red oak 4-corner bed posts - where to get?

[Mark Greenbaum]

A friend at work asked me if I knew where he could get 4 or 5" diameter x 5' long oak posts (for a 4-post bed he's going to make for his son and new daughter-in-law). He asked if I could tuned them on my lathe but my lathe is a G0766 with 42: center to center capacity. Any ideas for a source for materials, and whether or not I could modify my lathe to turn the ends to 2.5" diameter for 16" off each end (taper)? Thanks ahead of time for the assistance.

[Roger Chandler]

Mark, if the bedpost design has beads and coves in it, then you could make a two part bedpost and hide the joint [mortise & tenon] at the beginning of one bead, then glue together after turning the two parts of the post. Done right, no one could tell it was a two piece, and that would easily fit on your G0766. Just pick a part of the post that is not an attachment point for the headboard. I would make the tenon at least 3" long and use a forstner bit to drill the mortise. Perhaps a 2" diameter tenon?

[Dennis Ford]

Roger has the best solution, I have made bed posts like this before from red oak; laminated dry stock to get the size and turned in multiple sections. I used 1-5/8" tenons that were 3" long.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Sounds good, but from what he told me, no beads or coves - straight diameter with pencil tapers top and bottom. If the pieces are marked correctly, I could match the grain lines at glue-up.

[Larry Copas]

The real problem is 4 or 5" thick oak is near impossible to kiln dry defect free. If you do find it you may also discover sticker shock.

[Tom Albrecht]

Sounds good, but from what he told me, no beads or coves - straight diameter with pencil tapers top and bottom. If the pieces are marked correctly, I could match the grain lines at glue-up.

Turned posts from top to bottom? I would think that there would be a square length on the lower portions for attaching the frames? Then you'd have a place to make the joint.
And yes, it's going to have be a glued up laminated post.
There was a guy featured in last month's American Woodturner that does long posts, and there must be a turner on the AAW forum with a long bed.

[Keith Westfall]

Suggest a "feature ring" in the middle of the post - someplace to hide the joint.

[Wayne Lomman]

Make a temporary extension to your lathe. All you need is a timber bed clamped to the existing bed with a leg for support. I did that for a 5' high finial for the gable peak on a restoration job. I wasn't buying a bigger lathe for one job and didn't want a joint out in the weather 45' in the air. Cheers

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

There are a few saw Mills around here that will kiln dry wood for customers. I needed some 6x6 beams for my kitchen . I purchased some 7x7 custom cut beams and had them delivered to the kiln guy. About 4 months later, I got my beams and 2 of the 4 had twisted an eighth of a turn. The guy with the kiln ran the beams through his saw and then planed them. They were straight as an arrow and within 2 mm's, true to size. There was a minor crack in one piece and I just installed that beam so the cracks would not be seen. The beams were oak, but I think pin oak. Just an idea of what can be done.