modifications:

Made from select pine, no plywood is visible on the outside on this build.
Slightly smaller, the box is made from 1x6, the back is a ½” x 5 ½” craft board, and the door outsides are 3/8” x 5 ½” craft boards.
The drawer boxes are ¼” thick craft board and the doors and overlay drawer faces are 3/8” thick craft board.
Overall dimensions are 13” wide, 5 ½” deep, and 14 ¼” tall.
The select pine worked very well for the luxe stained finish I was trying to achieve.
Used fancy knobs instead of wood knobs (also swapped out the included screws for shorter ones).

I really took my time on this to get everything just so. The project took about 15 hours in total, including the build, finishing, and decorations - - a bit at a time, spread out over the last couple of weeks.

I'm very happy to say the gift was a big hit!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish: 2 coats of Varathane Stain + Poly in Early American, with a top coat of Minwax Polycrylic in Gloss. The drawers and doors are lined with embossed felt, and the box bottom and drawer bottoms are covered with sticky-back felt. The ring holder is a scrap of high density foam covered with sticky-back felt. The knobs are acrylic crystal and the back has flat hinges in antique brass (swapped out the included screws for shorter ones on the hinges and knobs). The hooks are ¾” brass shoulder hooks.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Paper towel rack

Yea, I know these were posted way back in 2013, but I only recently found them. Was looking at some kitchen organization ideas and I knew I wanted to make a paper towel rack. I liked this idea and went with it. My variance from original was to use a dowel rod for the paper towel holder and I cut 45 degree angles in place of the radius.

Comments

My first project - metric mitre saw stand

Submitted by EmH-C on Sun, 09/13/2015 - 03:30

Adaptation to fit my little mitre saw, small workshop and the metric timber available in B&Q. My first build, this should let me build more while staying comfortable and safe. I'm ridiculously pleased with myself!

It took longer to build than expected because my little boy thinks naps are for wimps.

In case anyone in the UK wants to build similar, here's my adapted sizes.

18mm plywood cutting list:

2   85cm x 50cm (sides)

3    50cm x 50cm (shelves)

2    50cm x 60cm (leaves)

2    45cm x 30cm (leaf supports - replaced fancy brackets that were too expensive over here)

Timber cuts:

6  34mm x 34mm @ 50cm (cleats)

6  18mm x 70mm @ 52cm (supports)

2  18mm x 70mm @ 42cm (spacers) 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
£40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Help me use my mitre saw safely and comfortably.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Toy Box

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/21/2019 - 11:28

Picture of my own version of the Ana White Design linked here
http://www.ana-white.com/2017/01/DIY_furniture/farmhouse-style-toy-box-…

Added Gas Shocks from Amazon 100N/18lbs.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White Paint
Minwax Espresso
Minwax Red Mahogany
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Entertainment Center

Submitted by azca33 on Mon, 01/09/2012 - 18:48

My wife and I decided it was time to give our new TV a home. We began looking on ana-white.com and saw a beautiful black entertainment center. That is where I received my inspiration. It is a very similar design however, I decided to change the color and add inset doorsand drawers.

Everywhere we looked for an entertainment center, it was either too pricey, or the measurements were not right. I decided to come up with a plan for an entertainment center that would fit perfectly into our little niche.

Estimated Cost
650-700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut Stain/White Latex Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Jana Thomas (not verified)

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 12:28

I LOVE your entertainment center....exactly what we are working on as we speak. Ours will be a little larger (12 foot wide) after adding on two end shelves to hold lots of DVD's!! I know I want the white color, but could you give a little more information on the distressing and finishing? We've never done that before. Thanks!

azca33

Mon, 01/23/2012 - 17:59

Hey Jana,

What I did was kind of a pain. To give the entertainment center the distressed looked, I stained all the areas that we were going to distress a dark walnut. After we allowed that to dry, we painted it with white latex paint. Since we were painting over a dark walnut stain, it took about 3 coats to completely cover the color. After 24 hours of drying we sanded it with 100 grit sand paper on all the areas we wanted distressed. You will want to lightly sand it until the dark walnut color comes through. Avoiding sanding too hard as you will sand through the stain.

We still have some distressing that we would like to do on it, but we need to get a wire sponge for that, and just haven't gotten around to it. The sand paper works really well on corners, but not so much on the face of the wood. We haven't sealed it completely since we still have some areas to distress, but will use a water-based sealer.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

davidmac (not verified)

Tue, 01/24/2012 - 14:15

It looks great. How did you attach the side units to the middle unit? Are the drawer fronts just solid 12" x 12" with the decorate trim attached to front? I can't tell if the portion where the handle is attached is recessed or not. And lastly, are those 1" x 3" trim pieces around the drawers?

azca33

Tue, 01/24/2012 - 16:46

Hey Davidmac,

The trim is all 1x3 solid pine, including the trim around the drawers. The drawers measure out to 10x10. I built the drawer faces the same way I built the cabinet doors. I used 1x3 trim and dado'd a 1/4" groove to inset a 1/4" piece of plywood. I then added molding to give the drawers and cabinet doors a more detailed look, so it is recessed where the handle is attached.

The side units are attached by 1 1/4" screws that are hidden behind the trim. Easy access to remove for any future moves.

Jeff (not verified)

Sat, 01/28/2012 - 22:15

Are there actual plans for this? I just see it in another brag post. but no actual laid out plans.

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 02/19/2012 - 19:22

Where can I find plans for this. Beautiful.

azca33

Fri, 03/23/2012 - 09:24

Unfortunately, there isn't a set of plans for this entertainment center on the site. I looked at the Entertainment Center for Kristen Lotz and built my own plans according to her pictures, with a few adjustments. If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to help you out.

Kristen Lotz (not verified)

Tue, 05/29/2012 - 17:32

I just checked in onto this site for the first time in awhile and I saw your entertainment center. I knew you must have gotten inspiration from ours... I love how yours turned out! I love the white, I love the distressing, and I love the inset doors and drawers with all the details. It turned out absolutely beautiful. Good job!

azca33

Mon, 06/11/2012 - 12:21

Thanks Kristen and thank you for the inspiration. When I saw yours on ana-white, I knew that is what I wanted in my living room. I also thought it was genius to put the DVD Player etc... up higher so the kids can't play with it. We are really happy with it.

kristenlotz

Mon, 12/31/2012 - 14:20

I finally got around to making the plans for our entertainment center (well, actually my husband did it). It is very similar to yours except the inset doors and drawers, the door and drawer trim and the finish colors. Hopefully that helps those looking for plans for this beautiful entertainment center. I love finding brag posts of similar entertainment centers because they are absolutely beautiful at a fraction of the cost of buying one. And we love telling people that we built it!
http://www.jrlwoodworking.com/2012/12/furniture-plans-custom-entertainm…

Andrea Miller (not verified)

Mon, 01/07/2013 - 12:26

Did you do an under coat or did you just add stain to the sanded areas? Love the look.

Football Lockers DIY

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/11/2023 - 11:27

Here are a few pictures of the football lockers I built for our school. I used your mudroom locker plans and changed the dimensions to accommodate the boys' football gear. It worked great! I built 6 sets of 4 lockers, for a total of 24 lockers. I also used one of your plans to build 6 benches for the fieldhouse. Three for the home locker room and three for the visitor locker room. Each locker is 30 inches wide and 6 feet tall. 

Melinda Glenn

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFTS

These Chairs  where fun and  easy to build. I used 1x8 for the back. I used counter sunk 1  1/4 in screws and  pocket holes and  kreig screws. I thought A hinge would not be safe so I screws the tray down with a 2in overhang. Can not wait until Christmas.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
123 primer and Pratt and Lambert semi- gloss interior paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Farmhouse Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/01/2020 - 16:57

Rustic X Farmhouse coffee table, built for a true rustic farmhouse!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Light coat of Varathane Dark Walnut woodstain on each X, heavy coat everywhere else.
Minwax Polyurethane (5 coats, lightly sanded between each)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Christmas Stocking Stand

Submitted by Eddie A on Fri, 12/11/2020 - 16:28

My wife was upset that we didn’t have a mantle in the living room of our new home a d I said, “no problem!”

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut and Dark Walnut Danish Oil

DIY Entertainment Center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/21/2021 - 09:58

Largest Build I have done up to date. It took a bit longer but it was so worth it. Wanted something different than all the entertainment centers I saw so I created a herringbone back. I love how it turned out.

-@theorthhome/instagram

Estimated Cost
$800
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Pure White from Sherwin Williams
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

The Desk with hutch for my Granddaughter.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/28/2021 - 00:33

Had to add leg supports for the none drawer side and added a back for the entire unit. Fun Project. 15th birthday present.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Student desk to my Granddaughter.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Built-In Hall Tree Heated

Submitted by adamhatton on Sun, 03/10/2013 - 18:26

I made this hall tree as a gift for my wife. It's a classy way to store coats out in plain sight. it is larger than the design specs from Mimi (7'H by 4'1" W) and built-in instead of free standing. Our house has a boiler with floorboard radiators. There is a radiator inside the hutch, and heat comes out of the holes just behind the lid to the bench this heats up the coats as they hang on the rack. The radiator also heats the compartment under the bench which aids in drying damp boots and other items. Fun project, also an easy project thanks to the Kreg Jig!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Bear semi-gloss interior latex.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Adirondack Bench (love seat)

I loved the Rustic Adirondack Chair so much I felt I needed to make a bench in the same style. I had to be a little creative with the chair plans and modify them to make my bench work. I am absolutely thrilled with how it came out! I already have a friend who has requested a chair and bench (love seat) for his son's wedding gift!

Estimated Cost
Material costs for the wood was $85-ish. Wood prices are nuts right now!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

mjackson41995@…

Fri, 08/20/2021 - 16:37

You can make the 1x10 in any length you want. I’m planning on making a loveseat too and The measurements I chose for the seating area will be 48” long (which is the size for 2 seat cushions).

The Step 1 in Ana’s plan, all measurements will be the same.

Step 2: The two 2x4 horizontal supports will be cut at 48”.

Step 3: the two 1x10 seat panels will be 3 inches longer than the horizontal supports. So you will cut the 1x10 seat panels at 51”.

Step 4: Instead of two, you will need THREE seat supports. So cut three 2x4’s @ 32 3/4”. The third seat support will go in the middle of the other seat supports, drilled to the horizontal back support.

Step 5: Attach your back bottom horizontal support which will be a 2x4 at 48”.

Step 6: Attach the 1x10 seat back panels. You will cut (3) 1x10 @ 48”.

Here is the cut list for the loveseat version of Ana’s Adirondack plan. These are the lengths I chose. So with this cut list your loveseat should be big enough for two 24x24” seat cushions. I plan to add cushions for extra comfort.

My cut list:
(2) 2x4 @ 31 3/4”
(2) 2x4 @ 19 1/2”
(2) 2x4 @ 33 1/4” Cut at 20 degrees as per Ana’s plan.
(3) 2x4 @ 48” Horizontal supports. One goes behind your calves.
The other connects the end frames/arm rests at the back.
(2) 1x10 @ 51” Seat panels.
(3) 2x4 @ 32 3/4” Vertical supports for the back panels.
(3) 1x10 @ 48” The back panels.

Face frame cabinets with shaker doors and metabox drawers, swedish drying cabinet

Submitted by sylvialh on Fri, 08/27/2021 - 05:37

My first projec twith drawers! the metabox drawers were definetly easy to make and use and work beautifully.

I made the carcase using plywood and did 1x2 poplar for the face frame. Shaker doors are 1x3 poplar and sureply underlayment for the inserts.

cabinet doors were finished using BIN primer (2 coats with sanding) and then Benjamin Moore Advance cabinet paint in High gloss silver satin. Interiors were finished using leftover / mistints, and I still need to do some filling and sanding on the insides of the doors (I have to take them down to do a final coat but am waiting until I have finished the other set of doors)

the upper cabinet is a dish drying cupboard so I omitted the bottom plywood piece and instead used 1x3 on the front and back so the bottom would be open. then I made the shelves using 1x2 and dowel (paint the dowel first before cutting!!). This thing is a dream to do dishes in!

Used Kreg pocket screws, Kreg jig for the euro hinges (1 1/4 and 1/3" overlay), and also a kreg jig for the shelf pins. Metabox hinges for the drawers. Still trying to decide on handle hardware so I'm using painters tape at the moment.

Countertops are concrete using Rapidset mortar mix and the michael builds method (linked below).

Planters are just a small poplar shelf using leftover 1x3 with metal terra cotta pot hooks attached to the front. I lined the pots at the bottom with plastic yogourt tubs with holes in the bottom so the cutlery doesn't chip the pots. Those also drain onto the drain rack below. everything is painted the same colour although I used high gloss for the door fronts, so the shelvings behind the pots matches the wall perfectly and sort of dissappears into the walls to highlight the terracotta.

sink is a "new" vintage ceramic sink that I found on FB marketplace for 50$!!! had never been installed and didn't even have the holes bored out. unfortunately the drain holes were very deep and requied some macgyvering but luckily my husband had a great attitude about it and managed to make it work with a lot of googling for odd sized drain bins. Props to husband for doing all the plumbing on this bad boy, including moving over our RO system from the other side of the kitchen and installing a new hose bib under the sink for the other side of the house (why not?!).

I learned so much from this project! Including to store your poplar inside and on the flat surface or it will warp and your doors will not be flush. luckily it only affected one door but it is still super annoying.

thank you ana for everythign! loved the comment "Get on board with these euro hinges!" you are so right they are so forgiving!!

Comments

Ana White Admin

Fri, 08/27/2021 - 08:31

Love the integrated flower pots and the dish rack is so cool! Thank you for sharing, I can tell a lot of work went into it!

Farmhouse desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/05/2021 - 16:02

My first “big” piece of furniture! I have over the last year realized I had a little sawdust in my blood! My dad is a 3rd generation carpenter, he is the youngest of 5 boys and he is now 79. I started with a couple of quilt/blanket ladders for my daughters, then graduated to a headboard. Then last Christmas I surprised my dad with an oak bookshelf (because oak is the best 😉) I knew that’s what my dad loved. It brought him to tears! So, then my daughters began showing me pictures of desks, tv chests, etc and I gained a little confidence with each piece.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Farmhouse night stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/31/2022 - 12:59

We altered the plans a bit to fit our space. It looks great - thanks Ana!

Comments

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