In need of bed construction advice

[Christopher Reyes]

Hello everyone.

I am a new wood worker, but I am loving the learning process... one mistake at a time. First I want to thank the creek for advice given during my last project, my very first workbench.

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Anyway, the next project I am looking to take on is a king size platform bed. I have not decided on the style yet, but I will probably end up choosing something relatively modest, something that is within the range of my fledgling abilities. The design question I have is what type of joinery is appropriate for a bed? I want strength, but also something that I am going to be able to put together on site in the bedroom, and ofcourse something I can disassemble when it comes time to move. It seems to me that glued joints are not really appropriate.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Jim Rimmer]

I've never built a bed but I would think you need some glued joints. Generally, the headboard is a glued assembly and the footboard is a glued Assembly and they are joined together by the rails using some specific bed rail hardware. That hardware is available at a lot of on-line sources - Rockler, Lee Valley, Woodcraft, etc. This may not be the right structure for a platform bed but you will still need some solidly built components to make the bed sufficiently rigid when in use (IMHO). I would use mortise and tenon joints and look at the Arts & Crafts or Greene & Greene style of bed.

And welcome to the Creek (belatedly).

[Stew Hagerty]

Welcome to the craft Christopher. Looking at the photo of your bench, I would say: Job Well Done.

As for the bed construction, I would suggest cross dowels. Something like these:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=367

I would put 2 at each corner for strength and so that the rails don't twist.

Of course the headboard and footboard would need to be glued assemblies. Mortice & tenon joints would be what I would use to put them together. M&T joints will make them extremely solid and they should last for more than one lifetime of use.

[David Hawxhurst]

make two torsion boxes that will act as the platform (similar to the box springs) for the mattress to sit on.

[Kenneth Speed]

The simplest piece of furniture I ever made is my queen size platform bed. It consists of two boxws a smaller one painted black which is the base and a larger one, also painted, that holds the mattress which is supported by slats that run acorss the box and are supported by 3/4" wide strips screwed to each side of the box. the headboard, which is a beautiful piece of burled big leaf maple, was finished with several coats of shellac and mounts on two vertical boards screwed to the mattress box. the whole thing was shamefully easy to make.

I also made a tiger maple pencil post bed with a tester frame for a client and it was definitely one of the more difficult things I've ever made. In part because the bed was made of big pieces and I was working completely with out help.


I think we're all willing to give advice (helpful we hope) but there are beds and then there are beds and we need to know more before we can give good advice.


Ken

[Gary Radice]

I've made a couple of platform beds, and I used cast iron bed rail hangers to attach rails to the headboard/footboard. I got them from the local hardware store way back when, but you can get them today from Paxton hardware among probably other places. They are a little tricky to install since you have to rout a recess for them, but they are sturdy enough.

A torsion box platform, as someone else suggested, is a good idea. Torsion boxes come in handy in lots of situations so it would be a good project to tackle. Making one the size of a king size mattress would be a challenge so making two half size boxes would make moving them around and installing them much easier.

[vladimir Ferdman]

Hello everyone.

I am a new wood worker, but I am loving the learning process... one mistake at a time. First I want to thank the creek for advice given during my last project, my very first workbench.

236768

Anyway, the next project I am looking to take on is a king size platform bed. I have not decided on the style yet, but I will probably end up choosing something relatively modest, something that is within the range of my fledgling abilities. The design question I have is what type of joinery is appropriate for a bed? I want strength, but also something that I am going to be able to put together on site in the bedroom, and ofcourse something I can disassemble when it comes time to move. It seems to me that glued joints are not really appropriate.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I have made a queen size platform bed for my parents based on the design of my own bed. It does not have a headboard. In other words the headboard can be added independent of the rest of the bed and does not need to be attached (but can be if needed). For the platform itself Icut two sheets of 3/4"' birch plywood don to 80" X 40" or so. I don't remember the exact dimensions, but the length of the platform and half the width is the size of each piece of plywood. I then cut the 1X4 lumber for the sides to appropriate size to fit around the plywood on two short side and one long side. I used a dado blade in the table saw to cut a rabbet along each of the 1X4 at about 1" from one of the dges and about 1/2" deep. The width of the rabbet is 3/4" to accommodate the plywood edge. I then used rabbet joints ont he ends of the 1X4 to form corners and glued the whole thing together with the plywood. Two of such units comprise the platform when put together such that a box is formed by the 1X4s. Leave that dry and start on the base. I made the base to resemble the letter "H" or "I". Really like this: |---| The long part is a joist beam and the short parts end up being "legs". I cut them from the remnants of the plywood I used for the platform and sized them such as to create the platform height desired. Say, 12". Again, I do not remember the particulars. I used steel angle brackets to join the beam to the "legs". I made it so I can take all of that apart easily. I drilled holes all the way through in the beam and used bolts and nuts as fasteners. After the base was all joined together I used some bed hardware in the platform halves and more angle brackets in both "legs" and beam to fasten the platform to the base. Makes one of the sturdiest beds I have ever slept on. The seam in the halves of the platform falls directly over the beam of the base. I also added a small bracket at either end of the platform to join the seam. It is much simpler than it sounds, really and is very doable in a garage workshop, which is what I have. I spent more time finishing the bed than fabricating it. If you have a 3/4" rabbet blade and some good long clamps for gluing you should have no problem at all with this design. Oh, I also used a router to round the corners on the 1X4 border, but that's up to you as is the finish. I sanded the whole thing and poly-ed it. I then took the bed apart and drove it 100 miles to deliver to my folks where I assembled it and put it against the headboard the already had. they are very happy with it (they use a futon, but a mattress would also work) and have been using it for over two years now without an issue. It is a very sturdy design and allows the space under the bed to be used for drawers that fit into the |---| on either side of the beam. I did not make the drawers yet, so the space is just empty. I wish I took some pictures of the bed. It is really a nice design, easy to build and very practical. since all the weight is being born by the base, the jointry on the platform itself can be glued. The base jointry is angle brackets and nuts and bolts.

Hope that helps.

[Mike Heidrick]

Jeff Miller's book called Beds is a good read. It has nice joinery advice.

[Christopher Reyes]

Thanks everyone. That has helped quite a bit, and that pretty much answers my main question, which is how do you join the rails to the headboard/footboard so that you can take it apart. I guess I was a bit concerned that hanging the rails ons metal hangers would leave it feeling flimsy.

Does anyone have a good source for obtaining downloadable work plans? The usual suspects (i.e. Rockler, Woodcraft, and FWW.com) don't seem to have anything I like.

Thanks Again,

~Chris

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Christopher
You can check out David Marks website he made a beautiful headboard out of quilted Mahogany when he was on the DIY network. When I built my platform bed I used 1/4" mdf for the torsion box, if I would do it again I would use 1/4" plywood. Much easier to move around. Tom http://www.djmarks.com/woodworks/403.asp

[trevor adair]

I built 2 beds a couple of years ago using the plans from Wood Magazine. Just search their plans for "arts and crafts bed". This was my very first big project and they turned out better than I could have imagined. I used the hardware from rockler (search for bed rail brackets). The bed is very easy to knock down (one minute max) then can be transported in 4 pieces.
The plans from Wood were very easy to follow for a rookie like me, I liked them so much I used the dresser and nightstand ones to complete the bedroom for my twins

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[Andrew Pitonyak]

First I want to thank the creek for advice given during my last project, my very first workbench.

I wanted to say..... Nice looking bench.

[Christopher Reyes]

When I built my platform bed I used 1/4" mdf for the torsion box, if I would do it again I would use 1/4" plywood. Much easier to move around.

I appreciate the help from everyone, and I think I have a much better idea of how I am about to attack this. However I am a little confused as to how I would use a torsion box.

After a quick google search, I found a pretty good video on The Wood Whisperer on how to make a torsion box assembly table ( http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/episode-18-assembly-table-torsion-box/ ) ..... so now that I know what a torsion box is, I see how it could be a handy way to distribute the weight of the mattress in lieue of a box spring. But I still have a few questions:

1. Why is a torsion box better than supporting a piece of plywood accross a crossed support. It seems like it would do the same thing.
2. Should the box thick? The assembly table torsion box from the video is rather large.
3. What is the relationship between the torsion box and the rest of the bed construction? Is the bed platform just one large torsion box? If so, that brings me back to the problem of being able to disassemble the bed for moving (it is going to be a king). If not, how what is it's typical relationship with the rest of the bed's component parts?

Thanks for taking a little time to spoon feed a novice.

~Chris

[Greg Portland]

I appreciate the help from everyone, and I think I have a much better idea of how I am about to attack this. However I am a little confused as to how I would use a torsion box.

After a quick google search, I found a pretty good video on The Wood Whisperer on how to make a torsion box assembly table ( http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/episode-18-assembly-table-torsion-box/ ) ..... so now that I know what a torsion box is, I see how it could be a handy way to distribute the weight of the mattress in lieue of a box spring. But I still have a few questions:

1. Why is a torsion box better than supporting a piece of plywood accross a crossed support. It seems like it would do the same thing.
2. Should the box thick? The assembly table torsion box from the video is rather large.
3. What is the relationship between the torsion box and the rest of the bed construction? Is the bed platform just one large torsion box? If so, that brings me back to the problem of being able to disassemble the bed for moving (it is going to be a king). If not, how what is it's typical relationship with the rest of the bed's component parts?

Thanks for taking a little time to spoon feed a novice.

~Chris
1) You're putting a plywood sheet over the torsion box as well. The crossed supports only give the strength of the thickness of the wood. When the wood is on-edge you're getting a lot more bending/breaking resistance. When you make a torsion box, the X and Y dimensions interlock (dados, etc.) which creates additional strength.
2) Yes, it needs to be thick. In an application where you're not breaking down the bed I would suggest skinning the bottom and screwing the two skins into the box @ each junction point. This gives you the compressive and tensile strength advantages of plywood (which are very high).
3) I would build a thick outer box out of nice wood and connect it together with bed bolts & hardware (there is actual hardware for this application). On the inside I would have one crossmember in each dimension tied into the outer rails/ends (again, with removable hardware) to limit bowing. The rest of the interior box can be a breakdown torsion box design (dadoed into the outer rails & locked together with notches cut 1/2 way through each crossmember). Drop a thin sheet/s of plywood over the box to uniformly support the mattress.

[Greg Portland]

Oh yeah: you may want to consider wheels or under-bed storage.