Community Brag Posts

Barnwood Frame

As part of a redecorating project using reclaimed barn wood for our guest bedroom, we constructed this window frame to display some photos from one of our siblings of barns found in Iowa.

The dimensions are 44” X 33” with each photographic image being 11” x 16.5”.
Since the wood had so many bore holes, we used ¾” redwood under the visible fascia for added strength.

Cost - $75 / 4.5 hours to build.

http://ana-white.com/2009/12/plans-barnwood-frames-1-and-10-minutes.html

Estimated Cost
$75.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Xmas wall tree shelf

Submitted by debinmi on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 12:31

I've loved this little tree shelf since it was first published, but thought the angle cuts might be too difficult.  I was wrong.  It was simple and fun, with an extra pair of hands. Made a few minor changes. Merry Christmas & thanks for the cute plan!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Maybe $10, including paint, but not stain
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum hunter green paint & Miniwax stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

Assembly/ Out feed table

This week's project was an outfeed/assembly table. A project that iv'e been needing for a while now. It's mostly constructed with 2x4's and plywood and mdf for the tops. I added caster the the legs to keep it mobile in my shop in case of having to move it around. I'm extremely happy with it and I love the extra space it provides underneath.

Blog article: http://www.lanebroswoodshop.com/2015/05/assemblyoutfeed-table.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hap5Dv60qHw

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King headboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 12:42

We wanted a king headboard and had a great time doing this project together. Great plan design and details, Ana White!

Comments

Lego Table with matching end tables

Submitted by hblackburn on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 18:13

This is the lego table my husband & I made. It was a fun project to build & we liked it so much we had to make some end tables to match. We used the same design just scaled everything down for the end tables. Making them was no problem but painting them was a different story. We started out with a latex primer & paint,  & found out that was a mistake. The latex paint is just too soft for furniture. So we went out & got some oil base paint and sprayed them. With lots of sanding & repainting we finally got them done.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Oil base paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My first DIY project

Submitted by sara1 on Sun, 06/23/2013 - 07:08

I was inspired to try this after reading all the comments and being discouraged by the high price and poor quality of commercial sandboxes. We followed the instructions and it was super easy! I'm a complete novice, so if I can do it, anybody can.

After cutting the wood and sanding it, it only took about three hours to assemble the sand box. I then primed and painted it the next day taking about 3-4 hours. We also attached a landscaping barrier to the bottom with a staple gun to prevent weeds from growing through the sand. We used 10 bags (50 lbs) of play sand, but you could get by with less.

So far, it's been a big hit with my three-year-old son.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar primer and pure white, satin finish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Work Table

Instead of having the plywood top sit on top of the frame, I sunk it into the frame instead with 2x4 supports underneath.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
oak stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Craft Desk

Submitted by Chuck1979 on Thu, 12/28/2017 - 21:40

Love the desk! A few issues I had though are that the top panel will not go into the space of the top angle pieces are in place. I had to remove them to get it in. Additionally, the pocket holes seemed insufficient for the top 2x2s because of the angle they are at, so I went back and drilled countersink holes directly into the adjacent support board and added wool glue. Lastly, for then 2x2s that are supporting the bottom panel, I was worried about just having the pocket holes there as well because I could see my 5 year old climbing on it to reach the pegboard so I added L brackets to the bottom of the 2x2s under the bottom panel. I also added a light to the underside of the top panel and supports at the bottom near the floor. Turned out great 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Trestle table with a few modifications

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 14:13

I went with a butcher block table top, 48x120”. Rostered the edges with a chamfer bit. I didn’t use the 45 braces Otis plenty sturdy. It would come through the door assembled so it was assembled in place and weighs more than any other piece of furniture we have. It seats 8 adults comfortably.

Thanks, Ana White

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Full Storage Bed

I built Ana's Full Storage Bed.  This was fairly easy to build and it is a perfect bed for a child's room.  I LOVE the added storage!  You can see the plans for the crates I built to fit at our blog http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2011/03/crates-for-storage-bed.html 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut Stain and Minwax Polycrylic Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Notre Dame Kids Picnic Table

Submitted by Shaila on Mon, 06/24/2013 - 18:54

I wanted to make a gift for my friend's kids. I also didn't want to make something they didn't have room for and couldn't really use. The request was a picnic bench for their 3 and 5 year old. I offered to paint it to match the house and they said no, they wanted Notre Dame colors. One of the big box stores has official NCAA colors so it was a perfect match! The wood cost $25 (only 5 2x4 were needed) and the paint, screws, etc. brought the project up to $90. The instructions made it super easy to build and I really took my time making sure everything was square. Also just to build the table is a few hours, maybe not that much. The prep and painting took me a while.

The kids were happy with their table and their Dad, a Notre Dame alum, was thrilled with the design.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35 without paint, $90 with paint
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr Exterior Paint/Primer - H.D. They made samples of the NCAA official colors, dried them, then color matched them for the exterior paint. I painted the yellow top and benches (2 coats first) then did the ND with special no-leak tape, then the legs. Two coats for the blue as well.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

MichelleC

Mon, 06/24/2013 - 19:57

I showed this to my husband and he LOOOOOOOVES it. He is about the biggest Notre Dame Football fan there is! Only problem...we are a house divided, with me being a BYU fan, hahaha!

Modified Dawsen

Submitted by watkinsjc on Sun, 06/07/2015 - 09:08

Dimensions reduced to 60"x31"

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American stain, Flat Carbon black paint, heavy distressing
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

OUTDOOR SOFA

Decided to build Ana's outdoor sofa for our Master Balcony and love the results. I was a bit impatient to finish the build and therefore did not take the time to use pocket screws for a more finished result, (which I will do next time). Regardless, I love how the sofa turned out and would reccomend for anybody to build. The cheapest outdoor cushions I could find were from Ikea and we spent around $160.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 BUILD, $160 CUSHIONS
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
OUTDOOR STAIN
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

BBQ for the Grands

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 15:17

My husband and I actually made four of these little bbq’s for our grandchildren and also for our own backyard. They were super fun to do. Pattern was easy to follow. Thank you Anna!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Dresser with Open Bottom Shelf for Changing Table

Submitted by karahart on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 13:46

My husband and I built this dresser to use as a changing table in our daughters nursery. I explain the build process (with photos) in this blog post : http://mekhart.blogspot.com/2011/03/nursery-room-biggest-build-yet.html and the finishing process in this blog post : http://mekhart.blogspot.com/2011/04/nursery-room-finished-dresser.html . I'm so thankful to Ana...I love that almost every element of her nursery is home made!

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint with a whitewash over top and glazing on the edges. To see more details on how to replicate this finish, check out my blog post here : http://mekhart.blogspot.com/2011/04/nursery-room-finished-dresser.html .
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Child's Rainbow Rocker toy

Submitted by jennibee on Wed, 06/10/2015 - 17:18

I originally found this on a Pinterest link. The DIY'er kindly blogged instructions as well as a template file for the side pieces. This is a child's rocker toy that uses non toxic food dye for the colored parts of the wood. A template is provided for the end pieces through a link provided or you can just eyeball your own. Overall, it is a fairly easy project but a bit time consuming.

When cutting out the template for the sides, it is best to cut the smaller holes first and the do the larger outer lines.

I used a Kreg's jig, Mitre saw, Jig saw, and a palm sander.

Estimated Cost
Estimated cost was around 50 dollars for the birch plywood end pieces and the inner poplar wood. Included in this cost was the two boxes of non toxic food dye and a box of Kreg's screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I use non toxic food dye/rubbing alcohol for the inner slats and MinWax polyacrylic for the end birch pieces.

A note about the food dyed wood: I used about 20 drops of food dye per 1/4 to 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol and applied with a foam applicator. You have to be careful of what you lean your wood up against or it will create a line as the dye leeches out onto the other object. If I had to do it over again, I would have painted one side, let completely dry and then do the other side.

Since it is a child's toy, consider that you will need to sand, sand, and sand the side pieces very smooth to make sure little hands do not get splintered.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Pam the Goatherd

Fri, 06/12/2015 - 10:56

I've had this pinned on my board for a while now. Glad to see someone else has made it. I'm not in a hurry since my kids are all grown but no grandchildren yet. Someday I'll have a need to make it.

jennibee

Mon, 11/23/2015 - 07:17

Hi there. Thank you for the comment. My children are still using this. One thing I endede up learning is that the food dye needs to be sealed. I plan on using beeswax or something more natural to do it. If you don't, the color rubs off on the kids when they use it. :)

jennibee

Thu, 12/24/2020 - 12:45

Lianna, Hi there. Just saw this. For some reason, the link to the template I had on here is gone. So I did a google search and found this one:
https://www.scribd.com/document/370653463/Rainbow-Rocker-Template

Or you can go here: https://pin.it/5awfA92

You will have to have it enlarged. I got mine done at a local office supply store that could make larger engineer sized prints. I prefer to enlarge the entire print instead of printing off multiple sheets and taping it together.

Red Oak Island

Submitted by donhu on Wed, 01/03/2018 - 09:44

Substituted 1 x 4s for the shelves instead of the slats. Used red oak for the top and treated it with butcher block oils and wax so that it can be used for chopping.

 

 

Estimated Cost
$80 for the red oak. $58 for the shelf lumber. $30 for the frame.
Total was around $168.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and Butcher Block Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 18:27

I made this farnhouse bed from the plans I found on Ana’s site.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Bristol Lounge Chair

Submitted by bruno3288 on Fri, 06/28/2013 - 07:29

Bristol chairs with an attached side table. I added a planter box under one of the boards to fill with ice and beverages.

Estimated Cost
60-65
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
None as of yet but that is only because I have to sand some of the other boards.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner