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Re Kid's Picnic Table I built my kid's table from compressed plastic decking planks. And although it weighed about 50 Lbs. and cost well over $50.00 for brass screws, etc. it has survived for four harsh years in the sun, rain, snow, bird droppings, pine sap and all the abuse a bunch of 5 year olds can dish out. It looks great and my neighbors want to borrow it all the time for parties and such. Great plans!
Jay

Re Workbench I built the bench and am very satisfied with the result. Sturdy indeed! I did make a couple minor changes which for me made the construction a bit easier:
All connecting points were joined with #10 SPAX wood and masonry construction screws (essentially deck screws). No bolts or nails were used. I used 3" screws where a piece was joined thickness to width or thickness to end (as in the frame members B to I) and 2.5" screws where pieces are joined thickness to thickness (as in frame member to leg, B to A). Joints B to C, B to I, & H to D received two screws, all others three screws. Also, I did not attach the top planks to end supports, but rather simply placed the boards in position, then screwed them directly to cross members C (at each end of the bench) + I. Lastly, I ran a 2x4 stringer lengthwise between lower frame members E, to provide center support for the shelf planks H & to further tie the lower portion together. No need to screw the shelves to this center beam. Total cost of screws was less than $20. I found pre-drilling the holes on the screw head side of a joint made for better/quicker clamping. My drill press made this quick & easy, but of course you can use a hand drill. It's not necessary to pre-drill for the thread portion, the screws pull right in tightly with no splitting & countersink themselves. The diagonal braces F & G provide substantial strength, be sure to use them!
Dan, Seattle, WA

Re Trellis top fence I built the fence and it came up beautiful. The key to the beautiful fence was using quality redwood materials. I also had to build a gate to match the fence. It was not difficult, but because the gate needed to match the fence, and at the same time it needed to be structurally strong, more.......
Esteban Ramirez, Pinole CA/USA

Re Workbench Just completed my workbench and these plans were a great resource. I made a few adjustments. First, I made my bench 8 feet wide. In doing so I thought it advisable to add a 3rd set of legs in the middle of the bench and I used two cross supports rather than the single support called for in the plans. For the bottom shelf I used 1/2 inch plywood. I bought a 4' by 8' foot sheet of ply, cut a piece for the shelf and used most of what was left as a back to prevent things on the shelf from slipping off. (As a result I did not need the back diagonal support.) I added a 2x4 standing up to the back of the top for the same reason. Finally, I used 4x4 material for the legs to provide added stability. All in all a great weekend project for someone with limited carpentry skills and the end result was well worth the effort.
Gary

Re Adirondack Chair I have completed 2 of these chairs and what fun I had doing so. The chair are in my tv room because of its comfort. Have orders to make more so it goes to show great plan, great project and great comfort.
Brent Nicol Cape Town, Somerset West

Re Adirondack Chair I suppose one can't complain about a free set of plans, eh? And I shouldn't, they are excellent, and the drawings a brilliant addition. It's just that those of us who don't think in metric.... are s.o.l. I note that your new porch swing plans are in both metric and inches and for one, I would vote for having all the plans in both, if you could manage it. You might want to mention on the Adirondack Chair Plans site that Adirondack is a huge national park in upstate New York, popular with American titans of industry in the 19th century, and still very unpopulated in the winter months, and known for both its rustic furniture, as well as for beautiful mountains, lakes and rivers. A great place to visit, because of its remote location, even in the summer it is not crowded. All the best,
Mike Connelly Brunswick, Maine

Re Low Garden Retaining Wall I read through your instructions for building the retaining wall, and wish to compliment you on the material specifications and clarity of instruction. One point that is worth adding is the use of a brush-on preservative for cut ends of treated timber. Larger section material (such as 100 x 100) will inevitably contain heartwood that is often impenetrable during the pressure treatment process. When left intact, the envelope of treated wood created will perform very well against decay, however when untreated heartwood is exposed by cutting, this can lead to premature decay. The use of a brush-on preservative based on copper naphthenate such as Metallex Green is strongly recommended on such cut faces to restore the protective envelope. Another recommendation is to avoid placing the cut end in the ground.
Terry Smith

Re Low Garden Retaining Wall I agree with Terry on the timber preservative - an empty Window Cleaner spray bottle or similar will provide a less messy and more economic alternative in application.
Carwyn Dewes

Re Wheelbarrow I had been searching for just such a project and was glad when I discovered your site. One or things need to be ironed out if this is being made in the UK. Fence palings are what the Brits call Gravel boards and are available from Wickes. Just make sure when you buy them they are perfectly dry, they are stored outside because they are used for outside projects - logical really. I printed all the details and started work with a couple of small modifications due the available timber size available in the UK. The Wheel was cut and stuck using what we call "No more nails" - do not use this for this project it don't stick. Use waterproof PVA or evostick and make sure that the garage is warm ( do not try to do this in the winter because the wheel still falls apart after 3 days of being glued and clamped). Eventually the wheel was complete and when cut out was tapered toward one side because the blade in the jigsaw had flexed on the way in. Either drill a pilot hole before starting to cut the wheel out or use a table scroll saw. All the other bits went together well, just make sure that when you lay up the bottom tray you leave approximately 5mm between each plank to ensure that the tray fits snugly along the lower section of the side panel. Also pipe saddles are called saddle clips in the UK and you get them from Homebase in the plumbing section. I look forward to my next project.
regards Clive UK

Re Carport Regarding your carport design....The only negative comment I have is the use of PVC roofing material. There are three drawbacks; #1. The sun will turn the timbers underneath charcoal black in the places the wood comes in close proximity with the PVC. #2. In the colder climates the PVC roofing is very brittle in the wintertime. If you are shovelling snow be very careful not to crack the roofing or damage it with your shovel. #3. PVC roofing will sweat in the days when there is a heavy frost on the roof. When the sun hits the roof condensation will build up underneath and start to "rain" inside the carport. An alternative suggestion is a tin roof. Sheath the roof and cover with heavy roofing felt. Then strap the roof with 2x4's and install the tin. Much more durable and does not sweat, burn, or crack. Other than that, great site and good basic ideas.... Just one more point to add. The 4" slope to the roof of the carport is not enough if you are using PVC roofing. The PVC has a tendency to bow downward and collect water between the rafters if there is not enough pitch to the roof. With tin I think you could get by with a 4" slope but not PVC. Take care,
Langley, B.C. CANADA.

Re Workbench Hi, here's my "user comments" I just finished my bench, and I want to thank the people who put the plans online. The plans were very clear, and the project went smoothly for me.
I have a couple of suggestions. On the bracings, I'd suggest 29" for the side braces f and 5'4" for the back brace g. This way, you'll just need to cut off the corners. Starting with 6' and 3' lengths means some wood will stick out when the wood is marked and cut, which changes the geometry enough so that you end up with a slightly short brace that won't go completely corner to corner. I'd also remove the word "oversized". I figured that meant they would be cut shorter later, but I wasn't positive that it didn't mean to make the pieces a little larger than 6' and 3'. There were also a couple of lengths that were oversized. Since a 6 X 2 is actually narrower than 6" (5 5/8?), the 2 x 2s j should be around 28 3/8", not 30". Likewise, the shelving h should be 25" not 26. As far as the bolt lengths go, I'm glad went with 4" and 6" bolts per D. Popken's suggestion. I'll take this a little further and suggest even shorter bolts. The 4" bolts worked fine for me, but there's an extra inch sticking out from the nut that could snag on something. I think you could get away with 3 inch bolts. If not 3 inch, then 3 1/2 would still be better. I also took the leftover 2x2 i had, and attached it to the center of the underside of the table top (about 20" length). This helped pull the 6 x 2s together, making the table flatter. Basically a third j piece. I may add a sheet of MDF on top to create a smoother surface. Last suggestion: I'd add nuts, washers, and nails to the list of parts.
- Bryan Los Angeles, Ca

Re Gate I have just decided to build a side gate for the first time in my life and decided to search the internet for instructions and advice. This was the first web site that came up in the search engine and I was pleasantly surprised to find a short, easy to read and understand tutorial with brilliant pictures on how to do it. I am confident now about building it after reading such wonderful instructions! Thanks a million!
Doug Christchurch New Zealand.

Re Workbench I would like to say that after searching the internet for some halfway decent workbench plans I would like to say that I'm glad I choose you guys plan. The bench worked out better than I had though. I liked the first one so much I made another bench with my scrap wood. Thanks for posting.
Jeremy, 25, McDonough, GA

Re Carport I built this carport after my first one collapsed because of snow. This was a very simple plan and I thank buildeasy for it. The only thing I did different was replaced the 4X4 with 4X6 for added support and I have to say it is perfect for an additional space. I built it with a friend in 2 days (because I needed the cement to dry) I use it to house my boat. And I have had 32" of snow on it now for 3 weeks.
Bassinkurt.

Re Hexagonal BBQ Table It is a great bbq table to sit at. We easily fit 6 adults and 3 children around it. Was unable to source the 150 x 40 at my timber yard (had to order specially and more expensive)so used 150 x 50 which made the table heavier (It is not one to move too often). Also used 100 mm flatheads as they didn't have 90 mm either. I think the h4 and h3 are around the wrong way in the description. A drop saw is quite useful for this project to get the angles right. Still with one I spent about 5-6 hours cutting and measuring (may be I'm slow). Putting together it helps to have 2 people as the seat and table sections are heavy. Found that car jacks were useful for getting the seat section at the right height. Could cost more than $300 for the materials.
Paul

Re Hexagonal BBQ Table I've always liked this table design but what suited my requirements was just the table (minus the benches) and provision for an umbrella. The former wasn't all that difficult to figure out... switch the frames over and lose the seating "gap" allowance from the dimensions. Finishing with a centered space for an umbrella in both frames was a bit more tricky but achieved by reinforcing stringers bridging the gap left when breaking the two long 2x4 frame members. The metal strapping had to go but was replaced by screws, glue, bolts and quite a few pocket hole joints. A bonus provided by the use of these extra stringers was being saved the 90" cuts and only having 120" ones throughout. All in all a fun project that combined a good set of plans with some interesting brain work as well. I've already received many compliments for a patio table with a unique design...
Brian Hughes

Re Low retaining wall I read through your instructions for building the retaining wall, and wish to compliment you on the material specifications and clarity of instruction. One point that is worth adding is the use of a brush-on preservative for cut ends of treated timber. Larger section material (such as 100 x 100) will inevitably contain heartwood that is often impenetrable during the pressure treatment process. When left intact, the envelope of treated wood created will perform very well against decay, however when untreated heartwood is exposed by cutting, this can lead to premature decay. The use of a brush-on preservative based on copper naphthenate such as Metallex Green is strongly recommended on such cut faces to restore the protective envelope. Another recommendation is to avoid placing the cut end in the ground.
Terry Smith

Re workbench A good sturdy bench. But I have some suggestions. The first is that when the plans say adjustments should be made for dressed lumber that goes for the bolts too! If your standard 2x4 is actually 1 1/2'' x 3 1/2'', I recommend no more than 4'' and 6'' bolts. This is especially critical when bolting the top to the bench top end supports. Since these are too be sunken into the top, too long a bolt leaves not enough thread to secure it all the way (I wound up using additional washers as spacers). The second suggestion is regarding the bolts use to bolt the bench top end supports to the top side rails. The positioning requires holes through the 2x2 and into the top 1/2 of the wide side of the 2x4. Given the thickness of the bolt, this leaves very little space between the resulting hole and the top of the 2x4, especially if you don't drill the hole dead straight. (If you actually have a 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 attached to a 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 it is only 3/8'' from the top of the hole to the top of the board. ) I suggest smaller bolts (or nails) at that point. Last, if you build it on your basement floor remember the floor is often not level!
Doug Popken Highlands Ranch, CO

Re waterlevel This is one of the best ways to level anything ! They work around corners, inside houses, waterlines on boats, checking floor levels from the inside on repiled houses, setting out cladding, formwork for driveways, and if working alone.
Stuart D (Master Builder)

Re workbench Just a comment about this workbench. I have spent hours online looking for workbench plans, because I am not a woodworker. I know engines and electronics. So I wanted to find a bench that looked decent and was sturdy. I also wanted something simple because I didn't want to have to learn another trade for a one time use thing. Your bench filled all of those needs and more. It was a great build and is a pretty darn sturdy bench. Thanks a lot for making my life easier and giving me a good project to build with my 4 year old!
Ron

Re workbench Excellent plans! I built this over the weekend, with minor modifications - I substituted 3/4" MDF board for the top of the workbench, and for the shelf. Makes for a smoother work surface, and less cutting.
-Peter Worcester, MA

Re Adirondack chair This is a Fabulous Project For Me. I've seen this chair being made on all sorts of programs and wanted so badly to be able to make one myself. Now I can. Thanks for the plan.
Andrew

Re exterior steps Thank you for this info as I am not a carpenter. This will help me build my porch with confidence and know it will be safe and sturdy with a lot of use.
K. Bilings

Re garden bridge Ref Garden Bridge Instructions - Thanks. Bridge came out great. Your instructions were complete, easy to read, and concise. I was even surprised at the results.
Dan

Re garden bridge This project answered many of my questions regarding an arched bridge. A nice looking bridge.
CJ

Re coffee table thank you very much from sunny MacKay in Queensland Australia for the easy to read and easy to follow plans, as a novice woodworker I need all the help I can get.
regards Steve.

Re paving path Amazingly comprehensive instructions. It's given me the confidence to have a go!
T. Wright

Re wishing well I would Love to say Thank You I've looked everywhere on plans to build a wishing well for my mother,she has wanted one for a very long time. And now thanks to you she has what she wanted. Thank You!!
Missy (OHIO)

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