[carousel-horizontal-posts-content-slider]
Plans
I promised you all a whole new set of outdoor furniture plans, and by golly that is precisely what you are going to get! Yahoo! We started this off with the gorgeous Free DIY Outdoor Furniture Plans for Building a Crosby Indoor Outdoor Coffee Table and today we continue with plans for building the end table! If you want to take a peak at a few of our most popular outdoor furniture plans to date, this article here covers our Top 10 DIY Outdoor Furniture Plans and Reader Faves! Xx… Rayan
As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!
3 – 1×4 at 8′
2 – 2×2 at 8′
- 6 – 1×4 at 21 3/4″ Top
- 2 – 1×4 at 20 1/4″ Frame
- 2 – 1×4 at 11 1/2″ Supports
- 4 – 2×2 at 20 11/16″ Legs
- 2 – 2×2 at 11 3/4″ Stretchers
- 2 – 2×2 at 17″ Trusses
- 1 – 2×2 at 17 1/4″ Center Rail
Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.
Build out your frame. Use your Kreg Jig set for 3/4″ stock and your 1-1/4” Pocket Hole Screws and Wood glue to secure the pieces together. Use your Clamps to hold the boards together while you secure them and consider letting your glue setup for a bit before you fasten with your screws.
Cut and Fasten your Legs. Your legs will be mitered at 8.2 Degrees Off Center, which is an 81.8 Degree Angle if you Center Mark on your Miter Saw reads as 90 rather than 0. Your cuts will be parallel at both ends. To secure your legs in place, use your countersink bit and 1 1/2″ wood screws and glue.
Attach your Stretchers. These are just a straight cut and will be fastened in place 3″ up from ground level. You can fasten these in place using your Kreg Jig set for 1 1/2″ stock and your 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and glue. You will want to align the front edges of your stretchers with the front edges of your legs, which will cause a bit of overhang on the backside, but will look better.
**Note: If you cut your Center Rail for the next step in advance you may want to attach it to the stretchers and then attach the stretchers to the legs, just to be sure you don’t end up with a piece that is either too long or too short and have to recut or refasten something.
Cut and Attach your Center Rail. Since the previous step leaves a bit of wiggle room, you may want to measure this just before you are ready to attach it and after you have secured your stretchers so you know precisely how long this piece should be. Once you have this piece cut and ready to secure, use your Kreg Jig set for 1 1/2″ stock and your 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and glue to secure from underneath.
Cut and Fasten your Trusses in Place. Cut these at a 20 Degree Angle. Secure in place using your countersink drill bit and 1 1/2″ wood screws and glue from underneath up through the center rail and from above and down through the frame. Since these will sit astride the frame pieces at the top, secure at a slight angle so you don’t accidentially come out the side of your truss.
Fasten your Frame to your Top Boards. Your Top Boards should be spaced 1/4″ apart and the frame should sit 6″ in on either side and 1″ back on the front and back. Secure in place from underneath using your 1 1/4″ Brad Nails and Glue. You can also use screws if you prefer or if you will need to remove the top in the future for any reason.
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
// Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you ONLY use 1 image and provide an ADEQUATE link back to the original source and appropriate plan! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential. By accessing or using any part of the web site, you agree to become bound by the terms and conditions of this website as outlined under Terms of Use. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the Website or use any services. The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by The Design Confidential.com and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, personal injury or death, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of information or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website. I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it. The Design Confidential.com is inspired by but does not replicate exact designs, any similarities between these plans and items sold at specialty retailers is coincidental and not endorsed by or related to any said retailers. // Affiliate links are used for tools and materials. The Design Confidential will earn a small commission for any items purchased using these links. Thank you for your support – every little bit counts!
DIY / Home / Studio
This post brought to you by Krazy Glue. All opinions are 100% mine.
This is one of those projects that opens the doors to so many other projects for me. Its what I like to call a gateway DIY project… do you ever have those? The kind that blows your mind and suddenly you are thinking about things in a completely new and different way. The seemingly difficult and not so easy to accomplish is now suddenly at your fingertips? This was that project, for me. I was inspired by this gorgeous project here but I needed something much larger and taller, in general. The space I need to fill is extremely large (as you can see above) and wouldn’t stand for something less than 30 inches or more in total. With only fairly bright lighting from above in this space, I thought a bit of ambient lighting that also serves the purpose of doubling as a stylish accessory is precisely what this area needed.
All you will need to make this beautiful beast:
Print your shapes from the template (found at this link here) on an 11×17 sheet of paper (or you can tile standard printer paper to an 11×17 inch size if you can’t print in that size) and after you cut one of each shape, use those as your template to cut 3 more of each shape. You will need a total of 4 of each shape you see below
Cut each piece out using your Exacto Knife and be very cautious, these bad boys are extremely sharp. You should cut away from yourself at all times, your blade can skip and jump if you hit a bump in the road so to speak so take precaution and keep your limbs intact.
Once your pieces are cut, trim away and jagged edges or sand any areas that are a bit rough so that when you are ready to glue you have as perfect of a joint as possible. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. Take your time here and perfect your pieces. It will pay off so very much. I got a bit lazy and haphazard for this step and had to get a bit overzealous with the glue and filler later on. This is not the path of least resistance and it would serve you well to go slow and fix things before you start to form your base.
Once you have nice and even pieces with perfectly smooth edges you will run a line of Krazy Glue along one of your edges and start joining them together. The large shape sits at the top with the long portion pointing upward, while the shorter pieces sit at the bottom and the wide part of them forms the actual base your base will stand on.
The gel formula keeps this stuff precisely where you put it with no drips or running, which means I can essentially create these masterpieces in minutes rather than spending all of my time holding things together and waiting… hoping my glue doesn't drip or smear while it sets. Ain't nobody got time for that, am I right?
For the sections where I wasn't so careful with the cutting (there were quite a few – notice those wavy lines above) I placed a piece of tape on the inside with the intention of leaving it there to serve as a support mechanism for my glue and my filler later on. I ran my glue line as I had been previously, but by adding this tape in a few key spots I was actually able to use the glue to bond and fill in some of the gaps which was extremely helpful in this cute situation I created for myself with my hack job of a cutting process. By giving things something behind it to grab onto, it was essentially going to act as the drywall to my joint compound or the tape to my texture.. if you know what I mean! This will be important in the next few steps when you fill with wood filler as well, otherwise you will be filling, and filling, and filling and it will essentially be going nowhere except out the other side of your gap. But you won't have this problem because you will heed my advice and do an amazing job on your cutting and your glue will only be needed for joining your pieces and your filler will only be necessary to smooth your seams!
I tried to gently trim up an obvious overhanging edges using my exacto knife and give myself as much of a decent canvas here as possible, but I will be honest when I say that the next time I make one of these I will be MUCH more stringent about flawless cutting and therefore my gluing and painting will be impeccable because it makes a very big difference on the backend.
**If you are repurposing a lamp for this project, you will need to leave a side open at the top of your lamp in order to place the old lamp inside. If you are using a lamp making kit like the one I link to above, you don't need to worry about this and can proceed without doing this. If you are doing some other fancy thing… you might have to think this part through a bit. It won't harm anything to cut away a section and reglue it if need be.
But… if for any reason you do get into a bind, there isn't much a little (or a lot) of glue, wood filler and sanding can't fix. Fill your cracks and gaps with glue after you have some tape placed behind and once it's dry run a bit of filler over the top to smooth any seams and let things set up for a few hours. Once everything is nice and dry, sand with a sanding block. The grit for your sanding block will depend in large part on the condition of your cuts and how well they match up. If you have some rather large mistakes to fix, you will want to use a medium grit block and something around an 80 grit would be ideal. This will remove a decent amount of material without requiring a lot of pressure (if you have overhanging sections for instance).
Once your lamp is sanded and relatively smooth looking, go ahead and give it a good spray of your favorite spray paint. This is going to look best with some level of gloss finish so that it appears like ceramic. Keep each coat light and do several with a fine grit and light sanding in between. While your paint dries, continue on below…
For this project I happened to have an existing lamp lying around that I thought I would put to good use. It was a better alternative to letting it take up space in my garage, but quite honestly the lamp kit would have been just fine, if not a better alternative on it's own… just sayin' in hindsight. I used the harp from my lamp kit since my lamp shades required this type of attachment and my lamp just happened to have the cute little prongs needed for this cute little harp so the stars aligned for once.
Once I had a couple of good coats of my spray paint applied I inserted thelamp and sealed the open edge. I let it set up and gave the lamp base a light sanding with a fine grit sanding block. This helps get rid of those bumps that happen when you spray on paper (or wood) and the pores open up a bit. I gave it another good coat of spray paint (and a coat of sealer just to be extra sure this baby was good to go… ). and I plugged her in after I added her shade and she was breath taking. Ok, a little extreme. You guys, this was the second lamp I actually made because the Bird spilled water on my first lamp before it was sealed and I had to redo it! Eek. Now it's safe and sound.
If you need to account for your cord, carefully drill a hold in a back panel for the cord to escape. Mine was fine without this, but if you need to do this step, you absolutely can. You can also cut a small rectangle out of the bottom so the cord can sit without disrupting the way your lamp stands.
Yahoo.
Shopping
It’s an exciting day my friends, today is the launch of Great.ly – a completely unique shopping experience that brings together tastemaker’s and maker’s with gorgeous curated collections of gathered goods. I’ve been working furiously behind the scenes to set up shop and gather some unique and beautiful wares to house in my boutique. I will be adding to my storefront regularly and will be on the hunt for some exceptional Makers that have a similar aesthetic to The Design Confidential, and that I might sell exclusively in my personal Great.ly Boutique! Now that is exciting stuff, don’t you think? Yahoo!
Psst… Thank you for all of your amazing votes in the #sodomino contest by Domino Magazine! I still need your help, we are teetering between 1st and 3rd at any given moment of the day. I don’t want to let Emily down! Let’s make her proud! Pretty Please…
I will primarily be focusing on Home Goods: Art / Pillows / Accessories / Tableware / Entertaining but I will dabble in Children’s Goods and some Style and Beauty products too. It will be a blend of things I personally like and want to connect you with, that you might not otherwise have the chance to see. I think that is precisely the beauty of this venue… it gives Maker’s the opportunity to gain exposure in a way they may not otherwise have and I think that is pretty important for a small venture of handmade proportions. We are nothing if not proponents of handmade here on TDC, am I right?
Help support these amazing folks who work so hard to bring these gorgeous goods to fruition, by shopping handmade and connect with the TDC Brand by shopping our personal picks through our Boutique. Win, Win… and if you happen to be a Maker and you are interested in selling through Great.ly, you can apply! There is a link for that on their site and feel free to get in touch with me if you are interested in becoming an exclusive TDC Maker…
Home / Studio
What do The Design Confidential, Emily Henderson and Domino Magazine have in common you might ask? Well not a lot on any normal day of the week, unless some of you amazing folks help this girl out. You see I have been given a great honor and an amazing opportunity and I hope to do those two things justice. Do you think I can? I hope so… You see that pretty face up there? Ya I know every single one of you knows that pretty face, and rightfully so… She’s a super star and Design power house from stem to stern. Well that girl chose this girl to advance to the finals for Domino Magazine’s #sodomino contest, which is quite frankly jaw droppingly shocking and I’m utterly floored! Floored, I tell you!
So of course, there is always a but… and not the one attached to my backside, though that is also present and accounted for.. just in case you were wondering. I need your help to make good on this opportunity. I need you to vote for me. You see, I have never actually had a feature in a magazine. Nope, not ever. It is one of the things on my Blog Life Bucket List -that I have yet to actually put to paper so you will have to trust me on this one. So taking the cake in this contest would mean that I have the opportunity to be featured in Domino Magazine’s Fall Issue which again… jaw dropping and crazy if Ieven come close.
If you have a second, I’m not sure if you need to register or not (I hear if you go in through their main page then you don’t), but if you do it only takes a second and it’s painless, then maybe you will vote for me here: domino.com/sodomino
DIY / Home / Uncat
I have so much to share with you guys about my trip to SLC for SNAP! Conference and all of the projects for Blake's Boho and Beachy Bedroom Makeover so I am going to do my best to dive right in and not take 6 months to get everything published! Wish me luck! Ps. We have some kinks to work on the Community Pages, but we are so close to having them up and running and I can't wait! It's been a bit of a time suck for the last few days and I will be glad to finish it off!
One of the most impactful projects I did for Blake's room was by far the DIY vintage inspired yarn and fiber art wall hanging and as luck would have it, it was also one of the easiest. From start to finish this project took no more than 30 minutes. Of course for me this was spread over a day and that is with no less than 1 million stop and starts for babies and diapers and morning reads and school, and still super easy!
Here is what you will need:
You will be working with 4 different fibers for this particular project. They can all be the same type just different colors if you prefer or they can be entirely different, this is just a matter of preference. Cut your main fiber (this will be the central fiber that hangs down the longest in the middle – mine is black in the image above) into at least 30 strands that are each about 6 feet in length. Cut your secondary fiber (this will be the color that sits on the outsides and is the second longest – mine is a dark navy in the image above) into 40 or 50 strands that are about 5 feet in length. Cut your main overlay fiber (this will be the central fiber that overhangs the main fiber – mine is gray in the image above) into 30 strands that are about 4 feet in length. And finally, cut your secondary overlay fiber (this is the overlay fiber that hangs on the outsides – mine is blue in the image above) into 40 or 50 strands that are about 16 inches in length.
Tie one of your Main Fibers to your dowel rod so that you can hang your project to work if you need to. If you are using nylon cord as a main fiber, you will want to melt the ends of your cord with a lighter or cover in candle wax to keep them from fraying. I talk about that a bit more in my Easy DIY Macrame Hanging Planter project if you would like more details on this step! Be sure to leave your knot loose enough to slide around as needed so you can adjust the width of your working area.
To begin attaching your fibers and cords to your dowel you will need to fold them over so that one side is longer than the other like you see in the image here. For the fibers that are 6 feet in length you will want one side to be about 4 feet and the other about 2, or 3 1/2 feet and 2 1/2 feet give or take. The irregularity will help your fiber wall hanging look woven and authentic!
To attach your cord and yarn to the dowel rod, slide the loop from your folded length of cord or yarn from the previous step up behind the rod and fold it over the top, then pull the loose ends through.
Once you have a pretty decent section of your cord strung it should begin to look like the image you see here. When you feel like it's full enough and wide enough, you can begin working on the next color which will be attached on either side of this main section and will be your secondary fiber. The length will be a bit shorter and you will still fold it as you did this main fiber with one end shorter than the other! Texture baby, it's all about the texture!
I won't bother showing you how to work the secondary fiber sections, they are going to be exactly the same as the main only they sit on the outside of the main section, duh… So, let's chat about how you handle the overlay fibers…
Well my friends it's mind blowing and exactly the same only you will put those babies right over the top of the main and secondary rows! So, this can be a bit tricky for the fingers to figure out, but it's really pretty simple. Just fold, loop, wrap, and pull only it will be layered right over the top. Fill your overlay rows in nice and full and thick so you don't see any bald spots. No one likes bald spots in a fiber wall hanging, it just looks weird.
The first overlay section you do will be the middle overlay section and it's the third longest length of fiber you are working with for this project. It will essentially hang over the main section and can overlap the secondary section just a bit if you like, or the opposite of that and can go not quite to the end of the main fiber section below it.
Your main and secondary overlay rows will look like this when you finish them. Nice and full and thick! You can see in the second image above that I did not go all the way to the end with my secondary overlay . That darker navy color you see is actually my secondary row from below!
Showcase
This outdoor piece is one of my personal favorites and with this beautiful showcase is quickly moving up the ladder for reader faves as well! Maybe it will be on our revised Top 10 DIY Outdoor Furniture Plans for next month! I absolutely love the natural finish on this with only a bit of waterseal! Just gorgeous and oh so beachy feeling, don’t you think? I am ready for an entirely new set of outdoor party furniture and I can’t decide what I would like to build, but this is high on my list now that I’m seeing this beauty! And don’t you love that contrasting hardware? Just fabulous… Xx… Rayan
Psst… don’t forget you can now post your own showcase posts again and if you share on instagram be sure to follow and tag me @thedesignconfidential and use the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and you just might see your beauty featured on our instalchannel as well. In fact one may have been featured already… go see!
DIY / Plans
With the outdoor season either well under way in your neck of the woods or very, very soon to be… I thought I would round up just a handful (well ok 10, so a two full hands…) of our most popular DIY Outdoor Furniture Plans. And wouldn’t you know I even had trouble limiting it to 10. It seems you guys are over the moon for many of our outdoor furniture projects, and so am I so this has been a fun trip down DIY Furniture Plan memory lane. This group of projects is presented in no particular order but is determined based on frequency of reader build and popularity of the plans themselves by number of pageviews! It’s all quite scientifical my friends. I will be modifying many of these plans this week and next to allow for less expensive cushion purchasing. I know many of you have requested this, and I have lost your requests in my nightmare of an email inbox, but I haven’t forgotten the general idea and will get on this task right away! Stay tuned for that! I heart you guys… Be sure to click over to the actual plans themselves because many of the reader builds can be seen right on those very plans! So completely mind blowing! I promise! Of course you can always browse our gallery of Reader Showcase Submissions and the entire Plan Index with hundreds and hundreds of Projects to build if you prefer, but what fun we shall with this little collection today!
1 // First on the list (again in no particular order) is the party party, fun fun Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Rustic Outdoor Table – complete with ice cooler trough down the middle for your favorite ice cold beverages! It doesn’t get more fun than that! 2 // How about your favorite Free DIY furniture Plans to Build a Raised Planter Table – this baby is perfect for you patio dwellers, those of you who want to grow an undisturbed herb garden or just to add some pretty to your outdoor living space in a vertical way! 3 // Our Reef Collection is Uber popular with today’s roundup including both the Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Crate and Barrel Inspired Reef Sofa and Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Crate and Barrel Inspired Reef Chair. Of course there are matching tables to go with the set if you wish to build the collection… we have the End Table and the Coffee Table too! Along with the corner and armless units for building a sectional sofa. Of course we can’t forget about the ever popular sofa and chair that have been modified for less expensive cushions. 4 // If you are in need of a little R+R resort style, our Free DIY Plans to Build a Chesapeake Single Chaise Lounge and Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Chesapeake Double Lounger might be precisely the build for you! 5 // Our Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Provence Rectangular Dining Table is a fun and popular alternative look since for once the table slats run opposite of the standard direction you think they should, and frankly it’s pretty awesome-sauce!
Oh yes my sweet, sweet friends and partners in building who love to make some sawdust fly… it just keeps on getting better, doesn’t it? I will have to do a follow up to this article for the next most popular DIY Outdoor furniture projects because quite honestly it was such a close call that this could have easily been called the Top 20 (or 30) and could have gone on for days.
1 // This first beauty is our most popular build to date I believe and quite a stunner. The Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Provence Beam Dining with 4×4’s is such a budget friendly version of the inspiration piece that it’s quite frankly a bit ridiculous. Of course our entire Provence Beam Dining Collection is quite popular using 2×4’s and with lengths that range from 6 feet to a whopping 10 feet so there is something for every outdoor living space to be found here. 2 // The Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build an A-Frame Plant Stand is a quick and relatively easy build and a great place to display or grow your potted plants both indoors or out. Did I mention budget friendly? Extremely. 3 // The Chesapeake Dining and Banquettes is a fan fave for entertaining outdoors around the dinner table and I can see why. The Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Chesapeake 60 Inch Dining Table works well with both the Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Chesapeake 38 Inch Banquette and the 48 Inch Banquette as well. So take your pick… and maybe throw in a corner unit and wrap the edge of the table in cushiony seating goodness! 4 // The Sawyer Adirondak Chair and Sawyer Adirondak Ottoman are a great set of plans to build and then enjoy on your front porch or patio. A little bit rustic and a little bit modern, they certainly walk the line between the two! 5 // The Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Chesapeake Corner Unit and Armless Unit that make up the Sectional Sofa are insanely popular, and by golly I get it! How lush it makes your outdoor living space! I will be modifying these plans specifically in the next few days to allow for less expensive cushions so stay tuned for that!
Plans
How would you all like to venture into a whole new set of DIY Outdoor Furniture plans and a new collection? Well as luck would have it, that is precisely what we shall be doing! Yahoo! These plans are not all that unlike our most popular collection to date, and our most popular set of plans to date for Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Provence Beam Dining Table with 4×4’s and even has quite a bit in common with our beloved Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Rustic Outdoor Table with it’s built in ice cooler component. Or I should say, it will have much in common with it when I’m all finished with it… stay tuned for some amazing pieces to come in the next couple of weeks, trust me on this one! Can you get excited for some amazing DIY outdoor party furniture building? I sure can! Xx… Rayan
As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!
- 5 – 1×4 at 8′
- 2 – 2×2 at 8′
- 7 – 1×4 at 49″ Top
- 3 – 1×4 at 23 1/2″ Frame
- 2 – 1×4 at 13 1/4″ Supports
- 4 – 2×2 at 17 9/16″ Legs
- 2 – 2×2 at 15″ Stretchers
- 2 – 2×2 at 16 15/16″ Trusses
- 1 – 2×2 at 40 3/4″ Center Rail
Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.
Build out your frame. Use your Kreg Jig set for 3/4″ stock and your 1-1/4” Pocket Hole Screws and Wood glue to secure the pieces together. Use your Clamps to hold the boards together while you secure them and consider letting your glue setup for a bit before you fasten with your screws.
Cut and Fasten your Legs. Your legs will be mitered at 20 Degrees Off Center, which is a 70 Degree Angle if you Center Mark on your Miter Saw reads as 90 rather than 0. Your cuts will be parallel at both ends. To secure your legs in place, use your countersink bit and
1 1/2″ wood screws and glue.
Attach your Stretchers. These are just a straight cut and will be fastened in place 3″ up from ground level. You can fasten these in place using your Kreg Jig set for 1 1/2″ stock and your 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and glue. You will want to align the front edges of your stretchers with the front edges of your legs, which will cause a bit of overhang on the backside, but will look better.
**Note: If you cut your Center Rail for the next step in advance you may want to attach it to the stretchers and then attach the stretchers to the legs, just to be sure you don’t end up with a piece that is either too long or too short and have to recut or refasten something.
Cut and Attach your Center Rail. Since the previous step leaves a bit of wiggle room, you may want to measure this just before you are ready to attach it and after you have secured your stretchers so you know precisely how long this piece should be. Once you have this piece cut and ready to secure, use your Kreg Jig set for 1 1/2″ stock and your 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and glue to secure from underneath.
Cut and Fasten your Trusses in Place. Cut these at a 45 Degree Angle. Secure in place using your countersink drill bit and 1 1/2″ wood screws and glue from underneath up through the center rail and from above and down through the frame.
Fasten your Frame to your Top Boards. Your Top Boards should be spaced 1/4″ apart and the frame should sit 6″ in on either side and 1″ back on the front and back. Secure in place from underneath using your 1 1/4″ Brad Nails and Glue. You can also use screws if you prefer or if you will need to remove the top in the future for any reason.
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
// Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you ONLY use 1 image and provide an ADEQUATE link back to the original source and appropriate plan! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential. By accessing or using any part of the web site, you agree to become bound by the terms and conditions of this website as outlined under Terms of Use. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the Website or use any services. The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by The Design Confidential.com and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, personal injury or death, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of information or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website. I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it. The Design Confidential.com is inspired by but does not replicate exact designs, any similarities between these plans and items sold at specialty retailers is coincidental and not endorsed by or related to any said retailers. // Affiliate links are used for tools and materials. The Design Confidential will earn a small commission for any items purchased using these links. Thank you for your support – every little bit counts!
DIY / Home
This is another project in my sweet Blakey's Boho Chic room that was so simple and took literally minutes to complete from start to finish. My favorite kind… These easy DIY wood and wire wall shelves are as custom as you like and quite modular indeed. You can add on in width or height as needed and trim them out in any color you like! Here is what you need to make this project happen:
MATERIALS //
I cut my boards to 36 inches and used a rubber mallet to gently (or sort of forcefully depending on how you see things) coax the boards into the metal frames. Because I did it this way I had to ignore the instructions and hang the unit after I had my boards in place, which turned out to be much easier… I don't know what they are thinking when they create those directions half the time. This way it's a bit more cumbersome in size, but you can easily tell if you are level by placing the level right on one of your shelf boards… duh.
Once I had this secured to the studs and using wall anchors, I used yellow scotch expressions tape and ran a strip around the 3 edges that are showing. And voila… donzo. Like I said, so fast. I left the boards natural and only sanded where I cut and any extra areas that needed it. Otherwise I left those babies alone! You can use these ikea wall units in groups of 3 and run longer boards through them. They suggest they are 11 inches deep in their opening but I found that the 11 1/4 inches of a 1×12 board fit rather nicely with no movement or shifting if you simply gave them some gently nudging… Easy peasy and lovely to have some place to put things that I don't necessarily want him to grab or mess with day in and day out, but would like him to enjoy! Oh the joys of being 6, not yet a big kid and yet not that babyish anymore, unless they haven't eaten and happen to be melting down completely.
Showcase
Lumber Used
For the wood I used sustainably grown, eco friendly redwood 1×8's that I got at Homedepot. For the bottom and back boards I reused some old plywood that was left in my home since the 60's. So, the only thing not eco friendly/re-purposed would be the threaded rods and nuts.
Finishing Technique
To faux age the wood I used a steel wool/vinegar solution I read about online. Here's the link http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/how-to-age-wood-tutorial-guest-post-from-que-linda. My final ratio was about 8-to-1, 8 parts water/vinegar solution 1 part my solution. This project was done over 6 months (I really only had a few hours here and there to work on it) so the solution had a long time to settle and become quite potent. When I started, my ratio was probably 4 to 1
Showcase
First build using plans from the site, think it went pretty well (and surprised it came out mostly square and symetrical). I have a carptentry background, but it’s been awhile since I got my hands dirty. I Built this for my baby girl that is on the way, hope it is something that can last her!
Modified the plans to shorthen the length, but increase the height. We needed something specific for our space and wanted the drawers to be large (we hate small drawers). Most difficult thing for me was finishing it, I probably sanded the paint and the polycrylic 100 times to get them to look the way I wanted. The drawer fronts are walnut scrap from a cabinet shop, did a tung oil on them and then sealed it with satin polycrylic. The pulls are from ebay, mid-century vintage copper NOS. Drawer slides are industrial and lock in when pushed which should come in handy the first few years.
Plans
I hope the weather is finally starting to warm up wherever you happen to live and you have DIY outdoor furniture building on the brain. I know I sure do! My little seester is getting married in July so it seems like there is so very much to do between now and then, and quite honestly I’m not sure how much building I will have the chance to do between now and then. Luckily I have all of you amazing builders to live vicariously through… Yipee for that. This plan is the last piece in the Nova Collection and it has a fabulous secret feature you might not have noticed…because it’s a secret… the lid opens for storage inside! Woot woot!
You know how I love a good storage piece! Especially one that is disguised as a table, it’s a no brainer. We already covered Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Nova Outdoor Sofa, Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Nova Outdoor Club Chair, and Free DIY Furniture Plans on How to Build a Nova Outdoor Coffee Table so we round out the collection and give you guys the whole package! I hope you like it! Xx… Rayan
As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!
- 5 – 1×2 at 8’
- 2 – 1×3 at 8’
- 1 – 2×2 at 8’
- 1 – 2’ x 4’ sheet of ¾” plywood
- 4 – 2×2 at 19-1/2” – Legs
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 16-1/2” x 16-1/2” – Bottom
- 4 – 1×3 at 16-1/2” – Side Slats
- 12 – 1×2 at 16-1/2” – Side Slats
- 4 – 1×3 at 18” – Front & Back Slats
- 12 – 1×2 at 18” – Front & Back Slats
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 18” x 18” – Top
Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.
Cut the pieces for the legs and bottom. Cut the notches in the bottom using a jigsaw. Set the Kreg jig for ¾” material and drill pocket holes in the bottom as shown. Secure to the legs as shown using glue and 1-1/4”pocket hole screws.
Cut the pieces for the side slats. Position them with approximately ¼” spacing between them, then secure using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails.
Cut the pieces for the front and back slats. Attach the slats to the legs as shown using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails. The slat spacing should match that of the sides.
Cut the piece for the top. Install the continuous hinge to the box, then to the top. Add the lid stays, if desired.
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you provide an adequate link back to the appropriate post! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it. / Affiliate links are used for tools and materials. The Design Confidential will earn a small commission for any items purchased using these links. Thank you for your support – every little bit counts!
