Community Brag Posts

First ever wood project. Under $200 in materials! Less than a weekend of work (for two people). Beautiful results!!!!! Built from plans on Ana-White.com The only change we made to the build was adding some additional support legs in the middle of the bed. 

I designed this desk from another desk I built. With this one, I wanted the overall foot-print smaller but still something that was able to organize all our office stuff and be able to close everything to keep it clutter-free. We have a small apartment, and although this desk is about the size of an up-right piano, it works perfectly into our living space!

I made it out of raw hardwood (Ash) and because I knew just the wood alone would make this desk heavy/bulky to move I made the top hutch removable. It's held in place by wood pegs (dominos). All the shelves are adjustable and the drawers are full-extension (something I've never had - wahoo)! The drop-down door is help up by 2 pull-out boards on each side (my first desk had chains). I spend a lot of money on this desk because I knew it was a chance in a lifetime to make and wanted it to be perfect and something that would last generations.

I built the main carcass off of plans/measurements I designed, but then all the insides, drawers, shelves, doors, etc where made as I built (because just a millimeter difference in building changes everything)!

If you want more pictures/descriptions of the building process I wrote about it in a 4-part series on my blog.

This was a fun project that I made for my wife. I saw a Crate & Barrel table with legs that alternated directions. The plans were easily adapted to match. I stained the standard pine boards with Minwax Prestain, Minwax Red Mahogany stain (2 coats) and sealed with a matte polyeurathane. The matte finish cut down any shine and should prevent any fingerprints from showing up, though witha 2-year and 6-year old this is inevitable. I may still add some small 3-4" triangular braces on the ends of the table at the legs to add stability, but it seems quite stable as it is. The bench is next on the list, but this will have to wait until after Thanksgiving.

Our large lap dog finally discovered he could easily get whatever he wanted out of the trash, so I built the tilt out bin to help keep him out of trouble. lol. I made it cabinet height so we could move the microwave off the counter, and added a drawer to the extra space to keep garbage bags and such in.

Needed custom size table that is versatile. Daughter can do homework, act as bar table, and work area. Chairs repainted and reupholstered. Screwed in multiple plug outlet to the side. First of many projects. Learned how to use Kreg Jig.

Since I used hardwood (red oak) I have to modify the plan and eliminate the sides of the shelves. Modifications and measurement is on the additional photo. Thanks again Ana, you're the best!

Made this for our patio area very fun build, my wife loves it so of course she wants another one! Back to the wood stove.

I used the armless chair plan, and altered the one armed plans to make two chaises. Then I increased the size slightly to accommodate the 25x25 pillows I bought. This took about 12 hours with one person working. I am super proud of it! Finished today, and will eventually stain after the wood has dried out a little. Thank you, Ana, for making straightforward plans that gave me the confidence to do my first woodworking project!

Andrea in Michigan

With another baby boy arriving in August, my one and three year olds are moving to a "big boy" room. My oldest decided he wanted a bunk bed and as they both are obsessed with tractors, when I saw the "John Deere Tractor Bunk Bed" plan, I was sold.

We would be needing a twin sized bunk bed though not a toddler. I used the classic bunk bed plans and simply modified them to suit our needs. I moved the ladder to the front, added a rail on the bottom bunk and added a small ladder to the side for my one year old to climb into the bottom bunk.

Once the the frame of the bed was complete, I added the tractor accessories. A couple of storage cubby shelves with fabric baskets for toy tractors which act as stairs up to the ladder and make the tractor bucket at the front. Also, the wheels which are made from joined 1x6s as I find plywood hard to sand and paint to the quality of finish I like. A cab & roof from 1x4s framed together. A side mirror that I decoupaged a picture of another tractor on. I used push lights for the headlights as well as a reading light above each bed (they're on timers so they'll turn themselves off). A steering wheel (play equipment access from toys r us). Also, I built and mounted by the head of both beds a "flat wall book holder" so they would have somewhere to store a few books.

My boys and I are fairly new to building so I spent a lot of time planning and measuring to ensure it would all come together in the end. It paid off because it all went smoothly (even with "help" from my boys). It's not perfect but they're very happy with the result. We also built a John Deere themed "Just my size closet" and even finished with over a month to spare before the new baby arrives! :)

Just want to say a quick thank you to Ana both for the amazing plans and also the inspiration to take on these projects. The time spent with my boys building as well as the resulting treasures are priceless and I would have never realized what we were capable of had I not stumbled upon your website and been so inspired by you and everything you've accomplished. Thank you!

Built a whole wall of work benches for my garage! Instead of one giant bench this is made as 3 separate benches, plus a rolling bench for the table saw. They are a combination of elements from 3 plans - - the Sturdy Work Bench, the Workbench to Get the Job Done, and the Simple Rolling Bar Cart.

The heights allow for the long pieces cut with the miter saw to rest on the side tables, and when using the table saw (it’s on wheels) the tables can catch the pieces as they push off from the back of the table saw. The bench top surfaces are at 36 ½” tall, which is the height of the “deck” of the table saw, and the miter saw table is 3 ½” shorter. The side table widths are sized to fit the wood on hand (one at 36” and one at 40”), and the center lower one is 40” wide to allow plenty of elbow room for cutting miters on the sliding miter saw. The table tops are 36” deep, which allows plenty of working room and space for the sliding miter saw. The table tops overhang 2” on the front and back.

The leg assemblies are made from scrap and left over wood from multiple projects we’ve done over the last couple of years, which includes regular and treated lumber (1x, 2x, and 4x4 pieces, and even some reclaimed 5/4 decking boards ripped down). The legs are a mixture of 2x4’s and 4x4 posts. The only lumber that wasn’t already on hand was some more 1x4’s for the shelf slats and the plywood for the tops. Since this is a work bench, the finish will remain au naturale. It does need some additional sanding on the sharp/pointy edges on the table tops though.

The blue caddy at the end of the left shelf holds my newest power tools – Ryobi One Plus 18V Airstrike nailer and compact drill/driver, with extra batteries. Woot!! Those came in really handy on this build!

For now the shelves have open bins and baskets, but the plan is to get closed (clear) bins with lids for all the things on the shelves, to protect everything from the sawdust.

The shelves are slatted so they wouldn’t gather such big piles of sawdust since the tables are open. I can just vacuum or use the blower at the bottom to remove the sawdust that falls through.

The table saw bench was an afternoon project, and the 3 benches took several hours spread out over 3 weekends. I'm delighted with how these turned out, and can't wait to use them for more projects!

I made this in an afternoon. Loved this project. It is made with 2x4's using a Kregs Jig and mitre saw (plus additional tools like a drill and square).  This was my frist time using the Kregs Jig and I am sold!!

The free plans were taken from another website. They are very detailed and there is even a video (I recommend it as he gives a great tip for making sure the back stays equal/level to each other before putting the back on). Even though you can build this by yourself, I did have help for the heavier sides once they were assembled.  I plan to build the additional side table soon and finish them both with sanding and staining when the weather seems less iffy for rain.

If you are looking for a good beginner project that doesn't take forever or have complicated steps, this is your project.

Have made many of these as you can see.  The plan is easy to follow and easy to modify to suit your needs,  Wonderful site #anawhite

Built from the outdoor coffee table plans.

Changed the dimensions up a bit on the coffee table and shrunk them down to make matching end tables.

Changed the top layout and the bottom shelf a little bit. 

Thank you for the plans!!!