Community Brag Posts

Benchmark Media Console

This was my first project, I love the look of the benchwright collection, so I changed the plans a little so it will look like the benchwright console and coffee table.(Farmhouse look) On the top I used 2-1x5's and 2-1x6's with 1x6 breadboard ends instead of the plywood with 1x2's and 1x3's. I can't wait to start on the benchwright coffee table and the console table for the entry way.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About 200. That includes everything from the wood to the finishes, handles, screws, ect..
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut (1 coat) and Gloss Polyurethane (2 coats). I also used a wood conditioner to keep to color from being too blotchy. I love all the different colors that the cheaper pine wood has when stained.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

little stuf

Wed, 08/01/2012 - 08:22

That's beautiful! My husband and I just built a den onto my Mom and Dad's old farmhouse. She is begging me for the entire Benchwright collection to go in her new room. I will be building this piece soon, I'm sure ;) Thanks for sharing all the great photos!

jrankintamu

Thu, 10/25/2012 - 18:58

The only sanding I did was to smooth out the bumps. I didn't do any hard sanding. The glass is attached with mirror clips from the backside.

Console Table

One of my best friends got married a while back and for their wedding gift, I wanted to build them a piece of furniture. I had purchased a piece of 1x12 from Lowe's a couple of years ago because I thought it looked cool and finally found the right project for it.

Estimated Cost
30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain and chalk paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

DIY Swing Bench

Submitted by Katpiter on Mon, 05/02/2016 - 18:43

Perfect plan Ana , very easy to make. Swing hung on the  A frame bulid with 4X4

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
swing $60
A frame $120
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Easy Table Build

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 09/21/2023 - 12:26

A very simple but very fun build.

Casey C.

Elementary Trestle Table Inspired by Land of Nod

Such a cute, functional table that was easy to build!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Mission Oak Satin for table top
October Red (a quart of pain mixed at Walmart years ago) for table itself
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Princess butterfly bed

Submitted by kgbarone on Fri, 02/07/2014 - 19:51

I love the toddler upholstered bed plans, but my daughter rolls all over the place while she's sleeping. So I added sides and put cut out butterflies on ladder hooks in front. She named it her Princess Butterfly Bed because everything is princess.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$180
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Tue, 12/02/2014 - 19:01

This is just darling - so cute for your little princess!  Love how you upholstered the sides along with the back. 

Little Helper Learning Tower

This is a slightly modified version of the little helper tower, very sturdy design, i weigh 184lbs and use it to climb up to high places as if it were scaffolding. The modifications include making the sides the ladder and the ladder the sides, this allows for smaller hands to grip easier when climbing. It helps to mimic more a ladder design than climbing up the side. It also made for easier install of rungs for ladder. Screws go through the wood face into tge end of the rungs, then pocket homes were used for side supports which were larger woods pieces than the rungs  and pocket screws went from face of supports to the edge of the legs therefore no split out when doing pocket screws! All made from recycled wood from crates, dried and seasoned of course, if you use recycled wood it must be fully cured or it will warp and split over time.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
The wood was free from crates that were going to the dumpster from my job. About $25.00 for screws glue and dowels, we used deck-mate #8x2,1/2 screws to assure safety of the rungs because they had the highest shear strength. We used minwax golden oak from the local hazardous waste collection site and the same with the poly, so the finish was free!
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax golden oak on the lighter one and semi gloss poly brush on, others are special walnut with spray minwax poly semi gloss. I personally like the brush on poly for the finish on this type of project. It is tougher and hold out longer, but it is a pain to apply when it is all together. The stain was applied before the pieces were put together. Touched up stain after all was together and sanded off high spots then applied poly after all was finished, bottom of tower first then to front and sides.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Poplar Dresser

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/03/2020 - 07:18

Poplar Dresser using pocket hole joinery

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Unfinished as of now
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Anna's Table

Submitted by tglife on Thu, 04/26/2012 - 18:41

The 'Clara table' was my hubbies first true build. He built this table for our daughter last summer. She loves it and it gets used on the daily. :) We went with a solid top instead of separate boards. It might have added a little extra cost but not much.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20 - $30ish
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut (I think) ... it's been almost a year so that's iffy on whether that's right or not.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kentwood Bookshelf - modified taller

I loved the rustic look of this plan but decided to use prime pine and sanded it smooth. I also used tongue & grove 6" cedar for the backing running horizontal instead of vertical to not make the shelf unit look tall and skinny. I covered over the 2 side edges of the tongue & grove cedar with a pine strip 5/8" wide all the way from the top to the floor. I also increased the height to add an additional shelf. I definitely suggest using a Kreg tool. I also recommend not plugging the Kreg pocket holes. They look terrific just stained. I also recommend not bothering to screw the top slates together. Just glue them using clamps.

Here are the plan modifications I made for the extra height & shelf:
- sides 76 1/2"
- legs 78 1/2"

My next project is to make another shelf just the same except to make the shelves 31 1/2" wide. This time I will use 1"x4" backing vertically.

The end product looks spectacular. You couldn't' buy a bookshelf like this anywhere.

Estimated Cost
$100 plus $100 for the Kreg tool
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Used Old Masters Dark Walnut penetrating stain #41004. Applied with the expensive Bounty paper towels. Used a 1" foam brush to stain inside the pocket holes. Don't bother trying to plug the pocket holes. They look better stained. Also applied BRIWAX light brown wax polish applied with a plastic scruff pad after the stain dried. Warning, stain the whole project at the same time. If you let parts dry and stain over them, it will show up differently.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My Pallet barn door TV Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/09/2016 - 09:46

Mini sliding barn doors. Made this piece out of pallet wood and used red oak for the top. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Honey and Pine Stain. Semi-Gloss on top and Satin on the rest
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King Size Bed From Ana White's plans

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/10/2020 - 12:19

Decided to try out my new tools on making a bed frame. Please note, I have NEVER made anything before, this was my very first project (go big or go home, right?). After a bit of research, I found Ana White's site, and am so thankful. I took the basic plans for a king size bed, but modified them to fit the look I wanted. I found old flooring at Habitat for Humanity and sanded/ stained/ sanded/ stained. I used four different stain colors, but really tried to mix everything up with the colors. The bed frame turned out amazing!

Estimated Cost
$105.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I sanded everything then used 4 different stains. some pieces I used multiple different colors of stains, other pieces I stained then sanded. The darker parts of the frame are grey and black stains.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Modified Flat Wall Book Shelves

I modified Ana's plans a little for our own needs. The simplified design feels a little more masculine to me and matches my boys' bunk beds a little better, too. I used pine. The 1 x 2's are select pine, not rustic, because that's all our HD had to offer. I wiped the whole thing down in tea, let it dry and then used a rusty vinegar solution as a stain. Gave it a few coats of varnish and voila! Love the final product. Thanks, Ana, for an incredibly empowering and motivating website. :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Strong tea to bring out the tannins. Aged rusty vinegar solution (as per Shanty 2 Chic's instructions) as stain and a diamond varnish to finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Triple Pedestal Table

Submitted by jiles95 on Thu, 05/12/2016 - 07:27

I built this for my wife for Mother's Day 2016!  Also built the centerpiece box.  If you know how to use a miter saw, jig saw, and read a tape measure....then you can build it too!!  It was a lot of fun and very rewarding!!  Took around 25-28 hours to build and finish.  Let me know if you have any questions.  My email is [email protected]

Estimated Cost
$275
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Legs - one coat of dark walnut minwax, then painted with valspar project perfect satin latex enamel in white (mix of spray paint and brush), distressed
Top - one coat of early american minwax, sanded, then white washed with 1:4 ratio of same valspar white and water. 4-5 coats of poly/crylic minwax clear matte.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Hall tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/16/2020 - 21:38

Hand made hall tree

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Fabric Covered wood Frames

This is a simple and cheap way to decorate any space. Just use some 1x2's to make a square frame. Stretch the fabric over the frame and staple it. You can make one large one or many different sized ones to cover a boring wall.

Estimated Cost
15 depending on fabric and size
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Pretty Fabric
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Cute wall shelf for my son's bedroom

Submitted by kristyzed on Sun, 02/16/2014 - 14:10

I saw this plan posted and knew I had to have it for my son's new bedroom. Most of the build was simple, it just got a bit tricky fitting in the angle piece at the top because I wasn't sure how to attach it without having a nail gun. Every time I line it up to nail it in with a hammer it would slip a bit. So I ended up using Gorilla Glue Epoxy to attach it. Since it's not hanging on the wall by the very top shelf, I didn't need it to be rock solid to support any weight, just needed it to stay in place.
I had scrap plywood laying around so it was free for me to make.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I applied two coats of Valspar's Heirloom Red and didn't seal it. I wanted a matte finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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