Community Brag Posts

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 made the miter saw cart today. It took me about 2.5 hrs, but I was going slow and taking lots of breaks.

My son and I had a blast building this table last October. I have been meaning to write and thank you for the great plans. We took the suggestion of staggering the legs for better access and it turned out great. I also used deck boards for the top to help reduce weight and they were already slightly curved on the sides which made sanding easier. Thank you!
My cost includes a nice Kreg Jig set up (approx $100)

Great Plans! Thank you so much. My first go at a piece of "fine" furniture and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

This was my first project and it come out beautifully. I did learn a valuable lesson - if you are going to build something in the basement, make sure it fits up the stairs. Not sure if you can tell from the picture but this ended up 6 inches shorter than the plans. Can wait to find my next project!

Used some basic tips found online to draw out the cut lines. The runners are 2x12x12. Regular ole decking for the platform and 4x4 for the posts. Anchored in concrete. Lag bolts and hex bolts to secure to the posts.

Anything is possible when you put your mind to it. This is my 4th DIY furniture project. First time working on cabinet/doors. Installing them straight was the biggest challenge. The side of the pantry is actually four 2x4's. I measured the frame so tightly that I had to use a hammer to bang in the fourth 2x4 on each wall, also adding a distressed look in the process. The pantry is very large, 48in wide and about 17 inches deep. Our kitchen lacks storage space and we could use a little more space for food and also pots, pans etc. The staircase to our basement is off our kitchen, so I placed the pantry right at the bottom of the staircase for easy access. I am thrilled with how this came out considering the time and effort it took. Very gratifying. Build on!

My daughter-in-law needed a compact sewing table, and this plan fit the bill perfectly! I did use 2 x 2 legs instead of 1 x 2s. This makes the table considerably more stable if you plan to use this table with your machine. If you do use the 2 x 2s for legs, you will need to widen your table top dimensions from 15 1/2" to 17" to accommodate the larger diameter of the legs. I also used a piano hinge for each drop leaf. They weren't much more expensive than the hinges listed in the plans, but again, they provide more stability (imho).

I wanted to show the locking mechanism for the legs in detail. I love these as they hold the legs in place when the drop leaf is down, and they pop into place when the leaf is in use. Called "folding leg fitting" it is part S-149L at $3.65 each at the following link:

http://www.hardwaretree.com/proddetail.php?prod=S-149L

When my daughter-in-law received her gift on Christmas Eve, she wouldn't even let me keep it for another day or two so I could touch-uppaint some spots...she loves it.

Thank you, Ana, for the wonderful plans!!

A good friend of mine, a pastor of a local church, asked me to build a pulpit for their recently finished church up in the countryside of Grenada. She showed me a picture of what she had in mind and based on that, I drew my own plan in SketchUp, and then built it out of Yellow Pine boards and Plywood.

Note to the dimensions:
After I drew the plan, and just when I was at the lumberyard to have the plywood and boards cut, I thought I might have had it estimated not wide enough, so I decided on the spot to make it 2" wider and the top panel 2" wider and deeper too. So if you'd like to build based on my plans, please consider if it's wide enough for your purposes.

This is what I used (corrected measurements here):

2x 2x8 26" long YP Boards (Base)
1x 18 1/2" x 6 1/2" Plywood (Base Support Panel)
1x 26" x 16" Plywood (Top)
1x 18 1/2" x 9" Plywood (Shelf Panel)
2x 45" x 9 1/2" Plywood (Side Panels ) - these are cut angled, see plans
1x 44 1/2" Wood Moulding (for the "stopper" on the top panel, and the "back" of the top shelf.

My husband and I built this for our son's bedroom using all five of Ana’s series of plans for the cubby wall system. We did pretty well, especially considering that it was our very first building project. We made the media component of the wall unit the same width as the two sides since we didn’t need it to fit a wide screen TV. My hubby was thrilled that the drawers went together beautifully. The doors turned out a little “off” -- luckily the room has a beach theme so this piece fits right in with the beach shack look!

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.