Community Brag Posts

Grandy Sliding Door Console

Submitted by lseib262 on Thu, 03/31/2016 - 15:49

I used the plans here and the hardware plans that are linked in the comments (with the 1-1/2 inch pulleys). In retrospect, it wasn't that hard, although I built it up to be so since I was doing so many things for the first time, including cutting and drilling metal. With the right blades and drill bits, it was a breeze. This took me a few months to actually finish, but if I were to do it again start to finish, I'd say one person could do it in 3-4 days. I got the reclaimed barnwood from a local salvage place. I used the tea/steel wool/vinegar stain for the top and regular paint for the body. Total cost was somewhere in the low $200's. I absolutely love it and am so grateful that a site like this exists! Thank you!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

tgrott

Sat, 04/02/2016 - 16:02

You did an amazing job! It looks beautiful! Also love the dog wall!!! :))) Can you email me the instructions on how to make the hardware at [email protected] or post them? 

Super easy farmhouse dining table !

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 07:15

This was our first project like this .. was last minute cost about $64 with lumber and screws , we already had the stain and paint .. only took 2 days ! I’m so happy !!! The only thing different I would do is put pocket holes in which we might add . Perfect project for a beginner !

Estimated Cost
$64
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We didn’t use any finish yet as we are still deciding lol
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Soda Crate Caddy

I had some scraps lying around, and it was just the right amount to do this soda crate caddy. The only change was using scrap 1x12 on the bottom instead of two 1x6's. I finished the whole thing in under 2 hours, including stain and the chalkboard front. I gave it to a friend as a thank you present for baby sitting my baby girl.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
free - used scraps
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum's Ultimate Stain in Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Our master closet from this plan!

Submitted by jec on Sat, 01/11/2014 - 07:18

We built this master closet using the simple closet plan. It looks wonderful and wasn't too difficult to do once we determined the measurements we needed to use to fit our closet. My husband does not have much building experience at all, but he was able to do this with Ana's fabulous plans. Thank you so much for saving us hundreds of dollars! We have real wood in our closet and we love it!

We used plywood and painted all surfaces with indoor latex trim paint.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted with interior latex trim paint from Porter Paint. Used 2 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

imortison

Sun, 01/12/2014 - 19:02

It looks very nice. May I ask what dimension of the plywood you used?
They look more than 3/4'' thick to me, right? My husband and I are planning our very first project!! Any info /advice would be highly appreciated.

Farmhouse bed Queen

Submitted by fdfp84 on Sat, 04/02/2016 - 17:33

I built this for my youngest daughter, she loved it

Estimated Cost
250.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Coffee Table [Beginner/Under $40]

I altered the design slightly by using pocket holes on the top and the bottom slats.  I didn't want any of the screws to show since i was painting the base white.  I used all purpose bondo to smooth the seams for a more finished look.  This has been my favorite build so far and I can't wait for the matching end table to be released.  

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax special walnut 2 coats , rustoleum chalk paint 4 coats , verathane polyurethane water based 4 coats .
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

annab3

Fri, 12/27/2019 - 11:13

That looks so good!  ....and is exactly how I want to paint mine (stained wood top, white painted bottom). I have two questions-

1. Did you paint the base white after assembling it together (minus the table top piece) or did you paint it before assembly?

2. Did you bondo every gap, or were you referring to just the table top?

Again, it looks so great and now I really want to get going on making my own.

First Woodworking Project Workbench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/07/2023 - 12:14

My first build!!! Before this, the only thing I'd ever done was some board and batten. It's far from perfect, but I learned so much in the process. Thank you Ana for wonderful plans that you offer so generously. Next, I think I'll attempt a headboard.

April Bean

A wee Bunk Bed for a Birthday

Submitted by doorcrazy on Sun, 03/25/2012 - 06:57

We have a lot of birthdays (5-6 year old range) this week so we decided to try some of these plans out. So much fun and they get easier each time :)

Estimated Cost
20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Just some extra pink paint I had lying around
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mobile Workbench

This is from Ana White's "Get the Job Done Workbench" post,

http://ana-white.com/2011/11/workbench-get-job-done

First project using my new Ridgid Sliding Compound miter saw/table and new Kreg HD Jig for pocket holes.

Thanks to my girlfriend for noticing that the depth worked out perfectly for resting three Rubbermaid Roughneck Totes underneath for holding clamps, tools, etc. Also added a paper towel holder under neath, a power strip and of course a bottle opener to the front. :)

Primer and some cheap $2.50 "Oops" paint from Lowe's finished the project.

Now I can move on to other projects and use this sweet new workbench!

Loved these plans. Super easy to follow and modify as needed.

And "Marty" in the photo also approves of the final product.

Thanks!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primer + Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

RRPPBBSS@22

Fri, 08/12/2022 - 13:47

Adding to my prior comment, I thought the plans were different because it does not mention casters that I can see. I now see the bench is in the plans but no mentioned of casters other than comments. I will double check. Thank you.

HERB GARDEN PLANTER

Submitted by Codding58 on Tue, 04/05/2016 - 10:18

This project was a super easy and fun build that I made for my mother's herbs. In total I spent probably around $12 in material, and only spent about 2 hours building it. Came out great!

Estimated Cost
$12
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
none
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

In reply to by jfwoodworking

Codding58

Tue, 04/26/2016 - 14:13

Being that its going to be holding moist soil, and inevitably warping some, I didn't want to waste too much money on better wood, so i went with cedar fence boards (5 1/2") for this build. It DID move around a little when I first watered, but everything has held together fine, and I defiantly think it will add to the "rustic" look for my herb garden planter. i will try to upload some pictures as it "ages"

Simple, Easy Console Table

Submitted by LampAtFeet on Wed, 12/11/2019 - 15:25

This was my very first build... a few years ago. I built it for my son's first apartment and it has survived several moves since then. It's great for an entry table or for a flat screen tv. Thanks for all the plans, Ana!

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain with a couple coats of wipe on polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Grill Table with Marble Top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/14/2023 - 12:07

I used some leftover marble from having our countertops replaced and modified the plans to fit the marble. Love my new grill table!

Shawna

Built from Plan(s)

Farmhouse Table-First Project = Big Success!

Submitted by dianek on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 20:43

This was our first project; and definitley and inspiration to do more. I am so excited to have this in our dining room. Project took about 8 hrs to build and 4-5 days to stain and poly. We used a Gunstock stain with 2 coats of Walnut over that.

Overall cost was about $150 with wood, stain, materials and poly. We ended up working with 2 types of wood (yellow & white pine) which proved frustrating as we tried to match the stain color. All ended up OK after a couple of trial and error on some scrap wood.

I can't wait to make the matching benches. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

ferbit

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:01

Gorgeous table!!! I can't believe this is your first project! Yay! Now it'll never end! Ha! My husband thinks I'm nuts - I want to build everything!

I wish I had used Pine instead of Hemlock. I made a table very similar to this, but my HD only carries 2x stock in hemlock. Apparently Lowes carries 2x pine. I like the sharp square edges of pine better. Hemlock has rounded edges. Blah blah blah, your table looks awesome!

Dress Up Closet

We turned the back into a puppet show theater for the kids. We added a shelf up top for storage, inclosed the back and added curtains w/ rod. For the puppets we kept it cheap...found some wooden cutouts and large popsicle sticks. The letters on the front were small ones bought from the craft store and used some paint I had around the house.

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

Awesome project!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/16/2019 - 07:09

Thanks for the awesome table plans. I ended up mixing a few different plans to fit what I was looking for. Everyone loves it!

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Oil stain and oil poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Workbench

Submitted by joja on Sun, 04/01/2012 - 15:30

Another project inspired by Ana!

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

Emersen console

Submitted by news1811 on Sat, 01/18/2014 - 12:19

I altered the plans to fit the space where it would be going. I extended the length and added another side of shelves. I also reduced the size of the doors a little and made the base a little shorter to reduce overall height. This project required and extra sheet of plywood to complete. I used the Purebond birch from Home Depot and whitewood for the face frame and doors. I liked the finish in the original plan so I tried to make it look similar. I used different shades of brown and also scorched some boards of the door and some areas of the face frame with a torch. For the light areas on the door and frame I just taped off and sanded down. I worked on it when I had some spare time but this project could be completed in a weekend including the finish.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Rustoleum American Walnut as a base and used Miniwax Dark Walnut for the darker boards. I also used a hand torch to scorch some boards and other areas. I finished with a few coats of polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Entertainment Center and Bookshelves

Submitted by talvey50 on Sun, 04/10/2016 - 21:08

A combination of the Printers Triple Console Cabinet and the Reclaimed Wood Rolling Shelf (x2). We knew we wanted the bookshelves so I made those first. The plans were really easy to follow and I knocked out both in a weekend. Once I got those where we wanted them, it left a void that only the Printers Console could fill. That took a little longer than anticipated and was about at the extent of my woodworking skill (so far!) but it came together perfectly.

Estimated Cost
Rolling Shelves ($100 each)
Printers Console Cabinet ($250-300)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
My favorite stain ever....white vinegar and steel wool. Shred up some 0000 steel wool in a jar and pour white distilled vinegar. I usually let it sit for a couple of hours before wiping on the wood.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Queen Farmhouse bed with storage and Farmhouse Doll Bed

Submitted by CPeeples on Sun, 12/22/2019 - 06:11

I built this queen size farmhouse bed using Ana's Plan. I wanted hidden under bed storage so I did alter that part of the plans. The box is pretty heavy so i added foot supports to carry the weight. I have access to the storage on both sides of the bed. I have built another version of this bed where i added gas springs to help lift the bed for access but i chose not to do it on this one. As an added feature, i also built a matching doll house bed. I love this bed, and it turned out beautiful. 

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Min-wax Espresso stain and Min-Wax Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Media bench

Submitted by joja on Thu, 04/05/2012 - 06:58

Inspired by Ana!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner