Community Brag Posts

Rustic X-Frame Coffee Table

We've built so many of these coffee tables, but this one has got to be my favorite. Isn't the stain so dreamy?

I think the biggest thing about this coffee table is to finish it properly. We like to plane our boards down so it gives it a bit more of a seamless look - but real rustic lovers don't need to do this. 

We sanded the coffee table down with 120 grit paper & then stained this table in Sunbleached Oak by Varathane. It's literally the most stunning color. Blends with almost any decor. 

Once that was dry, we applied two coats of polyurathane 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
75.00 CA
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We sanded the coffee table down with 120 grit paper & then stained this table in Sunbleached Oak by Varathane. It's literally the most stunning color. Blends with almost any decor. 
Once that was dry, we applied two coats of polyurathane 
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Pokemon Center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/29/2016 - 11:15

My son is obsessed with Pokemon, and has amassed quite the collection of Pokemon plush toys. I wanted a simple way to keep them contained but accessible, and this was the perfect solution! I changed a few things in my build to make it shorter and square, and used shock cord instead of rope for more give. My son loves it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Planter Porch Steps

Submitted by kstarbird on Thu, 12/26/2019 - 15:06

Plan modified to be built on stringers due to hight. 

Finish Used
Pending

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

10 foot long Provence Table with 4x4's

My mom was looking for a new outdoor table, and asked me to come up with something. I found the link for these plans (http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2011/04/free-diy-furniture-plans-t…) to knock off Restoration Hardware's $4000 Provence Beam outdoor table. Overall I liked the plan, with the chunkier look of the 4x4's. But there were a lot of errors in the diagrams, and the finished height is 34" which is ridiculously tall for a table. So we took it apart and cut the legs back down to change the finished height to 30". We chose rough-cut cedar for it's look and outdoor properties, not wanting to use treated lumber for a dining table. We couldn't find 2x10's like the plan, so we substituted seven 2x6's just like Ana's plan, but left a 1/2" gap in between so water can drain and not pool on top and rot the wood. Also, since we were working with 4x4's for the legs, we chose heavy duty lag bolts instead of screws to join them together. I love the finished look they give. Overall it's a sturdy, yet lightweight table that my mom loves and has already used for entertaining!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$230
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
outdoor sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

brookifer86

Wed, 04/25/2012 - 10:02

Thanks Brook! It was so much fun to build. I put my dad and husband to work while I was the "project manager" ;)

Octagon Picnic Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/09/2016 - 04:59

Was a good project that I built for my son's new home.

I found a few errors in the instructions such as:

A) 2 - 2x4 @ 30 1/2 should be 30 1/4

B) 8 - 2x6 @ 32 15/16 both ends at 30 degrees off square, parallel to each other) should be cut at 34 15/16 blank sizes then cut the angles to acheive the finish size of 32 15/16

C) 8 - 2x6 @ 36 3/4 (both ends at 90 degrees off square, parrallel to each other) should be (both ends at 22 1/2 degrees off square, NOT parrrallel to each other)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut Stain, Urethane Top Coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Playset Addition

Submitted by Derek S on Wed, 06/10/2020 - 08:27

Decided our old play set needed an addition, landed on these plans of Ana's. Sat on them and mulled them over for months. Once the wife said something about adding on to it I made the purchases needed. Connected the two platforms with a bridge. I used 4"x4"x10' for the runners, same boards as the decking for the platform of the bridge(5/4"x6"), 2x4's and 1x4's for the railing. If you look at the 3rd photo, I had to chisel out the 4x4 post to get the 2"x6"x12" support to fit correctly. This should measure 2"x6"x13". Another change I made was to cut the bottom and top trim pieces longer on the front and back sections so that the trim would cover the framing of the gable end walls (see last photo). my son wanted windows so I faked in some windows with scrap 2x2's. I used 2x6's as supports from the 4x4's to the 2x6 framing (see photo 3) I added the monkey bars about a month before deciding to do the platform/deck and playhouse. The ladder is based loosely off of a couple of plans I found online. I was able to do all of this work myself except for the roof. Need my dads help to lift the plywood, he then helped me with the rest of the roof.

Estimated Cost
$1000
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used a dark wood stain fore the house, green exterior paint for the trim and white exterior paint for the interior of the house.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

Chick Brooding Cabinet for Quail

My family has started raising quail recently and I built their first home while they were still in the incubator. I have never done any wood work before, so this turned out much nicer than I expected! I followed the suggestion of having the brooder part on the top instead of the bottom and omitted the extra shelf. Two 5-gallon buckets fit nicely below the chicks. Since the quail are so small when they hatch, I used 1/4 inch hardware cloth for the "floor" but it wasn't long before that was too small so we had to change it to 1/2 inch. I am going to make a tray with each size of hardware cloth on it to make it easier to change out for next time, because they really do need both sizes.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

tilt out recycling center

Submitted by amyjeanae on Sun, 09/16/2012 - 08:09

Second wood project overall. First with a power-saw. Just found Ana-White - love it and thanks for sharing it all! I had to change the dimensions of this one to fit the space we needed it for. It holds two paper bags side by side to hold all of our recycling. So much neater then our plastic bin we had.

Looking forward to the next project...

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
sanded all, wood filler in holes on plywood, sanded again, painted plywood (2 coats) and clear polyurethane (2 coats) rest of project.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 05:59

You can stain the perimeter and make the door that red to match the door on the right.

carajane

Sun, 11/29/2015 - 11:57

The bottom looks different as well. I'm trying to avoid having to use a jig saw for the bottom. Would you mind sharing if and what modifications you made to the bottom? Great work!

 

Cara

8 Foot Picnic Table

Submitted by milleall on Wed, 07/22/2020 - 12:07

My teenage son and his father took over the bulk of the building duties this time. We chose to use treated lumber as untreated lumber with finish applied doesn't do well in Michigan weather in my experience. We made it more beautiful by using the treated lumber in cedartone. We used pocket holes to attach the top and seats to the supports to make for a smooth appearance. This is one large and heavy table! The plans were accurate and the build was fairly simple, but having many hands made working with the large piece easier.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Computer Desk with hutch

Submitted by SusanStory on Sat, 12/19/2020 - 07:19

My cousin needed a computer desk but wanted it to look like a piece of furniture when not in use since they have limited space. The left side stores her tower, the right side has a pullout shelf for her printer and storage for printer paper & supplies. She works with 2 monitors so the center on the hutch will accommodate both but be hidden when she isn't working. This was a fun project and using Shelfhelp made it a joy to build. They will be my "go-to" place when building large pieces of furniture.

Estimated Cost
$400.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Unfinished as they will stain to match their furniture

Comments

Henry bookshelf

Submitted by Lilbitmojo on Thu, 03/18/2021 - 15:33

My husband has been hounding me to build him a bookshelf for his office. I actually used wood that I already had in my garage. The next time I build it, I will follow it exactly... I used plywood on the shelves and planks on the back... next time, I will do the opposite, but I really love it!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Less than 100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic Buffet Table

Love how this rustic buffet / console table turned out! It was made as a companion piece for a Farmhouse - style table. Modified to be shorter (64"), and made without the decorative hardware or the "X" detailing from the original plan.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$55
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Custom mix of Minwax Weathered Oak + Antique Walnut Stain. Three coats of hand-rubbed polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Octagon picnic table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 05/24/2017 - 20:34

I love our new table. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Thompson deck stain (cedar) and black Laytex paint.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

Cutest Baby Doll High Chair

Submitted by tracysmith on Sun, 03/27/2011 - 15:29

My neighbors grand-daughter is about to turn 3 and I thought this would make a great present for her.. plus, when she saw it online while visiting me (I was checking the website as usual), she said "Oh, I NEED one of those!".  I laughed and then that night went out and checked my scrap pile to see if I had everything I needed to build it.

I only needed one 8' piece of 1x2 to complete it.. .everything else I had, so great!
Estimated Cost
About $10 with paint.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
I have yet to paint this little project, but it will be painted in a gloss lavender purple so it's easy to clean.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Golf Club Locker

Utilized the plan for the Locker Book Shelf-Full Size and modified it a bit to convert to a golf club locker. Definitely keeps all the clubs, shoes, and accessories organized and eliminates the clutter. My wife loves it, course she added the baskets, which makes it look awesome! Actually this is how I stumbled upon Ana White's website. I was looking high and low for a plan for golf club lockers, and found Ana's website as part of the process. Best google search I've ever done!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Twin Over Full Bunk Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/30/2022 - 15:21

Utilized the plans from this website to frame out the general idea, but as typical with my projects, I took it to a little further and utilized more traditional joinery (mortise & tenon, oak dowel pins, dado). Guard rails are bolted with carriage bolts. Hand planed all boards and added chamfers to every edge (zero sandpaper). Both beds are joined together with 1 inch oak pins (x4 legs). Each bed breaks down very easily by knocking out the three 1/2 pins that join the legs to the stretchers (x4 legs).

Both beds were built out of structural southern yellow pine lumber. The boy's bed was merely varnished with Danish Oil (dark walnut) all over - on Southern Yellow Pine, this color choice gives it a rustic look. Girl's bed was two toned: painted white and stained with Varathane (Kona), to give it that country look.

I think the total installed cost of the beds was just over $300 - $350 for the lumber, oak pins, any hardware, and finish material. This was a while back, so with lumber prices high, I'm not sure that's easily done anymore. But, it's solid as a rock and will last an extremely long time for our family.

Great project. Thanks for the ideas! Steve

American Made Woodworks Trestle Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/05/2019 - 16:46

This amazing trestle table seats 8 people with the “not pictured” matching bench. The table legs are jointed with mortise and tenon and the ends of the table top are lose slot jointed to the 4”x4”s to prevent unwanted warping if there is any. The table top is secured to the apron frame by table top fasteners to allow for wood movement and easy disassemble for transport. All wood planed to required thickness and sanded to 220 grit. Then finished off with an 80/20 mixture of “carbon grey stain and Ebony stain”. 3 coats of oil based satin polyurethane to top it off.

Estimated Cost
$140
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Oil based polyurethane(satin)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Furniture Builds

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/28/2023 - 07:22

Hi Ana, after building your essential chairs I decided to build my grandson a small one I burned it with a torch and then clear coated it and it turned out so sweet. I also built a picnic table and added a different crossmember to it for strength. I also built a glider swing that I used from an old pattern from many years ago. Still without going to your site and watching you build on YouTube I would not have attempted any of this. I love all of the things that you build and you have inspired me so much. Thank you for all you do and keep those wonderful plans coming! My next project is going to be that little workshop that you build in panels and put together that you made for your friend. I'm going to make one and turn it into a lawn mower shed.

Darlene Sudderth the Twiddlebug woodshop

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