Bed leg construction (pics)

[Randy Klein]

This was originally an update to a thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=59025&page=4) in the EZ forum where we discussed various ways of post construction to include lock miter and chamfer router bits, TS and BS bevels, Mark Singer's dado approach and others. I wanted to share it here as well as I ended up making these legs in a different manner than the original EZ method I proposed. This way, I hope for a larger audience for comments...

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I finally got around to making the legs. I ran some test pieces through the BS at 45 degrees (useing the Tilt Top angle gauge for accuracy), but there was still some small error that prevented the square from closing perfectly. Plus, they wanted to slip around so much, I was dreading assembly. Scrap that idea.

So back to the thinking board. I decided to use a rabbeting bit and join the legs as shown in the pictures. You can't see it, but these legs are dead-on square. I still need to trim the ends since they don't are all different lengths. Those aren't gaps at the ends, those are shadows from the longer pieces.

I also Dominoed them together for help with alignment (although this took some time to figure out how to properly place my mortises). These pictures are only a dry fit, but they are as snug as anything. In fact, I have to force them apart, carefully of course.

I intentionally created those corners as such. I'm going to inlay some cherry. The bed is maple with cherry accents, so it should mesh well design-wise. Although my wife likes the weird design w/o inlays and wouldn't mind leaving it like that...:confused:

I haven't decided yet to put a core in the middle or leave it hollow as it is now. These are modular bunk beds, so in bunk-bed mode, they will be a connecting piece between the legs of the 2 beds. So leaving it hollow will obviously allow room for the connecting piece. I think I may add a core, but not the full length (leave a few inches hollow at the ends for the connecting piece). This way, I'll add some additional strength and heft to the legs while preserving the bunk-bed-ability.

Overall, I think this method of leg construction is rather straight forward and simple to execute. And if you are using 2 different species of wood, it allows you to highlight/accent the legs (what normally would be an ugly design in my mind). I'm not sure what I would do if I using just one species.

Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?

[Charles Jackson III]

Nice start!

[Randy Klein]

I know everyone's busy reading Gary's jointer thread, so I'll bump this and give everyone another chance to catch this before it falls off the first page...

[David Tiell]

I kind of agree with your wife. I like the style as is, without the corners filled with cherry, although picturing that, it will look very nice. I don't think you need to fill the core. Your joint there gives you plenty of glue surface, and with the domino tenons, I think it will be plenty strong. But then again, never under-estimate the power of youthful exuberance (assuming it will be used by kids since it will be a bunk bed) to totally destroy anything, regardless of how well built it is!

Looking good, and keep posting the progress. I'd like to see the finished product.

[Russ Filtz]

I too vote to keep the corner treatment as-is. I think it gives some interesting lines to what otherwise would be a boring box structure. Why not do something alternate with the cherry strip, like maybe mounting it right on the center face of each side? It would give the color contrast as well as play off the notched corners.

[Randy Klein]

I too vote to keep the corner treatment as-is.

That makes 3 in favor of keeping as is (counting my wife).

I'm going to mill up the cherry inlay, tape it in there, take pics, post, and setup a poll to see what looks better.

[Grady Cowardin]

That is a neat method you have there. I think it looks great as is but would look very nice with a two tone inlay. The corners will take a lot of abuse from the youngins so it may be wiser to leave the strips out. Looks plenty strong as is, but if you added 3 biscuits per joint it would be rock solid. 1 in the middle and 1 on each end? Of course that's per joint, 4 per leg, might be overkill but that's how I like to build things.

Don't shoot the newb!

[Randy Klein]

1 in the middle and 1 on each end? Of course that's per joint, 4 per leg, might be overkill but that's how I like to build things.

There's a total of 12 Dominoes in each leg, 4 in the middles, 4 in each ends