Community Brag Posts

My corner desk

Submitted by chach2667 on Wed, 11/03/2021 - 04:02

I wanted to convert my craft shed to my office after I accepted a new job and would be working from home full time. My shed is only 10x8, so I needed something smallish and functional. I modified the plans slightly and I did make a few mistakes. In the end, I think it turned out great for a 50 something grandma who likes to work with her hands!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Console Table

This plan had comments about the 1x12 being a little short. 

Well mine was a lot short measuring in at 11inches even. 
So I adjusted all the boards to fit correctly. 
And with a little simple planning, that took 5 minutes, PERFECT. 
No gap, no issue, no problem. 
Super Easy Console Table, is just that. 
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes Espresso (Water Based Stain), and General Finishes Poly acrylic Water Based Top Coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Tryde Console Table

Submitted by Livvyhill on Mon, 06/10/2013 - 14:15

I love this table. I needed a little console table for my bedroom, and this was a prefect fit. It took me a day (not including buying the lumber), and it was fun to build. This was the 2nd project I have done, and I am really proud of it! (PS i found one on the pottery barn website that looks very similar for $600!) I spent about $50 on lumber, and already had the rest of my materials:)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum stain- Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Officer_Dad

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 16:05

Great job! I love that stain! How come you did not use pocket holes to attach the board so there would not be any visible screws? I love this table though. I saw the plans last week and want to build one next!

My new closet

It was a bit tricky putting it together in my limited space closet but I got it all done! Loving it! It also forces me to make up a capsule wardrobe and clean out my closet as there isn't room for everything. Thanks Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Micro Cabinet

Submitted by RITWood on Fri, 11/03/2017 - 11:11

A great one board project using some left over cedar that was collecting dust.  Using a 1/2" round over bit I eased the outside corners as well as the drawer sides.  I find that the drawers will slide easier with a slight round over applied.  I left the cedar without a stain and two coats of satin clear.  

Estimated Cost
$2
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray Satin Clear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Sat, 11/04/2017 - 19:29

Great job on this project!  The router detail is beautiful, and the unique shaped pulls  are awesome!

JoanneS

House bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/06/2021 - 20:35

Made this simple house bed for my daughter. Got the idea from Ana white page and made my own.

Comments

Modified Spa Bench

Submitted by michellek on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 22:01

This is my first build ever...except for a rad cd rack I built in 8th grade shop class.  My husband and I team-worked it as a date in his dad's garage. 

So it all started when my amazingly crafty friend Lee built a toy kitchen for her kids.  I was so impressed and started looking up other people's diy kitchens.  So then I was searching for something totally different and saw the play kitchen on Ana's website (love it), and I got totally addicted and decided I was going to build a dining room table, because we have been using a hand-me-down brown card table and chairs from the 70's since we got married.  (How's that for a run-on sentence?)  I wasn't sure if my husband would take me very seriously, but after I showed him this website, I started noticing him on it all the time.  He's more addicted than I am! 

Fast forward some time and we decided to start with the spa bench as a warm-up.  Once we are in a house with our own garage (God willing in the next few months), we plan on tackling the Farmhouse Table.  Anyway, when we took the kids to Gma and Gpa's, my father-in-law got really excited that there were going to be carpenters in the family, and he took us out to the garage to show us all his tools that we could use. 

We had to buy all of the wood, screws, sand paper, stain, polyurethane, and a paint brush since it was our first project, so it ended up costing about $85.  At least now we have a lot of supplies left over for our future projects!  We had Home Depot make the cuts for us so that we could fit the wood in our car.  We used 1x4s instead of 1x3s because we didn't know that 1x3s were furring strips and not in the same place, but now we know.  :)  We also bought one warped board, which was a total pain.  Don't do that. 

This is probably a weekend project if you count the staining and finisher.  The actual building part only took us three or four hours (please don't laugh at us if that's painfully slow), but we actually took about two weeks to finish it because we have rain, no garage, and three kids under 19 months.  And we weren't really in a hurry.  Anyway, it was fun.  We like to build.  Thanks, Ana, for inspiring us and for making it doable for so many people!  We think you're neat.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20-$85
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used one coat of Jacobean 2750 Minwax Wood Finish for the stain and then two coats of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane (clear satin).
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

pantry/cubbies

Submitted by fftommy on Wed, 06/12/2013 - 06:26

Needed more storage and this project was so easy. Tied in the baseboards and crown for a built in look.

Estimated Cost
350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pottery Barn Media Console

I have been wanting to build this piece for some time now. This is actually a Pottery Barn piece that is now discontinued that I modified here and there. I added a "flipper door" which opens and slides back into the cabinet. Adjustable shelves throughout. I used solid alder and alder plywood for material. - Brad @timberandsoul www.timberandsoul.com

Estimated Cost
$500.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
shellac, transtint dye, general finishes gel stain, poly
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Modified Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by dsteinberg on Wed, 11/29/2017 - 11:38

- Used a router to cut a dado slot for the vertical boards to slide into the 4x4 posts so I would not have to screw them in from the outside

- Used a router to round over the edges to make the post toppers.  

- Used router to give a shaped edge to the top horizontal planks

- I bought the finials for the post tops

 

 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes Snow White Milk Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Bedroom Furniture Build

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/16/2021 - 12:29

Bed Frame and Headboard made from Ana's plans. Frame is very simple. Headboard is fairly simple but a lot more cuts, measuring and attaching. I stained both with Varathane Weathered Gray. I also attached sideboards and internal support 2x4s with bed-frame brackets rather than screwing directly in to allow for easier deconstruction and reconstruction. Used an insert nut on the sideboards to attach hairpin legs (screwed directly into top/bottom boards).

Side tables are just 3/4 birch plywood glued and nailed into a rectangular box. 24x18" Top/Bottom and 18 x 6" sides. Hairpin legs are longer versions (16") of Ana's Amazon suggestions for bed frame. Stained with Varathane Antique White.. turned out ok, but would use a different white stain or just paint them white if I had to do it again, and paint the insides before you build!

Comments

Anastasia's new bed

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 18:57

This is my daughters new bed. We modified the plans to fit what we wanted. I added drawers to the stairs. Then put shelves behind the stairs. Added doors so we can hide the shelves. We used rope lights inside to add light with her own light switch.

PS Don't mind the date on the pictures. Forgot to change the date.

Estimated Cost
450.00 USD
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
We routed all edges to round them over and sanded.
Then primed and painted. We used a hvlp paint sprayer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Barn board flags

Barn board flags made from a dilapidated barn.

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

X-bench for kid's table

Submitted by T.R. on Tue, 05/19/2015 - 10:38

I scaled down the large rustic x bench plans to create seating for my grandkids at the new kid's table.

Estimated Cost
about $25-$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
satin paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Afternoon Farmhouse Table Build

Submitted by Ahuff9103 on Wed, 12/13/2017 - 06:43

I got the plans from Anna White $50 beginner farmhouse table build. Changed from a 6 ft table to a 5 ft. Built in a few hours but took longer to paint than anything because it took 2 coats. 

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax honey 272
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Mike Mercer

Thu, 12/28/2017 - 16:23

Hi,

I really like the colour you chose!  Did you use "SPF" lumber or something else?  I am using SPF, so I am curious to see what the stain will look like once dried, etc.    

 

Thanks again, 

- Mike

My little side tables

Submitted by tdqueenroy on Wed, 11/24/2021 - 18:20

I have previously made side tables for our master bedroom but after two grown kids came back we had to move to the smaller of the two bedrooms we have. So here’s my 13” width version !

Nice easy build, thanks again Ana. Took longer to figure my new measurements for my cut list than actually building them!

Comments

Simple Nightstands

I absolutely love the way these turned out! I drew up an example in Sketch-up using Ana's plans for the Simple Nightstand as a starting point. 

The top is made from 5 boards, 19 inches in length, joined together underneath with a kreg jig. I made two of these, identical. Each nightstand took exactly 50 kreg screws, not intentional, it just worked out that way. I used a brad nailer to attach the trim along the bottom shelf (which I could have avoided with a a little more planning in the beginning), also to attach the side panels that you see on the sides and back, and to assemble the majority of the drawer, using kreg screws to attach the front.
I'm in love with the drawer pulls, a metal twig shape bought at blue! I'm debating whether or not I want to paint them with some brown paint and distress them a little bit, but not sure if it would just end up looking hokey since they are obviously not real twigs.
It took me several hours to build these, mostly because I had to kind of work out a few details as I went, but I'm confident I could do it quicker if I had to do it again. The finishing is what takes the longest!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$110 includes enough Select Pine, kreg jig screws, and drawer pulls to make two nightstands
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats of Cabot stain, Pecan color. Three coats of satin polyurethane, with a light sanding between each coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Restaurant High Chair from scraps

This took me longer to build than I expected -- maybe because I was working from scraps and had to figure out what would fit where along the way. Also, I initially cut all the side pieces with parallel cuts. Oops. So I had to re-do them all.

For more info, check out my blog post!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$14 for paint and furniture glides -- had the rest on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Gloss Cherry premixed paint by Valspar.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse King!

Submitted by Britt.E on Sat, 05/23/2015 - 19:25

I only recently stumbled upon Ana-white.com and was amazed by all of the wonderful plans and tips here, not to mention the community. My wife and I had inherited a king size bed after my grandparents passed away. While we were both grateful, the bed was on a very basic metal frame that sat very low to the ground and was hard to get up out of. My wife had often talked of having a nicer bed to put our mattress and box spring on, So with great eagerness I set to work. I loved the classic look of this bed and was a bit saddened that there was no king-size plans available. I decided that wasn't going to deter me, so I set out to modify the plan to fit. After making a few adjustments and modifications, the bed really started to take shape. Needless to say, I am very pleased with the results! Thanks everyone, and thank you , Anna!

Estimated Cost
$185
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish was a single generous coat of Rustoleum "kona" finish then following up with three coats of Rustoleum semi-gloss polyurethane varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Scooter for Christmas

Great plan! I curved the edges with a French curve and a bench sanding disk, and then used a router on all exposed edges. I used a dremel router table with a small bit for the small pine pieces and a full sized router for the two main platforms. If I were to do it again I’d be far more careful with angle accuracy.. I think my miter saw is a little off. My table saw was spot on for the plywood cuts. I also used smaller wheels and only have spinners on the front, preventing collision.

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