Community Brag Posts

This took new novice DIYers about 25 hrs. Also this table is really heavy when complete so build it where you want it to sit or build in it one place and right before you are about to finish move the 3 built peieces separely where you want it to sit and finish assymbling it. Also, when completed this is counter height. We are going to take ours apart abit and shave 6in or so off the legs to be normal table height.

I built two 3 person outdoor sofa's and a coffee table as per your plans. It is sitting nicely inside the pergola we build last fall. I built a grill table too, to match the others. Thank You.

Olivia's Playhouse, built by mommy and daddy, though she did "help." Super-thankful to Ana for her awesome plans and making all this possible for our Little One. Modified the door to make it "barn style" which opens top/bottom. In the spring, plan on adding a small front porch/deck and railing.

After seeing benches like these on a wedding blog, I really wanted to build my own. It was a super easy project, and really cheap! Here's what you need:

• 2 – 2x6x8′ boards. They cost about $3 each at Home Depot.
• Screws, sandpaper and stain.

Cut List:
3 – 2×6 @ 47″
4 – 2×6 @ 16″

That’s it! I decided how long I wanted my bench to be (which was 47" long by 16" tall). Then, I cut out my pieces. I decided to do 45 degree angle joints on the ends, as opposed to having a flat edge exposed on the sides. I had to use my table saw to get the 45′s on the legs and two flat boards. This was very effin’ scary. Using my Kreg jig, I drilled holes in both of the flat boards that sandwich the tall center one. I offset my holes so that the screws wouldn’t hit each other. You can see in the picture that I accidentally drilled holes in my center piece too. Builder fail. That side will just have to face the back ;)

Attach your 3 top boards together. Then screw in your legs. I decided not to countersink and fill, kind of because I like the industrial look, but mostly because I’m lazy. Then you just sand that sucker up and voila! You’ve got a gorgeous bench perfect for any home. I decided to get a little fancy with my finishing and do a two-tone stain. It took about an hour to do the two colors and not drip on everything, as opposed to the 15 minutes one color would take. I think the extra time was definitely worth it!

For my first woodworking project, I foolishly decided to build a rabbit hutch without plans for my daughters new Easter Bunny. So I literally scratched some ideas on my wood working bench and started going to work. I did some construction over a decade ago, but never attempted to build any furniture before, so I'm pretty happy with how this came out.

I spent a few days researching various rabbit cages and for our place we needed something that was ascetically pleasing and functional as it was going in our living room. I got some ideas from the web and decided the best thing for us would be to have an entry ramp, 2 sets of barn doors for each level (for easy cleaning) and an open roof. We went with linoleum floors since she's already litter trained. The floors could easily be modified to add 1/2" wire mesh if we decide to change things down the line. Also, we chose an espresso finish with silver hardware to accent the wire mesh

I pretty much crashed and burned on the staining as I've never done that before, but it ended up looking ok after all. I did a light sanding, but will probably invest in a planer and jointer to get my wood in better shape before assembling in the future. Also, I'll probably lightly dab some stain on ends of wood before final assembly as it made it difficulty trying to hide the white pine with the dark stain.

Other cages I saw ran around $200-$350.00 so i don't feel so bad about the cost. It's really the time that it took learning and making mistakes. I'm sure if I had plans I could of cut my time in 1/2.

Total Cost came out to around $150.00 but probably would of been cheaper if I had some plans to go by. I probably wasted a few 2x2s and accidentally mis-cut a scrap piece of 1/4"plywood which added another $16.00 to the bottom line.

Here's a breakdown of my total cost.

Hardware - $30.00
Includes 5 latches, 4 sets of hinges (8 total) and a 3' piano hinge

Stain - $8.00

Linoleum Tile @ ¢.69 sq ft - $16

Brushes, Stain Rags - $5.00

Screws - $6.00

Wire Mesh Roll $30.00
Needed 2 rolls at $15.00 each. I used 1" Wire Mesh measuring 2'x15'

Total Wood $50.00-$60
I used 2x3's for the legs - 2 @ 8' - $2.00 each ($4.00)
probably 15-20 2x2's - $1.52 each - can't remember how many I used to be honest ($30.00)
and a few 1x6's for the Doors - $2.00 each ($6.00)
Sheet of 1/4 plywood - $12.00

These chairs followed the simple white outdoor chair instructions. There were a few adaptations. I used 2x3s instead of 2x2s for the legs, like in the simple white outdoor loveseat instructions. I purchased my cushions from Target, and their dimensions are different than the cushions used in the instructions, so I changed some of the chair dimensions. I created the pattern for the ottomans, but it is very much based on the simple white outdoor chair instructions.

Fun project and happy with the results. Staining instead of painting probably made the project take twice as long.

I really wanted a built in unit for toy storage for our kids toy room but truth be told couldn't afford what I wanted ie pretty and solid. So while searching on refinishing furniture I came across this site. Thanks a bunch Ana. You've inspired me to create things I didn't think possible, all on a modest budget - diy. This was my first woodworking project. It was actually easy to me because it follows the same principles as sewing in which the depth of the wood is like the seam allowance. I really liked the 6 cubby plan but wanted it horizontal. I had to replan this piece as the plan dimensions changed when I changed the orientation of it. I also added crown moulding (but this was kind of a ledger style that rested ontop of the 1x2 - they use it as a door headers). I initially intended to paint this white but decided that it would have got lost in the white wood panelling. (DH even commented that i was taking way to long on this project but after seeing the finished results said it looked amazing.) So I painted it a grey blue, distressed the edges and then used a stain that I bought from benjamin moore's mis-tint section for $5.00 which says it's a danish walnut based but seems to have a slight purple huge to it. thanks again Ana, its because of you I don't have to stare at a messy toyroom any longer!

I built a couple benches to go with the reclaimed wood farm table I recently built. They are made out of hard to find 2″ reclaimed rough sawn lumber. The benches would also make a great coffee table or side table. Each bench is 36″ long and 18″ tall and 9″ deep.