Community Brag Posts

This was my first project, an introduction to saws and drills, after my pug ate a bag of chocolate that was sitting next to my bed. The plan was picked because it said "simple" and had a drawer to safely store remotes. And chocolate.

I made this table and benches for my daughter

My dream project...took me a lot longer than anticipated. But a very sturdy bed when finished. I only have the matress and not a box spring, so i raised the support for mattress almost to the top of the sideboards.  The large posts gave me problems at first because i was unsure if ''special 3x3'' meant actual 3x3 or 2.5x2.5 so i ended up having to send them through table saw twice.

Our daughter said she wanted a desk like Daddy. When I found these plans I was so excited! My husband doesn't know it yet but it was his practice for a large farmhouse table that I want for our dining room. The Clara's table plans were easy to follow, I can not remember the exact prices for our materials since we built this back in the fall (over 6 months ago). We will eventually make the chairs. I was pleased with the way it turned out with the stained top and the legs were painted a ballet pink. I believe the stain is Dark Walnut, it was something we had leftover from another project and the paint for the legs was leftover from painting her room. It has held up well the past 6 months, it has a few dings from markers and other toys but I love the character it adds to the table. We plan on making the chairs soon.

I made this workbench for my son's 5th birthday. It's a bigger style real workbench for kids. He also received real tools for his birthday. I modeled after a one that PBK used to sell.

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!

Built a new outdoor furniture set using the following plans:

Ryobi Outdoor Couch (linked to in the One Arm Outdoor Sectional plans)

Armless 2x4 Sectional

2x4 Outdoor Coffee Table

I also built the Tryde End Table with Shelf & 2 of the Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s, but they will be in a seperate brag post since I can only link 3 sets of plans per post.

I built the armless middle sectional piece exactly to plan, to fit 25x25 outdoor cushions. The bench is a little deep for sitting, but great for laying out. The 2 side pieces I shallowed to fit 19" cushions, since they are cheaper and easier to find and are more naturally sized for sitting. I also added a support board under the back rail, which is missing from the Outdoor Couch plans but is present in the Armless sectional plans and I wanted everything to match. I stained everything with Thompson's water sealing stain, since it was going to be exposed to the elements at all times (though this picture was taken before the staining was completely finished, hence the untouched lumber visible under some of the cushions).

Project took a 3-day weekend. Day 1: measuring and cutting. Day 2: assembly. Day 3: sanding and staining. 

This was actually my first build. I had just about had it, went with all three kids, got the wood, and built it while my hubby was at work (24 hr. shifts at the fire station). And yes, that was after I finally Googled, "How to unlock a Dewalt Compound Miter Saw" after 30 minutes of unsuccessful prodding! :-) I'm super happy with how it came out (despite the poor flashy picture)! And it was great "practice" for doing my girl's farmhouse beds.

Since moving into our house almost 3 years ago, I have wanted a large piece to house the tv. The husband did not want glass, I wanted shelving on both ends and it had to hold a 60 inch tv (not pictured). To avoid paying thousands of dollars to a furniture store, I decided to build my own.

I used 1x2's, 1x3's, 4x8-3/4" plywood (sanded on one side) edge banding (super easy to use), nail gun and wood glue. I spent roughly a week building and staining, interrupted by 2 kids. The staining being the most tedious part. Cost was around $450 for all the pieces. I did attach the bridge piece by drilling holes through the bridge to the side hutches. I then installed nuts and bolts through the hole to attach it all together. Makes it easy to take apart when moved and I am not constantly drilling screws into the unit.

My husband is deployed so this was built solely by myself. My experience level is novice, this is only my 3rd piece of furniture, but I am hooked. The plans are easy to follow and use.

I was just thinking "Where can I put their backpacks and folders this year so we don't lose/forget so many things this year?" Thanks Ana! Modified the plans to make use of my scrap pile. I ordered the vinyls off Etsy from, The Vinyl Things in Life, she custom made them to my dimensions and I love the pop of color! Sorry I can't get better pictures, our entry is tiny.

My 14 year old son wanted a piece of furniture to put under his TV.  We made it 20 inches less in length but kept the other dimensions the same as the plans.  I made the cuts for him, but he did all of the work putting it together, sanding and staining.  He loves the outcome and it only took us about 6-8 hours over the course of two days.

Thanks for the plans!

I used Ana's plans for the play stove, fridge and sink. I LOVED Crafting Chick's take on it so I copied her great accessories. I found my knobs at Walmart and my hooks at Hobby Lobby. I also found the fabric at Hobby Lobby. I used 3/4" hardwood plywood, but if I could do it again I would have used MDF. It's much smoother! I still love it though! Oh... So do the kids ;-)) You can read more details at http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2011/07/play-kitchen-reveal.html.

My kids (11 & 12) made these in about 3 days. We have to work during my 2 yr olds nap time so I would say 6-8 hrs total. We always have a lot of scrap wood lying around so this was a great way to use it up. Unfortunately, sometimes when using scrap wood, it is not always the exact measurements that you need but some plan reworking and measuring as you go can fix that. On this particular plan, the only thing we changed was the thickness of the top and a little fudging on the drawer box. We also used our router to round over some or the edges and we made our own drawer tracks along the bottom w/ scrap furring strips. Honestly, those studs you see in the picture, did most of the work and since their skill set usually involves a reference to the newest video game out, I would say this was defiantly a simple project! ;-)

A little late uploading these. Made these for Christmas 2014.

Burned wood finish with stain and lots of coats of poly for protection and shine

SImple and easy to make. I had leftover wood so all I had to buy was 1x2"s. I'd say the total cost was $15. It's sturdy and holds a lot of books.

This is the second farmhouse bed that i've built from these plans.  I made a slight modification to shorten the headboard for this bed. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable project.