Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year... New Table!!



This happens to me... Every year.

I move a few things around to make room for my Christmas tree and I end up really liking the new setup.  The only problem with this is that it leaves a hole.  Now I needed a table. Typically I know someone looking to get rid of one I can revamp but this year that wasn't the case.  After looking at the hole for more than 24 hours I decided it was time to go visit Miss Ana White.

You may remember her site from Ashley's entertainment center.  I remember stumbling upon Ana's blog when she had about 100 followers.  I immediately thought... This gal is going to be big.  I was right... She's huge!  She offers free plans to create your own furniture that is very similar to what you can find at PB and other stores.  I have never built from her site before but I was ready to give it a go.

I found her plan for a simple bookcase and knew it would be perfect with baskets for the space I am trying to fill.  I will tell you how I made mine... I basically copied her plan exactly.

I bought my wood.  I changed that up a bit because I can't fit 12 footers in my car.  Here is what I bought...

4 ~ 1x12x4

4 ~ 1x2x8

1~ 24"x36" bead board wainscoting

That's it.


I cut my pieces to the sizes she specified on the plans.


I started by making the box.  I drew a line the width of a 1x2 to mark where I would attach my bottom shelf.


I used Gorilla Wood Glue to assemble this and it worked perfectly.


Just add a line to your side piece and attach your bottom shelf first.



This was my first experience with my new brad nailer.  I purchased mine super cheap at Northern Tool.  I LOVE it.  It makes me want to put a nail in everything... for real.


I nailed the first shelf in place and then attached the other side using the same method.



I added a line of Gorilla Wood Glue to each side of my middle shelf and positioned it inside my box.  I used my brad nailer to attach the sides to the shelf.



Now I was ready for my leg pieces.  I cut the pieces according to Ana's plan and used a line of glue and my brad nailer to attach the each piece.




Here is the base of the leg.


Ready for my trim pieces...


I measured the space between the legs and used glue and my nail gun to attach the trim.



After adding all 4 trim pieces I attached my top.  I cut my 1x12 according to Ana's plan and used the glue and nail gun again to attach it.


Top attached...


Ana's plans call for plywood I think but I opted for the bead board wainscoting because I like the look so much better.  It dresses it up a bit. I cut it and attached it with glue and the nail gun.



This is where I was supposed to be finished.  I thought it was perfect but missing just a little something.  I had some leftover trim from a previous project in my scrap pile.  I thought it would look perfect on my new little table.  I cut with my saw and attached it with glue and the nail gun.



So cute... Right??  My last step was to caulk all my nail holes.  I let the caulk dry and then sanded the whole thing before I painted it.


Want to see it all finished?? Me too... But I only managed to get one coat on today so I will share that with you tomorrow!  I think you will love it.

Some advice now that I have built one of Ana's plans...

~ I will never build without my brad nailer again.  I seriously finished this baby in less than a couple hours and that is why.  It's an inexpensive "must" for those of you looking to build.  I LOVE it.

~ Your cuts must be perfect for everything to look good.  If you have Lowe's or Home Depot cut your pieces make sure to measure them before leaving the store!

~ Caulk covers up lots of mistakes (whoop!)

~It really is soooo easy and fun!  I think using the tools makes it so much easier so borrow your hubby's if you need to!

Hope that helps!!  I will be back tomorrow with it all finished up.  I can't wait to show you guys.

Have a great New Year's Eve!! I will be spending mine at home watching something on HGTV or Lifetime... Please don't be jealous :-)

~Whitney


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15 comments:

Farmer's Wife said...

So funny. My hubby just built our second matching bookcase from Ana's blog for me last nite while i was at work. and although i am working tonite i plan to caulk and paint it tomorrow. What a great way to spend new years day!!!

Jenn said...

I love the shelf and love ana's site! I just bought wood today to make a coffee table! I just got a mitre saw for Christmas but now I need a nailer. Does yours attach to an air compressor or what and does it hold all sizes of nails? I am new to this whole "building" thing and still need the nail gun so let me know please!

Sleepyhead Designs Studio said...

Impressive! Can't wait to see the finished piece!Happy New Years!

Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife said...

Cannot wait to see the finished product! It looks amazing so far. I'm also in the middle of building thanks to the plans of Ana! (We are building the Gustavian Swedish bed). Hoping to have it finished in the next couple of days!!

Serendipity Chic Design said...

I really enjoyed reading that post....What a great job you did....

Happy new year...

Lisa

Vanessa said...

I WOULD use my hubby's tools....if he had any! Very nice, looks good!

Vanessa
http://morelovemorepower.blogspot.com

farmhouse-story said...

this is wonderful! tfs!

Ana White said...

Whitney, Happy New Year! Thanks for the shout out, the bookshelf is adorable! I'm with you, I'd use a nailer to sew with if I could LOL! Can't wait to see the paint you choose. Ana

KirkKrew said...

CUTE! I can't wait to see it finished!

Heidi said...

Lookin' good! I wish I had a miter saw.

- Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl said...

Whitney, Way to go! I love your little table, and the bead board was definitely the way to go.

I "heart" my trim nailer too. I seriously don't know how I survived without it for so long.

Brittany
http://www.prettyhandygirl.com

Miss Bear said...

I love this table, and I love Ana's site!
I'm dying to make a bookshelf for my son's room. 2011 is the year for trying new things!! :)

Life in Rehab said...

Nice job! I love a woman who can handle construction!

Holly Kolvig said...

All I can say is YOU GO GIRL!!!!!

I am now going to copy your creations if you don't mind. I am in need of something just like this for my Mom's entry way ( I am redesigning/decorating her house).... but on a strict budget---who isn't. Anyways I already have everything except the bead board wainscoting. THANKS

~ Regan said...

Ok, so I have been sevretly DYING to make every piece of furniture in our home since I fell upon Ana's site. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to buying a nail gun/ air compressor. Im not scared power tools, but I am worried I will buy the wrong thing and waste a lot of money. Can you give me the skinny on what kind of tools you are using? how big the air compressor is (HP? How many gallons? I don't know anything! lol) and also what size/kind of nailer you got. I need to do some looking around to create a 'power tools budget' :)
Thanks in advance for any tips you can give me!

 
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