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This was my first woodworking project and I really like how it turned out. The instructions for building the unit were pretty clear and I only deviated from them in two ways: 1) Since I am using this as a tv stand, I added a port (pictured) for xbox / cable box HDMI cables. I painted the port the same color as the unit so it blends in well. 2) To attach the top two stained pieces of wood, I used pocket holes instead of drilling down from the top. That way I didn't need to use any wood filler. I think I used 7 or so pocket holes per board and it seemed to be held pretty well. For the paint color, I copied kbdesigns' unit and used 'Intellectual' by Behr. I don't remember the stain for the wood but the stain is a darker color than it shows in the pictures. As far as the hardware, I modified those plans as follows: 1) I used a vise to bend the aluminum flat bar to provide stopping points for the doors, so they don't just slide right off the bar. I think I bent about 1.25-1.5 inches at the end. I just used a hammer and a vise and the metal bent fairly easily. 2) I drilled four holes instead of three for more support. 3) For the bar pieces on the doors, I made them 4.5 inches instead of 8.5 inches. I liked the shorter look in the original Grandy examples. 4) I used the clevis pins from the pulleys I bought to attach the wheels to the bars. Note: her instructions for the pulley wheels seemed very difficult. I was able to find pulleys on clevis pins that could easily be removed from the wheel casing, or whatever it is called. I found them at Home Depot. I think they were 1.5 inches.

Emerson with extra trim and fancy feet. Also added a closet dowel and overhang.  Built at 36 weeks for our baby Collin.

I built this console over about 2 months. I really wanted a barnwood look so I found this lumber place that sells pine that puts it through a machine and roughs it up on one side. I also added my own saw marks to it, screwdriver dents, rake dents, etc. to rough it up some more. Real barnwood is expensive and often isn't straight, etc. and since I was using this in my kitchen as a countertop I didn't want any spaces in my countertop. This was about a third of the price of barnwood. I wasn't sure how the look of it would turn out, but I think it comes pretty close to looking like the real deal! My husband helped me with the sliding door mechanism. We used pulleys for it and cut metal down to size. We discovered that using a nut and bolt on it didn't work, it just loosened and would come off so instead of using a nut and bolt to secure the pulley to the metal, we used a clevis pin and some washers. Works amazing! This was my first big build and I am very happy with how it turned out! Behind the sliding doors there is one shelf each. We have found there is so much room for storage!

My hubby is 6'5'' tall. Since most matresses are 80 inches long, he mostly ends up with his feet hanging out of the bed (since you don't lay your head down at the very beginning of the mattress, right?). So I tried to solve this problem by making the bed 4'' longer than the plans suggested. I added 2'' of foam on each end of the bed, so now its 84'' long and my hubby fits perfectly!

Thanks for the great plans, I had a blast building my own bed!

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...

I loved these rolling cubby plans, so I used them to build one of my own! I needed a bench that could "nest" itself within some open shelves, but be pulled out to provide additional table seating. 

I built this one from maple and walnut, because I like the bright, white color of maple against the brownish/gray of walnut. I very much dislike shiny or dark woods, so I went for an ultra matte wax finish. I used a liming wax for the maple to keep it bright and white (maple tends to go yellow when finished with a "clear" or "natural" finisher), and a clear wax for the walnut. 

I found some non-marking casters on Amazon, but that was the tricky part. The bench needed to be high enough to create ample storage, yet not too tall that it was uncomfortable to sit on. SO I went with s smaller caster, but needed to use six to support the weight of the bench and three occupants. Final bench dimensions are 19" H x 47" W x 17 " D. 

My husband and I love entertaining, but our small kitchen table was just not cutting it for both our space and our hosting abilities. We decided that instead of searching for the perfect table and spending a ton of money, we would just build our own table. We found that Ana's Rustic Table plans best matched what we were looking for, but my husband being the detailed person that he is didn’t just want to take her measurements and run with them. So we taped off the floor around our old table to decide how large we wanted our own table to be.

We basically followed Ana White’s plans to a T. Until it got to the legs. Ana White used 2×4′s for her legs, but we decided we liked the look of chunkier 4×4 legs instead. We also did things in a different order, like attaching the legs to the apron before attaching the table top. This did make everything way easier when it came to painting, no tape needed. We also stained the bottoms and sides of the tabletop boards before attaching them to the apron. After the top was attached I stained the top side and applied about 3-4 coats of Matte polyurethane. I like the matte finish because it doesn’t add any sheen and makes things look even more rustic; however, we’ll have to add a regular coat of poly as well because the matte is too soft for something that will see such rough use over the years. And now for what you’re all wondering about, how much did this project cost us?

• Wood – $86
• Stain (Dark Walnut) – $7.77
• Paint (Olympic Snow Storm) – $11.97
• Polyurethane (Rustoleum Matte finish) – $11.93
• If that is all we needed to buy then our total would have been: $117.67.

I had an odd request for an Extra Tall Bar Stool. These plans were fantastic and easy to follow. This was exactly what the customer was looking for. Thank you - Handcrafted by Grampa T ( Tom R)

I wanted to build an L shaped outdoor bar with a 2 post pergola over the grill.  I couldn't find any plans online that would fit the space I had, so I decided to build it myself with custom dimensions.  The top bar is approx. 7'3" across, and 15" wide, while the distance from the right edge (next to the house) to the end of the bar is approx. 9'1".  

I framed it with PT lumber and the 2 pergola posts are sitting on top of the pavers and supported internally within some of the framing studs.  Since the pavers sit on top of concrete, I didn't feel the need to dig up the existing pavers and achor them in the ground.  

I used hardiboard for the exterior and tiled the lower section of the bar.

For the actual high bar top, I wanted to do something unique, and found a 900 year old scrap slab of Cypress at a local lumber yard.  One side was smooth, but underneath was gouged out from different saw cuts and very uneven.  I screwed a piece of 3/4" PT plywood underneath and trimmed it with 1-1/2" Cypress.  I stained the whole thing with a dark honey colored stain and put a generous amount of poly on it once it was dry.  There are a few cracks and nicks on it, but once it was stained, it looked awesome.  

I wanted to revamp my mudroom and need some storage so I built a bench and designed it as a built-in.

Please check out my DIY blog:

http://www.woodworkingfourdummies.com/blog/2nd-post

thanks,

Ian

Thank you for the base design of this cup tree... I just added a little flair. Wenge with a stripe of maple.

Here is my spin on the Farmhouse bed.  I made the entire thing 8 inches taller, added a couple random pieces here and there, and stained it dark walnut.  I also modified the plans to use a box spring and bed rail fasteners to make it easier to take apart.

The plans were super simple, and I had it finished in about an hour (worked around the little's nap schedule).  I left it unfinished so that the recipient could paint it or stain it however she wanted.  It was so nice to see it built and the bedding dressed up before kids got to it.   :)  I will definitely build another for my own daughter as soon as she's old enough to have her own American Girl doll.