Community Brag Posts

Leaning Ladder Desk - Made By Tara Holmes - Australia - 2017

Made this one with shelf edges/trim just on the sides. Somehow my top shelf didn't span the width so had to add a little shim on each side but it all worked out! We had all the pallets and used 1x3s for the frame because some of my pallet wood was heavy hardwood. It was not without frustration because I was working with uneven/warped pallet wood but it hits the rustic look.  I am happy with how it turned out. 

I always wanted a cabin-type cat tree where my cats could crawl in and feel safe, but still have a great view of the birds out of a window. I tried to draw my vision on paper, but that had a hideous result. Learning Google SketchUp (at least the basics) was an absolute necessity. I could never have built this without drawing it in 3D first, and seeing how the boards would connect, etc.

For the scratch pad, I built a frame out of 2x4s on top of plywood, covered it with carpet, and dropped the standard size scratch pad in place. This is the cat's favorite feature. I put barn doors on the window with tiny hinges so that I can close for added privacy. The tree sits against a window so that the back side is totally open. I made cozy zippered cushions for the platforms (that can be taken off and washed). I covered the carpeted areas with spare carpeting.

We've been looking for some saddle back stools for quite a while that would fit snug under our kitchen island. I couldn't find any, so I checked Ana-White and found the perfect building plan. I used scraps to build two matching stools and so I altered the plans to fit what I had. Other then the dimensions being different, I also used a 2x12" piece of wood cut down to 9x15" for the stool top.

I've documented the process as best as I could at; http://www.tommyandellie.com/Site/Home/Entries/2011/6/13_More_Seating_f…

This Project was my second build. I had a few issues finding the materials required to even build it. Everything was found easily except the 4x4s. Everything here in my part of NC is either already pressure treated or cedar. Since everything else is Pine that really didn't float my boat. Plus for 1 4x4x8 of cedar cost $29 and for a color i didn't even want it wasn't even considerable. After calling around to a few places and no success i finally though of calling a lumber mill.

The Lumber mill had what i wanted for really cheap 4x4x8 for $5 but they were in rough condition. I had to do a lot of sanding to get them into workable condition. oh and by the way these are really 4x4s none of that 3.5in stuff here and man are they heavy.

Once i Started building my girlfriend decided she wanted the footboard to be higher and she didn't want to see any plywood for 1 we were going with a light finish and didn't think it would look to good. Instead of the footboard being at 20in high we raised it to 26. This allowed me to use some existing wood i already had to fill in the holes of exposed plywood. I used a 1x12 and 4 1x4s, i really only required 2 1x4 but to continue with the raised look of the footboard i used 4.

As far as the headboard goes i had to change that up a little bit as well. Im not sure if it was just because of the queen size or the fact that the lumber place i used to buy the 1x3s only had round edges so i opted to go with the 1x4s. Well because of that when i got to the last row of shims it was less than 1/2 the size. So resolve this issue again i used a existing 1x6 and replaced the top 1x4 with it. i made a line on the 1x6 which was taller then the headboard and cut it off with my circle saw so its now like a 1x5. Also on a side note when it came to the shims i cut them all 6in long due to the fact the center of the head board was 60in. it gave me an easy 10 shims per row. i used wood glue to hold them in place.

When it came to hooking the headboard and footboard to the bed frame i used 3/4s in-7in Lag bolts. this allows for easy on and off plus theres no way im breaking through them.

I loved this build but man those shim took forever. Sanding the 4x4s took me about 2 days. This job took me about 1 week to complete it working on it a few hours a night. But it was well worth it. I loved the way it turned out. its bigger than i though it would be but its workable.

I made this using leftover pallet wood, sanded plywood backer, leftover sliced pebbles from my bathroom remodel and plain old sticks and stones from my backyard. Took all of 2-3 hours or so to cut, sand and glue. The longest part was finding the perfect stones for the family and the layout of the trees. In case you're wondering, that's my wife and me and my three young daughters. This was the perfect piece to finish off our newly remodeled bathroom. This would be a great project for a family of all ages.

6'x6' with 12'' Treated Sides, 1x4 and 1x6 SPF tops/seats and 2x4 Brace under Seats to accommodate the 6 foot span. Sanded and Painted.

Completed in 2 days, couple hours each day, sanded/painted all boards before assembly.

This was my first attempt at making furniture...but it turned out GREAT!  My fiance was about to buy a VERY similar dining room set for $1300 before I stopped her and insisted that I could build it myself, finish it to match our kitchen/dining room, and save a TON of money!

I LOVE the way this turned out! I used truck bed liner for the floor and the sides because one of the dogs is still a puppy and truck bed liner is TOUGH and waterproof (in case of accidents)! I made one side of the crate huge and one side small to match the size of our dogs. The really nice thing is that you can't tell by looking at it that it is two different sizes inside. This looks so much better than those ugly wire or plastic crates.

Yes, my husband and I share our bedroom with 6 dogs and an occasional cat (or 4). Our older dog (Petra) has slept on our bed for over 10 years, and she's getting too old to jump anymore. We didn't want her to feel like she was getting kicked off the bed, so I made Petra her very own bed at the end of ours so that she wouldn't feel left out. I was inspired by MurdaRae's dog bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/06/doggie-daybed), and thought it was genius to use a toddler/crib bed. So I went looking for plans on Ana-White, and came up with a mixture between a couple of twin bed plans. I love that the plans are easy enough to modify my sizes, and come up with exactly the custom solution that I need. This was my first big project using Bri-Wax. The last one was kind of a disaster when the wax changed the stain color to something not-so-great. With this project, I learned to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to wax it. I was blown away with the results. It is a beautiful subtle satin finish that feels great to the touch. Plus, I can easily touch up all the dog fingernail scratches that will inevitably occur. When I re-assembled the bed in my bedroom, I actually nicked it in a few places. No problem -- slap on some more Bri-Wax! My Bri-Wax was 11 years old, and pure liquid. I tossed it in the fridge (per Bri-Wax's recommendation), and it was as good as new. The only real problem I had with this project was leaking sap from one of the 4x4s. I'm still fighting this today. In talking with Rustoleum/Zinsser reps, they said that no sap could penetrate their "Seal Coat" shellac product. After 5 coats, the sap is still penetrating, but only if I turn it on it's side or upside down. I'm still baffled. I made the mattress cover out of a dog blanket, and made the cushions from some remnant fabric (suitable for dogs and weekly washing), so this was a fairly inexpensive project. It was a success because Petra slept in her bed from the fist night and loved that she had all the room to herself, and no boston terrorists (I mean terriers) attempted to bother her.