Community Brag Posts

Modified Garage Shelf (w/ Workbench)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/08/2017 - 11:15

Great plans allow for versatility and easy customization. Put the whole thing together in a day w/ one other person. My set up is 16' long - 5' on the side shelves and 6' for the workbench. Added a pegboard and fluorescent light under the top middle shelves. I'm also designing a slim drawer to go under the workbencheck area. Thanks a bunch!

Estimated Cost
~$150 including pegboard.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Will stain dark in the future
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Camp Loft Bed with Stairs

Submitted by Vc1700 on Mon, 10/19/2015 - 12:02

I wanted to create a loft bed for my daughter so that she could have space underneath to play since her room is small. This was the perfect solution! I went ahead and added a stair rail so she could feel a little safer coming down the stairs (she is 4 yrs old). She loves her princess bed and what's best she wants to sleep in it instead of with mommy and daddy! This was my first wood working project. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mudroom Bench with Easy Drawers

Submitted by GeekAthair on Mon, 01/06/2020 - 20:12

We've been desperate for more storage in our little house and this build really helped. The whole bench is 103“ wide and each drawer gives us 24"x17" of usable space. We had to do some custom shaping for the benchtop (two joined fir 2x12's) fit as the walls are not square but in the end we were really pleased.

The hardest part of the project was getting all of this built and in place while working around a busy family as this is our only meal space and the majority of cutting/forming was done either on the weekends or after bedtimes. If I were to do this again I'd prioritize sending the kids to grandparents for the weekend and know king everything except for paint out in one go. 

We could have spent less time with the benchtop by using plywood like in the plans but we wanted the look of a separate benchtop. We may replace the fir with stained oak down the line but this should be plenty sturdy for the next several years. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar paint, minwax clear poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Butcher Block Kitchen Island

I built this piece from ana white's plans. I modified the shelf design and also the dimensions to meet my needs. Instead of using 2x6 douglas fir for the top, I built the top out of hard maple. The top is built by ripping down several strips of hard maple 1.75 inches wide, turn the strips on there edge and gluing all the strip together. This is what is known as a edge grain cutting board. I finished the top with mineral oil and bees wax. The top is food safe and knife friendly. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. - Brad

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cream brulee paint by behr
early american stain by minwax
mineral oil and bees wax
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

romanweel

Tue, 01/28/2014 - 18:42

Did you use a planer to level your top and bottom surfaces here, or just lots of sanding? I've been told not to attempt butcher block construction without a planer...but I'm thinking of maybe going for it!

timberandsoul

Fri, 01/31/2014 - 23:01

I did use a planer for this top. But because my planer is only 12 inches wide I had to glue three individual boards together leaving two seams that I could not plane but instead had to sand out. Just sanding those two seams took a long time, I cannot imagine sanding 20 seams. I would not suggest attempting without a planer.

Calmly

Mon, 04/10/2017 - 18:45

is it possible for you to share your measurements.  I need a smaller island. Thank you.

Biff Loman

Wed, 02/05/2014 - 17:25

I'm curious how you joined the stretchers to the legs. The construction appears different from the plans. Did you use pocket screws or something more advanced like mortise and tenon?

timberandsoul

Fri, 02/07/2014 - 16:58

I am not sure exactly what you mean by stretchers. If you are referring to the shelf frame, yes it is different than the plans, I modified it. I felt the shelf design on the plans was not enough for the weigh that was going to be place on top. I used simple pocket holes to joint the frame to the legs. Hope this helps, have a great day.

voorheisb

Fri, 08/12/2016 - 10:41

Thank you Brad.  This is a really nice piece.  I recently picked up an old table from a college.  I discarded the base and plan to use the heavy butcher-block-style top to build something similar to this.  Do you have plans you could share?   Thanks again, Brian

3 Square Picnic Tables!

I built 3 of the square picnic tables, as we have a large extended family. I enjoyed the project and the results. I did end up adding a cross brace and some metal clips, they added a little more strength for the table when it was full of people.

Thank you for sharing your plans.

Rick

Built from Plan(s)

Cedar Planter with Mitered Top

This was by far the easiest project. This planter is HUGE as well and makes a great focal point for your curb appeal. I didn't extend the sides but rather created a mitered edge for the top creating a nice clean finish.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax English Chestnut with a Spar Varathane protective coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

adkgirl

Sun, 09/22/2013 - 20:25

how exactly did you attach the mitered top?? Finish nails or is there a way to use the kreg jig to hide joinery? These are beautiful, BTW. Thanks :)

Christmas 3-tier cookie stand

Submitted by calcowoods on Thu, 12/31/2020 - 12:51

Inspired by Shara of Woodshop Diaries, created this 3 tier tray for displaying cookies for Santa. Added a 3 dimensional star as the topper and simply followed the excellent photos and schematics on Shara's website.

Estimated Cost
$5
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax paste wax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

King Size Farmhouse Bed with Dog Stairs and Storage

Submitted by jkjackson on Sun, 05/30/2021 - 15:21

We have a frosty faced blind girl and an aging tri-pawed that we wanted to be able to continue snuggling with us so we adapted the Farmhouse Bed with Storage to make it a king size. We made the drawer boxes deeper which allowed us to get rid of our dresser to create more space in our room. And we added a flight of stairs for the pups.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes White Wash with Arm R Seal Oil Based Satin Finish top coat. (If you want the white wash to be more white and less amber, use water based.)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

2x4 Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/03/2021 - 06:27

Very easy instructions. I love the way they turned out. I used all 2x4's that I had left over from another project. I burned the top pieces and painted all other pieces. Love your easy instructions. My first time making furniture.
Thanks
Yvette

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Modern Rustic Outdoor Chair

Submitted by susanshamp on Fri, 07/10/2015 - 15:07

I made this outdoor chair by looking at a variety of plans and designs from Restoration Hardware and other stores. Check out more info on the project on my blog link. Thanks for looking!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Garden cutie

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/26/2020 - 16:18

My honey built this farmhouse potting bench in a few hours. I needed it to store all the junk that was laying on the ground. It's so cute!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shoe Dresser

I had this space in my mudroom that was a perfect spot to make a custom shoe dresser. I adjusted the plans I found on this website to custom make storage for shoes. Now this weird little space is functional.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum chalk paint Serenity Blue, classic grey and special walnut Minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Project table with sidecar kids craft table

This was our first build, with help from my dad we used the plans for the modern craft table and added a side table for the kids to have their own crafting space and storage.

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Mix of two stains red oak and red chestnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

SabySmooth1

Tue, 02/12/2013 - 15:57

I love this! It's so cool that you put the kids table on the side of your table. Great job, and it looks fantastic!

Mudroom Bench

Submitted by BeingHome on Sat, 02/23/2013 - 22:26

With much needed seating in the mudroom, an unused space (nook) was used to build a mudroom bench and shelf. No plans were used. I basically looked on-line and mentally drew up an idea of how I wanted the final product to look.  

 

There were some setbacks such as not like the knock down textured walls (after partially painting the bench). I ended up covering the textured walls with hardboard and repainted.

 

A bench cushion was made for added comfort and style.

 

Complete tutorial for the bench is here and the bench cushion tutorial is here.

 

Thank you.

 

Julie

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Ultra (paint and primer in one) in ultra white finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cleverly6

Thu, 05/16/2013 - 13:48

Thank you so much for the idea and plan. I used it to turn an extra laundry room that we have off of our garage into a much needed mudroom. The most challenging project I have ever done before is hanging blinds. But with your help and some from the Home Depot employees, I did it! Our family is more than happy with it. Thanks!!!

BeingHome

Sun, 08/25/2013 - 22:28

Thank YOU so much! I would love to see a picture of your new mudroom area. :) I am happy the plans helped and of course Home Depot. ;)

Sorry for my delayed response. :(

BeingHome

Sun, 08/25/2013 - 22:28

Thank YOU so much! I would love to see a picture of your new mudroom area. :) I am happy the plans helped and of course Home Depot. ;)

Sorry for my delayed response. :(

Wife's Kindergarten Classroom

Been a while since I had time to actually build anything worth posting about! My wife wanted some items for her Kindergarten classroom this year, so built several items, most inspired by the Farmhouse family.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

sido17

Thu, 07/18/2019 - 15:27

I would love the dimensions or plans for this. Would love to make it for my classroom.

dlee69

Tue, 07/30/2019 - 12:07

Hello

Can I please get the plans to the u shape table?

Thanks

Linguine

Mon, 08/19/2019 - 12:09

I am guessing the corner posts are 2 x 4s, the top is 2 x 10s.  It looks like the width is 6’ (looking at the floor carpet tiles being 24” square). So 2 - 2 x 10s side by side for the main part of the desk top and 2 - 2 x10s perpendicular on each side of the chair.  I guess the height is subject to choice and the length of each side would also be subject to choice or to the length of the 2 x 10s to be economical.

 

an educated guess would be 4 - 8’  2x10s for the top and 6 - 6’ 2 x 4s for the legs?  

 

Anyone else have any input here?  Open to suggestions.....

Kids Sized Square Picnic Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 06/12/2022 - 17:59

I love the design but needed it to fit my young kids instead of adults. So I modified the scale of this plan to make it fit my kids. The other kids picnic tables we have tried all had some negatives to them. Additionally, it seems if my kids are sitting next to each other there will always be fights and/or someone bumping their brothers plate on the ground. So the four sided table was a must and it apparently is not a very common style. That was why I fell in love with Ana Whites design.

I had just completed a deck and had leftover materials. This table was designed to compliment the deck - using the leftover Trex decking materials for the top and seats. This also led to some of the design decisions on how I altered the seat design to match the look and style of my deck.

This was a great project and a VERY sturdy table. It's rugged, heavy, and easily holds adults as well.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Ultimate Workbench/Miter Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/06/2023 - 15:32

This plan is exactly what I needed for my workspace. I ended up adding some slat wall pieces and cabinets above from cubicles in an old office nearby that closed down for a tool wall and storage. I left the right opening empty due to how unlevel my floors are. I may close it in later with drawers or cabinets, but it will be my sitting workspace for now. I trimmed out the edge with 1x2s and painted and stained everything for aesthetics.

Comments

Treehouse Bed in the Wild

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/04/2019 - 21:33

My boys LOVE this bed. I am making one for my other son who shares the room next so there will be two matching. They take up almost the whole room but they look so cute and double as play space in and under the bed so it works!

It took about 2 days to build and I had help from my husband and friend to make construction easier and cuts and staining more efficient.

One problem I had at the end was screwing in the roof boards. I hadn't thought about the fact that my ceilings are low on my old ranch house and could barely get the screwdriver in the space above the bed, so I had to tip the bed over to make it easier. Next time I may predrill the screws til just before breakthrough so I can fit the drill above.

Also those boards around the bed are probably the most expensive piece - if I didn't want the second bed to match exactly I would wonder if 1x6s wouldn't have been more economical.

I did sand and stain before assembly which made things much easier. I used my standard weathered grey stain.

The sheets are Pillowfort : Rustler's Ranch twin set. The sign and banner hung on the bed I got from Hobby Lobby.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Ana White

Sun, 08/04/2019 - 21:54

Thank you for submitting!  This is awesome!

That is a smart suggestion to swap 1X6S for the siding that could save a lot of money.

very much appreciate all the photos and the details!