Bunk Bed Plans? knockdown joinery?

[Nick Stokes]

I need to make some simple bunk beds for my 2 boys. Figuring to use pine from HD and joint/plane it and stain it.

Anyone have a good plan they can recommend that takes in to account being able to move it up the stairs into their bedroom then assemble it?

[Garth Almgren]

Jay Bates has a fairly simple and sturdy design made out of 2x4 and 2x6 material: http://jayscustomcreations.com/2014/11/build-a-bunk-bed/

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I was given a bed similar to that shown.... One difference was that they could be used as two non-bunk beds. To turn them into a bunk bed, there was a hole drilled into the feet and a hole drilled into the top posts. A steel rod was placed into the holes on the posts and it ran into the holes in the feet that were placed on top. These rods were only about 4 to 5 inches long.

Also, looking at the design, I see that there is nothing to prevent a child from rolling out of the top bunk....

[Garth Almgren]

I was given a bed similar to that shown.... One difference was that they could be used as two non-bunk beds. To turn them into a bunk bed, there was a hole drilled into the feet and a hole drilled into the top posts. A steel rod was placed into the holes on the posts and it ran into the holes in the feet that were placed on top. These rods were only about 4 to 5 inches long.
I had a bunk bed like that in college. That's a nice design too (I had mine set up as a mid-height loft with an inflatable couch underneath. Those were the days...) :)


Also, looking at the design, I see that there is nothing to prevent a child from rolling out of the top bunk....
He didn't build it on his, but his plans do include a safety bar if you want to include that.

[Jim Barstow]

I have built almost every bed in 2 houses. I started using "knock down" hardware and stopped after 2 beds. No matter how heavy duty, the bed will
rack. I now use 2 techniques which are almost as easy as knock down hardware but offer a much, much more rigid frame. Both use bolts through
the vertical posts to cross dowels in the bed rails. One technique hides the bolt head and the other uses a bronze finished bolt head that is exposed but
looks nice. These beds never rack, never creak and could stand up to kids jumping on them or other nighttime activity.

The bed rails also have stub tenons that fit into shallow mortises in the vertical bed posts. This makes assembly easier and adds to the rigidity.

[Russell Stanton]

Bed rails with stub tenons and fasten together using bed bolts from Rockler. Have done 3 so far for grandchildren and they are still standing.

[roger wiegand]

+1 on classic bed bolts and M&T joints. Rock solid when assembled, but easy to knock down to small pieces for moves through small spaces. Did my first bed with metal connectors and it creaked and moved constantly, the rest have been done with bed bolts and are much more satisfactory.

[Nick Stokes]

Here is my current idea.
http://ana-white.com/2009/11/plan-by-request-simple-bed-twin-sized.html

Creating the headboard panels using the slats is a very creative way to give a mortise and tenon look, and very easy/cheap/fast to achieve. I would plan to glue/clamp all of that panel assembly together.

I would consider then using the center board of the panel, cutting it about 2.5" longer and using it to be the tenon, and to cut a mortise in the 4x4 post. Make sense? Worth the trouble over hidden pocket screws on the interior of the headboard?

Now, to make it knockdown, I need to decide how to attach the rails.

First question, would a solid piece be stronger/more stable? If the bed frame was built as a rectangle, including the some of the slats, and the whole assembly attaches to the headboard/footboard? If so, how would you attach?

Also a question on the "Bed Bolts". Are they significantly better than these?
http://www.rockler.com/5-surface-mounted-bed-rail-brackets#turnto-reviews-content

For the bed bolts I would be looking at $50 in hardware. I'm not trying to be cheap, but... well yea, I'm trying to be cheap.

As for the other bed, my plan would be to make it the same way, and drill 4, 1.5" dowel holes and shove some dowels to hold the top in place. Thoughts? Surely that would be sufficient? Even if they have a wrestling match up there?

[Russell Stanton]

Like I said, I used Bed bolts, no experience with the other Rockler item but I do know when the bed bolts are tightened the bed has zero wobble or movement it is like one solid assembly. For kids I think that would be a firm requirement. Also suggest using steel dowel not wood to hold the two bunks together when they are stacked.

[roger wiegand]

Yes, bed bolts give a significantly more solid connections-- the connector you reference is exactly the one I used on my first bed. The bed wiggles perhaps a half to 3/4 an inch at the top of the headboard, and creaks and squeaks all the time. I'm planning to re-do it with a floating tenon and bed bolts.

While "real" bed bolts are nice for historical accuracy, you can substitute a ordinary hex head machine bolt and washer that should cost you less than a buck each for a 6-7" long 5/16" or 3/8" bolt. You can get square nuts from someplace like McMaster Carr. (or you could make the slot for the nut large enough to get a wrench in to hold a hex nut.) That will get you under $10 for the hardware, so a win/win-- and you don't need to buy a bed wrench.

On that design I'd lock the bottom rail in place with the bed bolts and just let the top rail float in the tenons. The slats in that design could either be glued in or allowed to float--depends how far you want to be able to knock it down. If you do a solid wood headboard you make the top mortises oversize in height to allow the headboard to expand and contract with the seasons without splitting.

[peter gagliardi]

I have built many beds. I get my bed bolts from horton-brasses.com. They are an excellent small family run company whose pricing is some of the best for the quality you get. I am not affiliated in any way, but they are one of my favorite suppliers!
Throw all the rest of that hardware away.

[Nick Stokes]

I wanted to update you all on this build. I finished the first bed(eventually to be on top)

I used the anawhite plan and modified it to make it more secure. To attach the headboards, I built a fake tenon by making the spacer on the end 1" longer, and I cut a mortise in the leg. This solidified the headboard and it is rock solid.

To attach the rails, I used 2 angle brackets on each 2x6. It is plenty stable enough for it's intended use. There is no doubt a better, more expensive solution, but I wasn't looking for that on this build.


All of the materials are either a 2x4 or 2x6, and they were resawn and planed to serve their purpose. Stained and Poly on top.

Thanks for the advise in this thread as it got me to thinking and exploring options.

312977312978312980