Community Brag Posts

Easiest Upholstered Bench

This is the first project my husband and I tried from Ana's site. We did add a foam on top and around the edges since we have two little kids running around. I then tufted it and absolutely love the way it turned out.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Medium / Large dog crate

I took the plans for the large dog crate and adjusted them to fit my needs.

I made the "light entry" sections taller so that the inside would not be so dark, I used plywood with a routed edge for the top and stained it a red mahogany color and used polyurethane to seal it.

Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Min-wax Red Mahogany
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Step stool

Submitted by nickx1985 on Sat, 04/11/2015 - 11:21

In the middle of my TV stand project my wife INSISTED we needed a stepstool for our 4(almost 5 and not the 11 month old in picture lol) year old. Only took maybe half a day to build and stain. Mainly due to the detailed step by step plans from this site. TY Ana!

Estimated Cost
$15-$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax's oil based Early American(I love this stain)
Finished with probably 5-6 coats of linseed oil
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

2 X 4 Farm table with Maple and Walnut top

I really liked the basic table design.  But since it was going in my wife's medical office I decided to make the top out of Maple and Walnut.  It turned out to be a very big job.  I had to Straighten the edges of the boards so that they would fit together without a space between the boards and then put them through a planer.  I then glued the edges and used Kreg screws to put it all together. Surprisingly it all fits and the base sits flat and level.  I spent a great deal of time measureing all of the 2 X 4s in an effort to make sure that the base was level and the angles all work. 

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
We first stained the base and then painted it white. The intent was to sand through the white paint for a used look. It did not really work so we left the base white. The table top was finished with Teak oil in order to bring out the Walnut grain. It works well but smells awful and we had to leave the top outdoors for two weeks until the smell dissipated.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Raised Garden Beds!

Submitted by ferbit on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 08:02

Yay! Here are my raised beds, motivated by Ana White's post. :) I decided to use 2x lumber rather than 1x lumber because I plan to add benches on the ends of each bed. I just love how these turned out! I used Hemlock rather than cedar because it was a THIRD less expensive. Orange told me hemlock would last roughly 5-6 years whereas cedar would last 7-9 year. I staggered the sizes too - first bed (with the strawberries) is 4' x 10', second is 4' x 8' and the third (with the stakes) is 4' x 6'. Hubby hauled in a bunch of pea gravel to surround the beds while the girls and I added rocks from around our yard to the perimeter. :)

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Harriet Higher Chair

Submitted by tara2 on Fri, 05/24/2013 - 12:20

This is one of two chairs we made for our two kids. They love it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax walnut stain (2 coats)
Behr Ultra White Hydrangea (2 coats) - the small samples have enough paint to complete project
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

BBQ bench

Submitted by Airbugs on Tue, 04/14/2015 - 13:21

First project I tried from here.  Not too bad.  I have a Cordless miter saw (Ryobi)

Estimated Cost
under 40 bucks
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Airbugs

Thu, 04/16/2015 - 20:55

Thanks, I am going to customize it with whatever my fiance needs i.e. hooks, shelves, lights but the cost surprised me. 36.98 for the just the wood. I'msure when my fiance adds the stuff she wants it'll be more lol

Brandy scrap wood storage bed

Submitted by Nikkit45 on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 17:01

Was really excited to build this when I moved in to my new home. It's such a functional piece! I used different types of wood to cover it instead of staining it different shades. That was a fun puzzle to figure out. Really love it and thanks for the free plans!

Estimated Cost
3-400$
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Varathane clear diamond wood finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Live Edge Oak Bench

I found this oak character slab at a local lumber yard and fell in love with it. I loved it so much I bought a second one. After torching the slab using the Shou Sugi Ban method, I scraped away the charred surface and used tung oil to complete the finish. I added two more coats of tung oil allowing at least 24 hours in between each coat. The legs are made from rough cut pine from the same lumber yard (these guys take good care of me!). I also used the same charring method on the legs and feet along with tung oil. Check out all the detail and character of the edges! This bench could easily be used as a coffee table. It is approximately 6 feet long and 30 inches tall.

Comments

Sewing Table for Small Spaces

Love the sewing table! It was a surprise Christmas gift from my parents.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We used Bombay Mahogany stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

"Tidy Up" End Table

Submitted by seeca13 on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 14:45

This is a variation on the tidy up end table. The dimensions for the tidy up end table were too big for my space, so I made it a little smaller and added an extra shelf to store our laptop computers. This makes it easier to charge our laptops and keep them out of the way. It took me a little longer than it should have because I had a 3 year old and a 5 year old "helping" me.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Oak. Then 3 coats of minwax waterbased semi-gloss finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bench

Submitted by bilalai on Sat, 09/02/2017 - 12:34

First project. Thank you Ana for getting me started. 

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood stain and sealant
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Modified 4x4 Beam Table

Submitted by BStorm on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 10:41

I modified the plan I got from this site to better fit the size we wanted (a bit longer) and to fit the style we wanted (without angled picnic table style legs). Sorry pics are sideways or upside down. They weren't on my end...

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Coat Tree

Submitted by annem on Sat, 03/12/2011 - 07:27

With my 3 young kids and all of their winter gear, I needed a coat rack that they can use. Since I don't have a miter saw, I asked my Father-in-law to make the cuts for me so I can't claim to have done that (although I am asking for a miter saw for my birthday!). Assembly was pretty easy with 2 pocket holes each on the roots and one for each of the limbs. With the small pieces of wood, it was tricky to get the holes centered using my Kreg Jig Jr. so I added some small finishing nails to some of the limbs for more support. (Think young kids tugging to get their coats down!) Some things I learned: Sand all pieces to the way you want them BEFORE assembling as it's nearly impossible to do later. Stagger the bottom roots because screwing in 8 screws to the same center point does not work. I ended up using shorter screws than the 2 1/2" recommended and had to add felt pads to stabilize the legs that were moved up to allow for me to fit the screws in. I am pleased with this project and while it's not perfect, it will get a lot of use around here!

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray primer, Rustoleum Slate Blue spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Table with Butcher Block

Submitted by kharris on Tue, 05/28/2013 - 16:51

We are selling our house and needed a small table for the corner of our kitchen. Since we had leftover butcher block after replacing the countertops, I modified the Farmhouse Table and bench plans. The piece worked perfectly in the space and the house sold immediately after our open house.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Mineral oil for the butcher block top and white paint and primer for the legs. We still need to varnish the top of the benches.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Triple foot farmhouse table with runner, triple pedestal bench

My first attempt at a real furniture project, I would have never tried this without all the plans and support here at Ana-White! These are 7' for the kitchen/breakfast area.  Since the table is only 7', it has 2 pedestals.  I modified these a bit from the triple pedestal farmhouse bench and table plans by using a runner along the floor instead of a stringer board on the table and adding triple feet on the outside pedestals.   I also added 1x3 trim under the arches to add some detail and hide the grooves between the three 2x4 leg supports.  The top has mitered 2x4s around the outside with 1x6s on the inside.  One issue I ran into was that the 2x4s shrank a lot as they dried, while the kiln-dried 1x6s did not.  To make an easier to clean surface I planed the top smooth, and then added minimal texture by hand scraping.  My plan is to build a big 12' version of this table for the dining room. 

Estimated Cost
Under $300 for both.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
2 coats of kona stain, wiped more off the top than the legs. The top shows grain, the legs are almost solid brown. I used hand-rubbed satin poly. 3 coats on the bench turned out great. 6 coats on the table top turned out too shiny and easily scratches. I will refinish the table at some point, possibly with a softer finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

40" Kitchen Table

Submitted by Brinduss on Fri, 09/08/2017 - 04:07

This is my first fine woodworking project after taking two classes at my local Firestarter FabLab community entrepreneurial center.  

 

I used wormy maple, the top is 40" x 1 1/2" that I used the CNC router to cut out.  The base I used 1" and glued everything to thickness for the the Square X Base Pedestal Dining Table plans, with a few variation.  For the 45's I only made 2x4's instead of the specified 4x4's and the same for the X on the bottom.  Thrilled with how it turned out.

 

Thank you for the great inspiration!

Estimated Cost
$215 for the wood, $170 for the finish.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Oak stain and Rubio Monocoat 2c pure finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Collection Farm House Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/06/2021 - 03:24

This table turned out exactly as I had envisioned. I've gotten so many compliments over it. I'm now ready to build the side tables. I like how simple and clear the plan is for this table. Thank you Ana for such a simple but amazing piece of furniture. I'm a newbie at woodworking :)

Comments

Storage Bed

Submitted by mariakathh on Sun, 03/13/2011 - 08:40

So we really needed a better bed than the flimsy moderny thing that would shift at least a few inches when I would get into the bed. And I like storage. So this was a great fit. The folks at blue were really good to me and help me cut all my lengths of plywood. I did modify the headboard to be 3 inches taller. Otherwise the plans were great! I had one hiccup in adding the divider to one of the benches. It came out kind of slanted. So I would recommend having a lot of light and measuring it out in the back of the box when you are inserting the divider

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Entry table/console table

Submitted by Medickep on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 12:52

I made this entry table to go by our front door. It's a spin off from the "console table" posted by Anna. I read some of the comments from people who had problems with her plans as a result of different standards in lumber and decided to alter this some!

I cut the side braces short enough so when I included the measurements of the legs the actual table top extended approx. 3/4" further past the legs and apron of the table. I also went with one sheet of wood on the table top and finished it up with some trim around the edge of the table top.

Estimated Cost
approx. 100.00 (depends on wood used, I used hemlock)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I wanted to paint the table to matched a near bye coat rack I made. I primed the table first and painted it with three coats of Behr premium paint. I also used a polyacrylic to protect it a little from my boys. I did three coats on all of it and two additional coats on the front of the legs, apron, table top and bottom brace. Make sure you sand with 300-400 grit between coats!
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project