Community Brag Posts

My husband and I were able to put this together over the course of two weekend days. Then it took me an eternity to paint/finish it. But we love it now and so does our little girl!

Yes, my husband and I share our bedroom with 6 dogs and an occasional cat (or 4). Our older dog (Petra) has slept on our bed for over 10 years, and she's getting too old to jump anymore. We didn't want her to feel like she was getting kicked off the bed, so I made Petra her very own bed at the end of ours so that she wouldn't feel left out. I was inspired by MurdaRae's dog bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/06/doggie-daybed), and thought it was genius to use a toddler/crib bed. So I went looking for plans on Ana-White, and came up with a mixture between a couple of twin bed plans. I love that the plans are easy enough to modify my sizes, and come up with exactly the custom solution that I need. This was my first big project using Bri-Wax. The last one was kind of a disaster when the wax changed the stain color to something not-so-great. With this project, I learned to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to wax it. I was blown away with the results. It is a beautiful subtle satin finish that feels great to the touch. Plus, I can easily touch up all the dog fingernail scratches that will inevitably occur. When I re-assembled the bed in my bedroom, I actually nicked it in a few places. No problem -- slap on some more Bri-Wax! My Bri-Wax was 11 years old, and pure liquid. I tossed it in the fridge (per Bri-Wax's recommendation), and it was as good as new. The only real problem I had with this project was leaking sap from one of the 4x4s. I'm still fighting this today. In talking with Rustoleum/Zinsser reps, they said that no sap could penetrate their "Seal Coat" shellac product. After 5 coats, the sap is still penetrating, but only if I turn it on it's side or upside down. I'm still baffled. I made the mattress cover out of a dog blanket, and made the cushions from some remnant fabric (suitable for dogs and weekly washing), so this was a fairly inexpensive project. It was a success because Petra slept in her bed from the fist night and loved that she had all the room to herself, and no boston terrorists (I mean terriers) attempted to bother her.

Basically I took Ana's plan and tweaked it to create a diy sofa, a love seat, and a corner piece to make a sectional. All 3 pieces have the same basic design and function (they all have a storage compartment), although the corner piece, because of its placement and the thickness of the seating cushions, doesn't open unless the couch is opened first. We purchased custom cut, 6" thick foam cushions for the seats (we bought the XL-38 foam from https://www.buyfoam.com/, but if we had to do it again, we'd go with the XL-28 as the 38 is VERY firm). We also used upholstery fabric instead of a paint drop-cloth to cover the couches. The foam and upholstery fabric upped the overall cost significantly. Other changes from Ana's plan, I used 15/32" OSB because the 1/4" plywood just felt too flimsy (I'm a large guy). I also added I bolts to the underside of the seat before the foam and upholstery so I could add a stress relief rope to prevent the kids from opening the top and dropping it and ripping out the hinges. I used piano hinges as they seemed to me to provide the most support. Finally, I ended up using 1x2s for the base trim since I couldn't find any 2x2s that were straight and finish-ready, then I added router detailing to provide some visual interest. I used 3" pieces of 4x6 for the feet and added matching router detail. Additionally, I used T-Nuts and bolts to make the feet and base trim completely removable.

This was my first attempt at building anything....ever. It was so incredibly fun and I certainly learned a lot. My 8 little chickens are loving their new home and I can't wait to build my next project!

I built these two outdoor chaise lounges last year

Over the winter, I stored them on the deck, turning them into a huge outdoor sofa!

The need for a proper workbench in my garage/shop is a must, but. So is space! I already have a fold down workbench I’ve made with ¾ inch pipe & a door, but. I just need something that can handle all my tools. So, I stumbled upon these plans from the Family Handyman & couldn’t find a reason why this wouldn’t work in my shop. It has room for storage, can easily accommodate my tools & most importantly fold up to store. Easy to build too! Make sure you read all the plans first as some of the materials could be pricey, but well worth it. Technically it’s taken 2 months to build this bench, as I operate on a firefighter/teacher’s budget & during the holiday season no doubt. I ordered all the shelf standards & brackets through Amazon, $210.00 for those alone, but they hold so much weight to support your tools I figure it’s worth it. The rest materials (wood, screws) were purchased at Home Depot for around $150.00. The plans called for ¾ inch ply & it was $45.00 per sheet. However they did have a smaller thickness for $22.00 per sheet & was only a 1/32 inch thinner. I plan on topping all my surfaces with some ¼ inch tempered hardboard later on so I knew it would work. That also left me adjusting my screw size to mount my brackets. Due to the reduction in thickness of the plywood all my #8-1 inch screws needed to be adjusted to ¾ inch so to not screw through the ply. I also hit the molding isle to nab some pieces to use as furring strips to use under the shelves before attaching the brackets. This way I can sand each strip to match before mounting to make sure it lined up flat with the center top. One more thing; where it says “drill 1/8 inch hole in brackets make sure you use 1/8 inch pop rivets. I barrowed a pop rivet gun & was handed some rivets as well. Popped two & they had to be trashed because the rivet size turned out to be 5/32. So I stepped up in drill bit size & it all worked out. As I said, I’ll be topping it with some ¼ inch hardboard. I also plan to run it’s own electrical with an outlet on each post. I hope you all enjoy & this can help!

I've been wanting to buy or make a sandbox for my son for a couple of years now. Since seeing this on Ana White I knew I had to make it. My son is 4 yo and I didn't think the 4' square sandbox would be big enough for him, so I made it bigger. Ours is 6' square.

Materials:
4@1x8x6'
12@1x6x6'
2x4 - used leftovers from another project
8 hinges
4 handles
decking screws

Cut lengths:
2@1x8 cut to 71.5 (long sides of the box)
2@1x8 cut to 70.5 (short sides of the box)
did not cut the 1x6 boards (top planks) - actually designed the other boards to fit their length to prevent cutting (saving time) (note that original plan uses 1x4 planks - I used 1x6s so I could use the same number of planks but cover a larger area)
4@2x4 cut to 11.5 (arm rests)
4@2x4 cut to 18.5 (back supports)

followed instructions for assembly otherwise. At my husbands suggestion we put the handles on the sides and can easily open from either side - prevents having to lean over to the middle to open (back saver)

I finished the project in 4 hours including clean up and a couple of small breaks. This is my first Ana White project. It was a lot of fun to build and I hope my son will enjoy it for years to come!

I built this little book caddy for my son's room. I used pocket holes to attach the horizontal slats as well as for making the 'X' pieces. I glued the bottom boards and used long (2.5") screws to attach the top horizontal pieces. I was really happy with the way it came together, once I figured out that I could use pocket holes on the horizontal main beams. I realized you just have to start at the top and work your way down, because starting at the bottom would mean blocking your access to the bottom of the other boards.

I modified the Small Old English Style Farmhouse Dining Table plan to build a writing desk.   I used five 1x6 boards for the top for a width of 27.5 inches.   I made my desk 56 inches in length.  I put the drawer on the long side like a pencil drawer.   I did use the legs that Ana recommended in the plan.   I love how it turned out.  I used dark walnut danish oil and dark wax for the finish.  

After seeing the patio table with beer/wine cooler, I wanted to build this for my brother and wife who recently bought a house. I asked them if they were interested and of course they said yes. I modified the original plans by adding a 2x4 on each side of the cooler to make the table wider. I also made the legs out of 4x4 vs the 2x4s that were originally called for. I used redwood and then stained it and used a varnish for the final coating. I probably wouldn't use the varnish again for an outdoor table, because it looks like it should be an indoor table vs outdoor. Overall, I'm pleased with the results and the best part about it, I get to enjoy it every time I go over for a BBQ.

This is my first try at building furniture. I've built larger things in the past like decks and a fort for my nephews, but never furniture. Even though I used the plans to build the main box, I did change up the bottom and added some new stuff. I added wheels to the bottom my wife could easily move it around her classroom. I didn't want to put a square base on it because I thought it might hit her ankles when she was standing close to it. So I sort-of notched it out to give an opening for her feet and I used some scraps to create a short shelf at the bottom. I also added more trim that the plans call for. I cut strips of the pine plywood for the base molding and topped it with quarter round. I used corner trim for the front corners, the self inside and the bottom notched shelf. I also used screen trim for the back of it. I think it came out nice and I've very pleased with it. I used 2 coats of Minwax PolyShades American Chestnut on it.