Community Brag Posts

Rustic X End Table

Submitted by Pkberni on Sat, 01/31/2015 - 18:27

My husband modified the plans for the rustic X end tables to make a slightly smaller version for our living room.  Instead of 2x6s he used 1x6s on the top.  Instead of 2x4s he used 2x2s for the X and the legs.  I am really excited about how they turned out!  Thanks for all the great ideas Ana; they are inspiring!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 for 2 tables
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood conditioner, followed by Minwax Classic Gray, and Satin Polyurethene
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

roadtripmom

Mon, 02/02/2015 - 09:06

I love the 2x2 legs. Great color too ! Thank you for the inspiration !

Hot Tin Roof

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/30/2017 - 07:10

Shed

Estimated Cost
$225
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Horizontal Porch Planters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/14/2021 - 18:11

Hi Ana! I recently got into woodworking because I saw my neighbors who had some cute horizontal planters but everywhere I looked, they were so expensive! I couldn't find plans exactly how I wanted them so I used your "Cedar Front Porch Planter Plans" and flipped them sideways so that they were shorter/longer instead of taller. Somehow I got all the measurements right and they turned out beautifully! I have made four more since then for family and friends. I was even able to get my mom to help me (see photo!). I wanted to share with you and feel free to share w/ your followers! I hope to complete some more projects...thanks to your website for giving me inspiration and also teaching me how to use power tools!

Built from: https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/frame-and-panel-planters

Estimated Cost
25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded lightly with orbital sander. Stained with Miniwax Jacobean waterbased stain and sealed with Miniwax Polyurathane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse tallboy dresser

I just finished building this dresser and i am very very happy with it. I got the plans from the design confidential http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2012/03/free-diy-furniture-plans-b… This dresser took me over a month to do from start to finish i mostly just worked on it during the weekends. I have a small work area so there was only so much i could do at once. This dresser is very sturdy and strong, I am willing to bet this will be in the family for many years to come. If I had a router I would have loved to have made the drawers out of solid pine (instead of plywood) and made dovetail joints. I used The kreg jig to build them and there still awesome either way.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I distressed the wood using various tools and such to make it look old and aged. I then used the tea and vingar stain, but it didnt come out exactly what i had wanted. To fix this i rubbed chocolate coloured stain over top of this then used 2 coats of satin poly. It came out a litter darker than I had originally wanted but am still very pleased with the results!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Corona square coffee table

Submitted by Mjh60 on Tue, 02/03/2015 - 19:25

I worked on this project a few hours a day, I made the cuts one day and then drilled the pocket holes and assembled the table. The difference for the table and the original plans was I did not use the turned legs from the plans. I used non treated 4x4's. Longest time was waiting between stain and poly to dry. I love being able to get find these plans on Ana's site! Thank you Ana.

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain and 2 coats of polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Quilt Ladder Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/02/2017 - 14:24

 

Built with 2x4 and 2x6.  Simple stain brushed on with a sponge and let stand a few minutes and wipe off.  

Project assembled with pocket holes.

Estimated Cost
2 2X4 and 1X6 Project put together with pocket holes
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Simple brush on with a sponge, let sit a few minutes and wipe off.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Val's Toy Box

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/21/2021 - 04:55

Using free plywood scrap from a local business, I made the toy box by cutting the 3/4 plywood into the same nominal sized wood. I filled in the edge of the exposed wood with spackling and sanded it smooth. Two issues I came across with this build. The width of the top shelf, nominal 7 1/4", was too wide so I cut it down to 6" and the middle shelf supports stuck out side of the angled rail so I cut those down by about 1/8". Three coats of paint to cover. I'm pretty proud of myself as this was tagged as an advanced build and it's only the fourth item I've built! Thanks for the great project plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$14 (wood was free)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Ultra Cover Premium Latex Paint, satin, claret wine. Primed with Kilz white primer. Needed 3 coats of paint to get full coverage of white primer. Paint directions recommended against rollering it but it left too many brush strokes so the second and third coats were applied with a 4" roller.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Camp Loft Bed with side stairs and landing

Submitted by dmel on Wed, 03/27/2013 - 09:48

I used Ana's camp loft bed plans. Built it directly in the room since I had the kiddo's with me and hubby working late couldn't help carry pieces upstairs. Built this "big girl" bed for my three year old and she loves it. Hubby and Bro-in Law got the mattress and it was a little high for the plans, so I have since added a foldable side rail for extra security. Plans worked great as is, no changes made.

Estimated Cost
70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint (light pink)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Narrow Farmhouse Table with Stenciled Desktop

I've been looking at this project for 2-3 years. After spending a lot of time in the lumber store looking at 1x boards for planks (and not finding any that I was very happy with), I walked by the plywood section and saw a really nice looking piece of plywood made by the Araucoply company. Not only did it look better than the plank boards I found on my visit, it was 1/2 the price of the board I was looking at. I live in Fairbanks, Alaska and it only cost $29 for an 8' sheet of Aruacoply. I brought it home and ripped it with my circular saw, using a homemade rip guide. I made the table 2' wide by 8' long and stained it with ebony stain. I spent the next two weeks cutting stencils and painting the table top. Once it was covered with some of my favorite quotes, poems, lyrics, and graphics, I sealed everything with three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane. I blurred out poems written by my kids in the photo attached to this post. 

 

I built the base in about two hours and stained the legs with a light blue Varathane stain that was on discount at the local box store because the can was dented. If I hadn't spent so much time stenciling, I could have easily been done with the whole thing in no more than 2.5 hours.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Ebony stain for the top, light blue Varathane stain (can't remember the name!) for the legs, three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Toddler Bed

Submitted by SkyGold on Fri, 03/29/2013 - 18:58

This is a cross between the Farmhouse toddler bed plans and the Brookstone storage bed. My youngest son's bedding was all western stuff that I had made and wanted a bed that did it justice. We combined the headboard from Brookstone with the Farmhouse plans. I think it looks pretty good considering it was our first project!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

kitchen nook

Submitted by Quinnfire on Tue, 02/10/2015 - 11:49

This was a fun build. For the benches I used the storage sofa plans to figure out how to build the backs but I used removable cushions So I can easily wash them as needed. The bench against the wall is deeper so the subway bookshelf fits on top. I only used 2 pedestals for the table since it's only 48" long. I made the entire project 48 inches long so I could get the most use out of the wood. It comfortably fits 4 people and I love how it turned out.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Tue, 02/10/2015 - 17:45

Great job on this build! Super use of space too, love the shelves above the one bench, and extra storage in the console behind the other. Did you do those blue storage boxes too? Great pop of color!

Quinnfire

Wed, 02/11/2015 - 13:55

Thank you! I made the blue boxes out of a couple of 1x8s and I am loving all the extra storage space.

First Build

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/09/2017 - 12:28

Thank you all for your inputs.  I ended up building it 80x49 and was very surprised how well it turned out.  The chairs were unfinished from homedepot.com.  The key is buying straight boards and clamping.  I'll be doing some other projects after seeing how well this one went.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/07/2021 - 20:22

Based on a design I saw on this site. Used dark cherry stain plus polyurethane that I got from Ollie's for $3.99. All pallet wood- 1x4s and 2x6's. My first glue-up AND my first use of sealant. Really pleased with the result. Thanks for the idea.

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
dark cherry stain plus polyurethane that I got from Ollie's for $3.99. Three coats with light sanding in between applications. Dried at least an hour each coat. Paint was interior semi-gloss- two coats.

Comments

My builts Ins.

So easy when you have the right tools. It is exactly what we needed. I can't wait for my next project!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Semi-Gloss Latex White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Vegetable Bin

Hand-made vegetable cupboard. Fun and easy project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Provincial
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/12/2017 - 19:49

This was the first wood project I attempted, ever really, and first I picked from the book. It was a little daunting, but these are really comfortable chairs. Great design! Now people are asking me to make some for them too.

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum matte finish indoor/outdoor paint in
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wooden Lanterns

Submitted by mrich_d60 on Fri, 05/14/2021 - 15:39

I made 7 lanterns - 6 with 18" uprights and 1 with 13". They were originally just for my daughter's backyard wedding. They aren't decorated yet because she's going to use them on the patio now and is waiting for the solar lights and LED candles to arrive. They were too nice not to use them right away!

Estimated Cost
About $9.00 each
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Ultimate One Coat coverage stain + Varathane Triple Thick one coat clear finish on entire lantern. Thompson's WaterSeal Waterpoofing Stain semi-transparent for underside and feet.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Shirley Console Table (modified)

Submitted by wenikio on Thu, 04/04/2013 - 14:48

This was a modification of the Shirley Console Table. I had to change the dimensions to fit our entryway, and I wanted some color variation. Because I used two different stains, the pieces had to be fit together, sanded accordingly, taken apart, stained, and then glued/screwed together again. I learned how to use a router on this project, so it was a learning experience (thank goodness for wood filler!). I also inset the sides and back, though it's not really obvious in the picture. The drawers slide on a tongue and groove track. The pulls are white porcelain covered in teal sharpie (baked then coated with acrylic). Definitely learned a lot on this project! As this was made basically from wood scraps, I'm not sure what the cost was. The drawers, minus the facing, is 3/4" oak veneer plywood.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
MinWax Red Mahogany and Golden Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 17:15

Great project! It's beautiful! Your porcelain knobs method sounds fascinating -- did you sharpie them first and then bake in the oven (what temp & how long?) - that's a super creative idea!

Modified using thicker wood

Submitted by rtomblin on Sun, 02/15/2015 - 18:44

We had complete fun with modifying the original project. with upscaling the wood to the post design. thank you so much for the original post for design and measurements. Also want to mention that everything put together in this project was used with the Kregg pocket screw kit. THANK YOU ANA-WHITE.com and KREGG Tools for making my kids bunk that much more fun for them!

 

(Note: For those wishing the material and cut sheet, I will be more than happy to add later. Just please leave comment stating so.)

Estimated Cost
Approx $125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Basketball Shade

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/15/2017 - 21:09

Rather than using stacked 1x2s for the base I used 2x2s there as well. I had the old basketball on hand and the bulb guard leftover from another project. 

I also was able to dismantle the IKEA lamp in order to thread the cord and reassemble without the need to cut the plug. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$16 for a couple of furring strips, the bulb guard and lamp assembly.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Olde Maple Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner