Community Brag Posts

Guitar Stand

Submitted by Eddie K on Thu, 03/02/2017 - 13:49

Built this guitar stand basically by using on-hand materials left over from another project.  Used 1x12's; 18" tall fir for sides and back braces (cut at 5 degrees on each side).  Added felt strips to protect the instrument.

Estimated Cost
Probably around $20-25. Need about 4' of 1x12 fir and Minwax Polyshades in Classic Oak. All materials were on hand except the roll felt, so hard to pinpoint.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades in Classic Oak.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Custom Industrial Style Closet

Submitted by slug on Tue, 12/09/2014 - 09:03

We remodeled our house and now had a new 9x6 master closet to fill. During construction I saw this design on ana-white.com and liked the style, but wanted to customize the layout. I found an online closet designer and played around until I found something my wife and I liked. We ended up with a 9 foot long his/hers double hanging on the ends and a long hanging section in the middle. And on the other side 8 feet of shelving (leaving about a foot for other storage).

I bought the pipe as a 10 foot pipe to be cut and threaded (for free by the store). I did have to change the design a little because the store cannot thread pipe less than 14 inches. So I ended up replacing the short pipes and T's with 2x4s. That made it a little cheaper and I still like the end result.

We stained all the wood using Minwax "Early American". This probably accounts for most of the build time.

Then I put together the supports and brought them into the closet to add all the pipes and slats. I started with the wall for hanging. And later did the shelving.

 

Here's another forum with more pictures of this project:

http://woodworking.formeremortals.net/me-mo-community/#/discussion/866/…

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
<$400 for whole closet.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax "Early American"
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

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

Wall Crates

Really cute and simple project. I left one stained for the rustic bathroom and painted two white for the beach themed living room.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
painted two in white dove by valspar and stained one in oak with Minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Storage Dining Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/22/2024 - 07:34

Kitchen dining bench with storage. Due to the plugs being in an awkward position, I opted to build this bench with a facade as opposed to adding a back and sides. This also meant it had to be panelled in situ which was a fun challenge! It has piano hinges as well as soft close pistons making for a great storage bench that is in keeping with the rest of our kitchen.

Custom Toy Box

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/27/2024 - 11:30

Your plan for this toy box was sooo easy to follow, but I added the feet. My grandson loved it. I have 2 other projects from your plans for him as well.

Charlene

Built from Plan(s)

Modern Outdoor Sofa and Loveseat

Modified the loveseat plans and created a sofa as well. No one that sees these thinks I built them. They look so much nicer than anything you can buy!

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
First coat SW New Ebony Stain
second coat Varathane Briarsmoke
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Tow Mater Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/06/2017 - 10:02

I made this chair for my 3 year old son who is obsessed with Disney Cars based off of Ana's 

Super easy little Adirondack chair plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Various
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cedar Fence Picket Raised Garden Beds

I made these for my 81 year-old Grandma, and I will be making some for my own front yard soon. I followed the plans and ripped the fence boards instead of buying the optional 1x2s. My awesome dad showed me how to use the table saw, but the rest I did all by myself! We decided to leave them unfinished for a natural look. It took me about 7 hours total broken up to make all three, but this is my first project and I was slow. Thanks Ana, for inspiring this working Mom to pick up a hammer and get stuff done!

Estimated Cost
$13 per bed in fence boards
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Left unfinished
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Seasonal And Holiday

Workbench

Submitted by jaimej on Sun, 04/28/2013 - 18:38

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.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
none
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Little Crate Fireplace Decor

Submitted by AlexWS on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 12:36

The apartment we're in has a non working fireplace so we needed something to stack candles on in there. I just went to my free pallet wood pile and started cutting and nailing. They roughly follow the planes of the Little Crates, or maybe the free floating nightstand. I'm still debating whether or not to put any sort of finish on it, for now here they are without any sanding or anything.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Free
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Ladder shelf Results

Submitted by vdotmatrix on Wed, 11/11/2015 - 10:56

I made these shelves for the top of my work bench to keep from going insane,,,,they are 57" tall with shelves every 14", 8 feet long and 16" deep. I had to loose 2-18" deep shelves to accomodate my drill press. , I used 5/8" plywood for the shelves and 1 by 12 and a 1x4 for the top shelf. Everything is glued and screwed. STURDY like a rock! I took a long time to over engineer these shelves, should have taken about 3-4 hours or less but I took my time...warped pine makes life ugly use the best wood you can afford.- See more at: http://ana-white.com/2014/09/free_plans/easy-economical-garage-shelving…

Estimated Cost
$60...2x4x10; 2x4x8; 4x8 23/32"; screws and tite bondIII.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Porch swing bed

Submitted by Beaulook on Tue, 01/28/2014 - 16:29

Started off with the original design but enlarged it to fit an oversize single mattress. The mattress cost me $35 from a local faith farm, while the materials came in around $200. I decided to hang under my backyard pergola. Fun and easy project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Cedar stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

bhammond

Tue, 01/28/2014 - 21:10

Wow this looks so inviting I might just have to make one too! Nice work-- it looks great!

Shorty

Tue, 01/28/2014 - 21:26

Really great job on your porch swing bed AND an awesome looking patio/yard. Looks amazing all around!

Debbie Perkins

Mon, 07/27/2015 - 22:45

I want this!  I just made a couple of plant stands for my front porch.  My husband asked me what my next project was, why, a swing bed.  (This was only my second project!)  I want to put cup holders in those big ole arms!  We have a house at the beach in South Alabama, so, you gotta "hydrate."  This is an awesome swing.  I can't wait to do mine...pillows to rest on, one foot on the concrete pushing me in a slow swing. Cold beverage in my hand or in my cup holder. Yep, southern girl has a new project.  Love it!

Rolling saw horses

Submitted by Craig P on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 07:26

Your saw horse plan worked great for a wooden boat project I'm doing -- the 3" wheels (with one locking) enable me to move the boat around the workshop or even outdoors for heavy duty sanding. 

I added blocks of 2x4 to the legs for more surface for the wheels and I extended the cross pieces to 4-feet long as the old AuSable River (MI) guide boat is about 40" wide.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60.00 (a lot of the cost is in the 3" wheels..)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None, though thinking about putting some finish on them as they'll be getting wet when I wash down the boat...
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Nesting Office Station

Submitted by Sb1212 on Tue, 07/14/2020 - 18:38

So loving this nesting office station❤️! We will have a sofa sleeper in the office as well. So we needed a desk that could be moved to the wall when the sofa sleeper is being used by guest. I saw a post from Ana for her Nesting Grill Station and I came up with the idea to make this nesting office station. The cabinet includes a file folder drawer (which is from Ana's mail boss plans), a regular drawer, cabinet doors with shelves. One of the shelves is a pull out shelf for the printer. I think it came together great! Design for nesting desk inspired by these plans: https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/nesting-grill-station https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/mail-boss

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Pecan
Valspar Signature Ultra White in satin
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sb1212

Sat, 10/03/2020 - 08:35

Hi, Thank you! Actually I didn't add wheels to the design since this will be in an office with thick carpeting. I added adjustable metal foot pads to the bottom of the desk.

Pergola

Pergola is 10x12 made of all cedar except posts.  Posts were 6x6 brown wood then covered in 1x6 cedar. Slats on top were attached using L brackets. Stained the same year.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cabot in Natural finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Reading Nook turned Tent!

I made this for my boy who's turning four tomorrow! (Sep 1st) He loves building forts and I don't mind rearranging the furniture, but set up and clean up is so time consuming, we'd both rather spend more time playing. This is an indoor tent, but I took it outside for pictures. Aside from the obvious difference of adding doors and a back, the changes I made from the original plans are: using an 8 foot 1x3 so the tent is 4 feet deep instead of 3. Instead of stapling the fabric on the 1x3s at the bottom, I wrapped the fabric around and used velcro so I could remove it for washing. I sewed a tube of fabric and attached it at the top to make removal easier. Time Investment is so long because of the sewing involved for the tent. If you have an Ikea near you, they've got this stuff called glaze paint (more of a stain, I think) in all different colors - it doesn't need a top coat (unless you want it shiny), it's solvent free and, are you ready? $6 for 12.something ounces, MORE than enough for this project. To make it even easier if you're using fabric instead of curtains like me and you've got the room, cut a 8ft 1x3 in half so you've got two 4ft pieces. Most quilting cotton at fabric stores is 44-45 inches wide selvedge to selvedge (the ends that don't fray) and if you follow the plan according to where to drill for the top bolt, you'll need 4-4.25 yards of fabric, depending on whether you are going to use velcro or staple. I would use 4.25 if using velcro, the fabric can go right over the top bar and over the other side if you don't want to sew a tube like I did. If you don't want to sew at all, use iron-on hem tape on the cut edges and iron on velcro. Make sure of placement of the velcro before ironing on. More pictures on my blog =)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 - wood, bolts, stain, material for tent (everything)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Green Ikea glaze paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Grandy Barn Door Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/02/2019 - 13:23

Tailored this to fit our space to provide us with more storage that is easy on the eyes 😍 took our time completing it and love how it turned out. First big woodworking project I’ve completed!! My furry assistant is featured in some of the pictures 🤩

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White chalk paint with espresso stain top
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Our new garden beds. Thank you!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 05/04/2016 - 07:00

I'm only moderately handy and these were fun and pretty easy.

Learned a lot and got better as I went along.

I found ways to make it as cheap as possible, probably did all three projects for 150 bucks.

Estimated Cost
Around $150
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner