Community Brag Posts

3 sided square picnic table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 13:08

We built 2 of these tables for the McDonald’s in our area for the front of their building. With a few modifications to fit the space. We made the top of the table a foot smaller so it’s 3 x 4 feet. We also put extra bracing on the legs so the table would not tip over if one person was to sit on it. I love this table and will be making one for myself

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Entry way bench and storage

Submitted by seesaw on Sat, 03/12/2011 - 11:19

This is perfect for our front room- (most) shoes fit in the storage baskets, and the hooks are perfect for scarves and coats in the winter, towels and life jackets in the summer. The top cubbies hold gloves and hats, as well as sunglasses, umbrellas and sun screen.

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

The Coffee Table of Fun

Submitted by QueenMahin on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 03:59

Hello Fellow Ana White Fans!

This is from Ana White's lego coffee table plan, but my daughter is not a huge fan of legos, so we’re just calling this project the Coffee Table of Fun!  Indeed it was a fun build.  This project gave me the excuse I was looking for to buy a kreg jig.  Certainly a kreg jig was not required, as the plan calls for a plywood top and bottom, but Ana revealed in the comments that she made her table by planking 1x6 boards with the kreg jig.  I was nervous at first with the kreg jig (it comes with a whopping big bit), but now I see a world of new possibilities in building with this awesome tool.

This table came together very quickly.  In fact, perhaps it was too quick, because I made a substantial mistake during the build.  In step 8 of the plan, adding the top sides, I missed the fact that the top side was supposed to be flush with the top support, not with the box itself, so that there would be a ledge for the top to rest on.  I didn’t realize my mistake until I added the top ends (correctly), and then measured for the top piece.  Then I scratched my head after realizing that the 3 planked 1x6 boards were not going to fit at all.  Oops!

I was disheartened at first, because I didn’t know what to do.  By the way, Ana has included a “How-To’s” section on this new site for fellow builders to submit tips.  I’d love it if someone could give some pointers about fixing mistakes.  Is there any recourse once a board is glued and screwed?  Anyway, I took some quiet time to think about the project and had an “Aha!” moment.  I ended up attaching 1x2 pieces around the inner edges of the two compartments to create the ledge for the top to rest on.  Then, instead of the three planked 1x6 boards that I’d planned on, I used 6 1x3’s planked together to make the top.  Yes, there was an unexpected detour from the plan, but it all worked out just fine.   I’d rather not make mistakes, but at my current level of experience, I think that mistakes are inevitable, and the mistakes actually give the piece a story and a little extra personality.

Looking forward to the next project!

Cheers!

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain with Minwax poly shades - pecan satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X end table to cover up dog kennel

Submitted by Tashism on Fri, 06/21/2013 - 07:12

We are getting a puppy in a couple weeks and we want to crate train her. We have a small house so the only place we have to put the crate is in the living room. Needless to say, we needed a way to make the crate look good in our living room. That's when I found the plans for the rustic x-end table. The dimensions were almost the same as the dog crate. I only had to change the dimensions by a couple inches and wallah! Now the crate doesn't look out of place and I have a place to put my laptop and phone! I ended up ripping the 2x6's just a saw blade width down to get rid of the rounded edges and that made the top come together smoother. I also planed down the top a bit as well. In some spots, you can hardly tell they were 2x6's laminated together! I used two different stains on it. The first coat was a tudor stain but I wanted to warm it up a bit so I put a coat of antique walnut on it as well. I am very very happy with how this turned out. Now my husband would like me to build a coffee table to match!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

onenutsprague

Thu, 02/25/2016 - 08:59

This entire site is click bait. yet to see one actual plan. its like all stolen data from pinterist. which is equally as bad

Laundry Basket Rack

This was a great last minute Christmas gift. Took me a little over two hours. Made completely out if pallet wood.

Comments

Kitchen Tower Cabinet

This is our first Ana White project and we're pretty happy with the results. We modified the plans a bit to use 1/4" plywood for the sides instead of the heavy 3/4" ply. Specifically built for our kitchen since we couldn't find one that we really liked or could afford. Pottery Barn seriously sells this for $1200?!?! Score!

Estimated Cost
$70 + finishing
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
DIY chalk paint and wax - distressed.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X mixed with a Triple Truss Coffee Table

I considered myself pretty good at cutting and assembling, less when it comes too filling, sanding, and staining. I could not figure out the X for the life of me! Luckily I could figure out the Tuss table :D

Estimated Cost
$80-100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Expanded Cube Shelf

Submitted by ehansen25 on Fri, 07/26/2013 - 08:32

My husband and I needed more room and storage in our small one bedroom apartment. In order to get both we needed to get rid of our big hutch, desk and tv stand. So when I saw these cubes shelves I thought they would be perfect, then I saw TRACYSMITH's brag post a decided that was perfect! I painted it and did some organizing and it was probably the best decision we have ever made!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a 2 coats of paint and primer in one, in a really, really light grey color (sorry I don't have the exact color). I just use a regular paint brush to apply.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Toy Box

Submitted by frmoody on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 15:01

My second build from Ana's toy box plan. I had my son use his CNC machine to carve boy's name into the front. Depth of the letters is about 0.25". Looks really good.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Farmhouse Queen Headboard

Submitted by danicarby on Mon, 11/09/2015 - 07:19

I built this for my mom's guest room.  She watched my kids and I worked in the garage.. couldn't have been a better vacation! :)

 

I used 6" (finished size 5") tongue and groove boards for the panel, shorter posts and screwed main structure pieces together using 5-1/2" lag bolts and plugging with 3/4" dowel pieces.  I added woodedn blocks at the bottom of posts for attaching metal bed frame.

 

My dad didn't have any pipe clamps so I ended up using a wratcheting strap!  HA!  Use what you can and save money! :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
I just made the headboard and that cost about $60 in wood, $40 for finishing products & $10 in hardware.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes Seal-A-Cell, General Finishes Antique Walnut Get Stain, Minwax Polycrylic (Clear Satin)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bed

I built this bed as a modified farmhouse bed. I chose to have a solid wood headboard instead of having a slotted look as it fit better in the decor of our home. I purchased a bed rail kit from Rockler so that I could remove the rails without removing any screws. (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5783) It was a relatively easy project considering my skill set was very low when starting! http://www.lifewithfingerprints.com/2010/09/labor-of-love.html

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$110
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a satin black paint finish with a polyacrylic coating.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cedar Planter

Submitted by bclute on Tue, 12/08/2015 - 10:28

I built these out of necessity to keep my tipsy Christmas decorations from blowing over. The last couple years I spent a lot of time picking these trees up off the ground. I like how they turned out and were relatively easy to build.

I was excited I got to use my Kreg Jig for the first time, which looked more difficult to use than it actually was. Although these are cedar planters I used all pine from big box orange. Some leftover from the farmhouse queen bed I built and the rest I purchased.

The finish didn't turn out as grey as I would have hoped using the steel wool and vinegar, but I still like the aged look. I added the "x" detail in the front afterward and instead of staining my wife thought it looked better natural. Either way I would have been happy. I will be able to use these year round in some capacity.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
I used some scrap and some new, but these cost me about $15 each
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Steel Wool and Vinegar followed by Thompsons Water Seal
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 08:19

This was my first BIG project. I worked on it for a few hours every day for a few weeks. The most tedious part was sanding, but that is because I wanted to go the cheap way and got my wood from HD. I also did this (mostly) by myself, but having a partner definitely would have made the process go faster (especially for attaching the side rails to the headboard/footboard). I used bed rail brackets to make things easy when I move. I also made the bed a little higher than Ana's plan because I wanted a lot of under-bed storage.

Have questions!? Just ask! This was such a rewarding project :) 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Pre-stain wood conditioner, Two coats of Early American stain, Four coats of wipe-on poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Greenhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/03/2023 - 16:02

Thank you so much for the plans. We enjoyed building it. We love it!!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Industrial Closet

Submitted by cgarrett42 on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 05:35

After being "so done" with the original closet that came with the home, I decided to rip out all the wire shelving and make a custom closet out of 1x4s and 2x4s.  I pre-stained all the boards and cut to custom lengths.  I kept the integrity height for the shelves of 42" and 84".  Instead of using galvanized pipe, I used Halefe Premium Oval closet rods.  In the end, I have a very stout closet and a much better use of space.

For the small shelf beside the window, I used 1x4s cut to custom length.  Under the hanging shelves, there will be a shoe rack.

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Walnut Polyshade
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Queen Farmhouse Bed Frame

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/08/2023 - 16:33

I am a newbie to wood working and was inspired by Ana's Farmhouse bed frame. I built this for my newly married daughter and she is so happy with it. It's very sturdy and has plenty of storage underneath. The instructions, buy & cut lists were super easy to follow. I can't wait to build the Extra Wide Dresser next.

Comments

Chicken Coop with run

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/31/2016 - 19:36

It took a while to come together and made several modifications but it is a great coop and was a major selling point of the house when we were relocated.  I had added a main tray under the roosts and a door to srape the poop out.  This made keeping the coop clean very easy.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$800
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Chicken Coop
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Beadboard Storage Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/04/2016 - 08:23

It was time to upgrade our daughter's bed to something bigger. I have always loved the idea of platform beds and went searching the Ana White site for ideas. Needless to say, I made several modifications to allow for a huge amount of storage. The bed is designed to fit up to a queen mattress, but we went with full size since her room is a bit tight. Each drawer is 24"x24"x12" deep and mounted on 100 lbs. full extension slides. This allowed us to eliminate both dressers in her bedroom plus the hamper since one of the drawers is now for dirty clothes. I built this as two 80" cabinets and used a 3/4" plywood spacer to bridge the gap. What you can't see is the six 24"x24"x12" cubbies on the far side of the bed which allowed us to remove her bookcase and toy box. Once in place, I measured and built the footboard panel with 1x4 dimensional pine and beadboard and it is attached with screws from inside the cabinet. The headboard was last as I wanted to give her a shelf for her chargers, remote, phine, ipad, etc. This allowed us to remove her nightstand. Her small bedroom feels much larger now that this is the only piece of furniture she needs once I get her tv mounted on the wall.

Estimated Cost
I would estimate I invested $300 in material and paint on this one not counting the new mattress.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr Ultra
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Over the toilet medicine cabinet / storage

Submitted by skyzen on Tue, 11/19/2013 - 17:06

I recently discovered your blog and got really inspired. After building a couple of beginner projects following your plans, i started to think about making something that can be used as medicine cabinet and does not take much space. Came up with the idea for this over the toilet storage rack.

My goal was to recycle/reuse some of the stuff that was sitting in my garage.
Started with building a frame using 1x6s (24 inch for shelves and 72 inch height). Used plastic table mats were used as sliding windows. Found a PVC trim (8 ft) for $2 at lowes that has been used as the rails/track for the windows. The back is piece of cardbord that was scrap from an old broken ikea bookshelf.

I am pretty happy that i recycled some stuff and made this in less than $15.

Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Bombay Mahogany Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

kevinwdavies

Tue, 12/01/2020 - 14:20

Did you do anything to the bottoms of the legs to prevent wet floors from wicking into the wood? I am wanting to build something similar to replace a particle board cabinet-in-a-box because the particle board did soak up water and get ruined. What I'd REALLY like are metal end caps with an adjustable foot (like you put at the bottom of a table leg) but I can't find a combination of the two anywhere.