Community Brag Posts

I was looking online for a spinning DVD rack to buy when I stumbled across a picture of a custom built rack. I decided to give it a try and this is the result. This is the first project I've done outside of basic shelves and it was a great learning experience. The overall fit and finish isn't quite where I'd like it to be but overall I think it turned out pretty well. I was able to find a 12" lazy Susan at a hardware store that supports over 300lbs and worked perfectly for this project.

I used pocket holes for the shelves, finishing nails for the top and screws for the bottom and lazy Susan. I also used pocket holes to attach the shelf backs and hid them behind the shelves. One thing I definitely won't use next time is spray paint/enamel. The finish isn't nearly as nice as I wanted and it cost far more than I was expecting.

This is also my first time using SketchUp and I'm really impressed with it. I've uploaded a copy of the plans.

Criticism and suggestions are appreciated.

-Dan

My husbands second build and it turned out AMAZING! Great plans :D

This is basically just a scaled down version of our porch swing, with a few adjustments for safety. The best part? Its baby approved! She swings away happily watching her sibs playing in the yard, She likes it so well, in fact, that I frequently find myself carrying a sleeping baby from swing to bed. :)

We have a small rustic cabin that needed a clean, functional outhouse.  We followed Ana's plans, but with a few modifications to include a Solar gray polycarbonate roof to let in light.  We also decided on cedar board & batten for the siding.   We look forward to many years of use.

I used the armless chair plan, and altered the one armed plans to make two chaises. Then I increased the size slightly to accommodate the 25x25 pillows I bought. This took about 12 hours with one person working. I am super proud of it! Finished today, and will eventually stain after the wood has dried out a little. Thank you, Ana, for making straightforward plans that gave me the confidence to do my first woodworking project!

Andrea in Michigan

After dreaming about a new bed for ages, I finally built up the nerve to make our own.  This was actually pretty easy, but it helped to have hubby there for some parts, just because of the size and weight of this thing.

My 1x8s were 7.25", so to compensate, I just added a single 1x2 in the middle.  Perfect fit!

We like to move (!) so we modified the bed to be easily moveable.  I purchased some heavy duty bed hardware from Amazon ($25) and deck/joist hangers from Lowes. 

I put the deck hangers on the bottom of the 2x10s, and the 2x4s sit vertically and free in the hangers.  So, next time we move, we'll just pick up the 2x4s, and unlock the 2x10s from the head & footboards and take off!  :) 

We lowered the 2x10s so that the total height of the mattress + box spring + vertical 2x4s wouldn't be too high for me to climb on to every night.  I have knocked my toe nail on the side rail a couple of times already, so maybe in hindsight I should have raised it a teensy bit.  

I did forget to decrease the length of the side rail, since we didn't hang it on the inside like Ana did.  That's an easy fix, though.

For the finish I used Weathered Gray stain first....and freaked out because it looked SO gray!  But I convinced myself it would turn out, so I kept going.  Next I did some heavy sanding, followed up by Special Walnut stain.  Finished up with a coat of furniture wax over the layers.   

We LOVE our new bed!  Thanks, Ana, for the plans and your website!  Next up: replacing those 1999-era side tables and dresser!  :) 

Just finished up my Murphy Bed project. Hope you like.

This is our 2nd project - we liked building the bookshelf so much, we decided we're gonna keep going and need a good workbench. Got these plans from the Family Handyman Website (http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Woodworking/Workbenches/how-…). They claim the cost to be $50, but it was closer to $80 for us - still a GREAT project and easy to put together with the nail gun.

I love having this new addition! Freed up space in my small shop and now it’s more functional and organized. I followed the plans with modifications in the leaves using scrap 1x’s (which I may decide later to change to 2x4s but I had 1x’s on hand) instead of the brackets and then the extra 1x’s holding on the leaves so they would fall flat to the sides. Love it!

As a complete beginner in wood working (unless you count a year of woodshop over a decade ago), I decided that building a cart for the miter saw I just bought would be a great first project. So what did I do with that brand new miter saw? I left it in the box and made all of the cuts with a circular saw. Not sure what I was thinking there...

I mostly followed the excellent plan provided here but used wooden arms to prop up the wings in order to save on cost. I got the idea from the folding sling chair plan. It took quite a few screw ups and adjustments of the lower support bar before getting one of the wings level but I got it eventually.

Update 8/20/13: The miter saw has been a joy to use with the cart and the big flip up wings provide a ton of really convenient work space in addition to stabilizing 8 ft boards for cutting. I added a sliding drawer and some utility hooks for additional storage.