Murphy bed

[jonathan snyder]

Hi Folks,

Some time ago I was asking questions about murphy bed hardware. Thanks to those who helped out. I finally finished the bed. This is my biggest project to date, but was not all that complicated to make, although it took me a long time!

I used the Create a Bed hardware kit from lee Valley. Great instructions with the kit. The cabinet is hickory ply with solid wood edging. Headboard, trim & moulding are solid wood. The crown moulding is a built up moulding using 4 pieces of 4/4 lumber and 3 router bits. Finish is blo and orange shellac.

Thanks for looking, this is my first project, I felt worthy of posting here!

Sorry, for the skewed photos, but it is a queen size bed in a very small room, with lots of other stuff in there. Could not easily get a head on shot.

Jonathan

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[Jim Becker]

That turned out really nice, Johnathan! I really like the panels. Very rich looking.

[Ian Gillis]

I was hoping you'd come back with the results. Great job ! I'm curious to know how you got that big panel glued up. I used to build these things for my living and I know a queen-size panel takes up a lot of space and is a bear to move around the shop.

Cheers
IG

[Bruce Page]

Jonathan, Great job on your murphy bed, the finish on the hickory ply looks great! How's the weather up there? I might be heading back up there in mid January. I was up there late last month, right after you guys got the two feet of snow!

[John Schreiber]

That looks great. The hickory ply has terrific figure. Couple of questions:

Do you use a conventional mattress and box spring on that?
Is the bed a more or less standard height off the ground when it's down?
Is it attached to the wall, or can it be moved?

Thanks,

[Hans Braul]

Great job! I am trying to work up the nerve to get started on mine. This gives me some inspiration.

Where did you get your plywood? I am thinking of veneering with cherry.

Thanks for posting
Hans

[jonathan snyder]

Thanks for the compliments. I am am still very new to all this, and I learned a lot throughout the this project.

Ian, The front panel is actually a faux panel. It is two 30" wide pieces of plywood attached to a popular bed frame from the back side. The trim was added afterward.

Thanks Jim!

Bruce, January is not a very hospitable time to visit, come back when its warm and there is more daylight!

John, the bed uses a regular mattress, but no box spring, it sits on a popular frame. The top of the mattress is lower than a regular bed, perhaps, 18" off the ground. The cabinet is attached to the wall at the top. The pistons are very smooth, you can raise and lower it one handed, and the locking mechanism is very secure.

Hans, it was a big project working with 30" wide plywood panels, but was not all that complicated, as I was able to make it work! I bought the hickory ply locally, at the only hardwood/woodworking supplier in town!.

Thanks again for the kind words, I have the urge to build and continue to improve my skills. I have learned a-lot from you folks!

Jonathan

[Barry Stratton]

Great job Jonathan!

I realy like it. The hickory came out perfect and I like the curve on the headboard. Hope it sleeps as well as it looks!

[John Timberlake]

Nice job. Love the finish and the book matched wood.