Community Brag Posts

I made this tall planter for my Mom for Mothers Day. She loves it!

So my son needed a bunk bed and we came upon the sweet pea bed. It was too girly for him so we decided to go with a theme that would be timeless, something he wouldn't mind having when he is 18 (or older, he is 10 now). What is better than Mario! (We are a house full of gamers, my 17 year old is super jealous of this bed lol). The build was fairly easy and the plans were straight forward enough, the time consuming part was the painting (without all the painting we could have probably build this in a long weekend). We changed a few things, like not arching the top windows, adding the 4 inch 2x4 squares to the top to give the castle look and stairs are made to look like stairs from the side so we stepped out the banister instead of angling it.

Aiden's Clubhouse.

I can't even believe I was able to build this! Everyone thought I was crazy for undertaking such a huge project. I made it a queen size because my son would always sleep in my bed anyways... so I just gave it to him. The bed took 4 weeks because I could only work on it on Saturday afternoons. The first week, I made a frame with cleats on the wall. The second week I built the house and stairs. The third week I built the slide and did some of the painting. Today, I finished painting and trim.

I did modify the plans and merged the plan for the slide into my plan, which was a last minute addition. As such, I had to "measure-and-cut-as-you-go" build this bed. I would highly recommend to anyone considering such a task, don't do that. Make a plan, cut all your wood, paint before assembly, and stick to the plan. My stairs all lift up, and under the top landing there is also a cut out inside Aiden's clubhouse-you can see it behind him in the picture below. Also under the slide is a cut out for storage. I have not done anything with the inside of the clubhouse yet. Someday...

I designed the bed specifically so that I could take it apart if we ever move... we live in an apartment. The stairs/stairwell are only connected to the rest of the bed with a single screw. The other wall is a bit more difficult to remove, but not impossible.

I learned a few things doing this, that I want to share with you all..
1. The Kreg-Jig is the best thing ever.
2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE power tools.
3. 4x4 sheets of MDF are difficult to carry upstairs by myself.
4. I can do anything.

I hope you all like it. This was my son's 4th birthday present and he really loves it.

It isn't finished yet though. The far wall in the room is about 2 ft away from the bed, and I haven't decided what to do with that side of the bed, so it's still plain. I would love some ideas! What do you think?

This was our first build and it was quite a big project to take on to start with. We had so much fun and learned so much along the way. 

Our biggest lessons were to hand pick our wood and make sure we get the straightest pieces possible. We had to wrestle some wood to make this bed work!  Clamp everything especially when using large bolts as the pieces would pull apart from each other. We even used a ratchet strap at one point becuase our small clamps weren't cutting it. I'm sure there's a better way and we'd love to hear about it but we made what we had work. We also had to figure out how to attach the side rails and at what height. We ended up using 3 4-inch screws on each end to screw them into the posts.  

We love this bed not only because it was a labor of love but because its such a solid beautiful piece. 

My sister was in love with my 4x4 truss table i made and needed a patio table so we decided to take one day to make 2 tables, one for each. We convinced both daddys to take care of the kids while we made the table by telling them the tables were gonna have beer coolers inside! Attaching the to of the table was a lot a job. If you plan of doing this you really want to have a kreg jig. It works well, we love it. I made a bench to go with it. I made my how plan for it.

I didn't build this shoe dresser because I particularly needed one, but it looked so lovely that I couldn't resist.

- I modified the plans by building 3 bins instead of 2 so it could hold more shoes.
- I decided against the dowel stick and opted for hinges instead, which were surprisingly not too difficult to assemble. I found that I didn't even need the magnets after installing the hinges as the doors stay closed.
- I used 7" chains on both sides of each bin instead of a belt to make it extra sturdy.
- I added two back legs.

Et voila! This is the end result. I'm very pleased.

PS. Those flopping bins are a pain when you're trying to build!! An extra pair of hands is definitely recommended.

I had no experience building furniture prior to this project but I wanted a 12 ft outdoor table and could not find one.  This tables center section is 8 ft and was built roughly following the plans for the farmhouse table.  I added two 2 ft extensions at each end making the overall table 12 ft.  The extensions included aprons so when installed they look to be part of the table.  The extensions just plug into the end apron of the center section with 2x4 oak braces which engage in the apron and under the table approximately 2 ft from end.  There is no visual sagging of the extensions. I finished the table with Sikkens DEK finish.

Loved Ana's Balin Console, but the space I had available for this piece was only big enough for two drawers, so I attempted to change it. A few minor mistakes called for a few other modifications as well (the drawer fronts), but overall I am still happy with the product. The first nail and hammer only project I've completed (other than the ten dollar ledges). The passion for this new-found hobby continues, THANKS ANA!

Took roughly 15hrs and $500... We bought the top at Lowes for $150 on sale (Acacia), because it turns out butcher block counter tops of this size (considered an "Island" top) are like $500 and I don't know who can afford those shenanigans but certainly not us. Interesting point: in as much as I totally appreciate the design (Thank You Ana!) the instructions are mostly beautiful but have a few key areas with room for improvement. If you are thinking of building this take some time to go over all the materials and really map out the project. I purchased everything in 8' lengths as per the shopping list, I realized afterwards that because my unit is only 5' long I now have many 3' cut-offs.... had I purhased 10' lengths, you see where I'm going with this yes? I would have paid more per board but had less leftovers. I think I also have a package of unopened screws and an extra board from the shopping list, no big deal, it's like the 10 hot dogs for an 8 pack of buns conundrum, I've now entered an infinite loop. I also realized too late that to use the pocket hole screws to secure the counter top I would need to drill the holes (using my handy dandy Kreg Jig) before putting the slats on the top shelf or else I couldn't get my drill in, rookie move I know...You may find, as I learned, Lowes/Home Depot do not carry such things as 4x4s that are not pressure treated and therefore not ideal to have in one's kitchen...I ended up purchasing all the lumber at an actual lumberyard (Peacock Lumber, Oshawa, Canada), which was cool, because now I know where that place is, and it smells nice. Have fun with your build. I tried to post some other pictures but they kept coming up sideways, story of my life. Take a look on Facebook if you want Adam Connor in Pickering, Canada, I'm not shy ;-)