Community Brag Posts

My nephew new wood shop getting it set up power and lights.

We decided to build the Farmhouse Table after our 30 year old dining table began to crack and just wasn't working so well for our family of 5. This was our first project, so we made a lot of mistakes but also learned a lot. One of the hardest things was finding decent lumber that wasn't warped or split. We also made two Farmhouse Benches but they aren't included in this photo.

I altered the dimensions from the plans slightly to meet my needs. I added self-closing, heavy duty hinges for the doors because a basic euro- hinge from home depot would not hold the weight of the doors with glass. For the finish, I sanded the edges slightly after painting and used a minwax stain maker to stain the sanded areas giving a clean, distressed look. I used gel stain for the first time on this build. Softer woods such as pine or alder are prone to blotchy finishes when stained. I built the top out of Alder and stained it with gel stain from general finishes. I am very happy with how the top turned out after using the gel stain. I did not have to use a pre-stain conditioner either.

DIY Octagon Picnic Table

I used the wall jewelry cabinet plan and modified it a bit to fit the materials that I already had in the garage. The whole project was built using salvaged barn wood and siding that was built in the 1800's. It took a little longer to square up the boards and sand them to a friendly feel but I had little to no finishing time in the end. The plans were so spot on that used them almost exactly.! I just added another cross support to the door and used old barn wood tongue and groove for the back. I also fastened a little piece of wood at the top of the door with one brad nail. I did this to keep the door shut in a more attractive way then a clasp or hasp. The little piece swings out of the way with ease. I bought the knob at hobby lobby for 2 dollars and the hinges were less than 2 dollars. The hardware cloth came in a roll that was 24 inches by 25 feet long for 10 dollars. Basic wood working knowledge and tools are super helpful with this project and as is stated in the original plans... a kreg jig makes it so much faster and easier.! Thanks so much for sharing!!

I used Ana's plans and modified the top, I used 3/4 MDF with hardwood flooring. I then used 2" door casing for edging.

This is a super easy build, but it cost us WAY more than the estimate. By the time we painted and hung it the total was closer to $150. 

We we squeezed the swing into the crack between the pillar and wall of my back porch. It barely fit, but we are a family of six so I wanted it to be as big as possible. 

This is the 52 inch waterfall console. I fell in love the it and thought it might be a great way to store my bed pillows when they aren’t in use. I modified it to be shorter and taller, to fit my space and needs. This was my first time using a kreg jig and brad nailer… tutorials on those would be great, but I figured it out! And I’m so excited I did - this is a game changer for my building projects!

I did not edit this project, except the original project plan called for the bed to be turned sideways, I made this with the bed facing the right original way. The longest part of this project was waiting for the stain. It is not included in the estimated build time.

This project was nearly the emotional equivalent of pure hell. I began this as a buffet for someone who decided midway that they no longer wanted it. Secretly I was happy because I fell in love with it. The problem was it was started in late fall and this winter in ohio was more Ana's norm than ours. My I heated garage created a warped piece and an untenable workspace for a few months. I'm pretty happy all and all.

Our Australian Shepard will no longer be digging the trash out all over the floor!  I did change the plans up a bit because I wanted a hangover off the sides as well as the front. And we used bead board instead of the solid panel. Thanks for the great plans Ana!

I am new to this. I used your plan but reduced the lenght by 24 to make a 2 seat Garden Bench. I used softwood and painted with this outdoor paint. Thanks for inspiration and plans. I am located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

My mom has been addicted to Pinterest for a while now, so eventually she was led to this site. To make a long story short, she asked me to build her a dining room table similar to the Rustic Table design, but just a bit beefier, and with custom dimensions to fit the family's needs. I used 2x8's (8 feet long) for the table top, 2x4's for the apron/skirt, and 4x4's for the legs. This thing is a monster. I'm assuming it weighs close to 200 lbs. I beat the legs up with an old golf club, and scratched them up pretty good with screws.

This was my first time attempting something of this caliber, and I am really pleased with the results. The best part is that my mother LOVES it, and I now look like the greatest son in the world to all of her friends on Facebook!

DIY Ladder Shelf to use as a plant stand on our courtyard deck.

This summer my wife and I remodeled our oldest's bedroom. I found this nightstand on Ana's website, and my wife fell in love with it. I had to make it! I noticed there were no brag posts for the Julia, so I felt that I had to contribute as a thank you for finding these plans. Thanks Ana!