A place to lay my head

[Bigboat123]

So here is the deal, this is my first real project and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am in the process of building a new bed more specifically a rather modern looking platform or pedestal bed. I’m still in the process of designing and am looking for any tips on how to make the actual construction go smoothly. I’m planning on using poplar because it’s cheap, from what I understand easy to work, and available. I plan on finishing it a dark color like a dark walnut or an espresso. So if I can get any tips from someone who has done something similar would be appreciated. I know this is pretty vague but im not even really sure what problems to expect. Haha putting this down in words makes me realize just how in over my head I am.

[BillN]

So here is the deal, this is my first real project and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I am in the process of building a new bed more specifically a rather modern looking platform or pedestal bed. I’m still in the process of designing and am looking for any tips on how to make the actual construction go smoothly. I’m planning on using poplar because it’s cheap, from what I understand easy to work, and available. I plan on finishing it a dark color like a dark walnut or an espresso. So if I can get any tips from someone who has done something similar would be appreciated. I know this is pretty vague but im not even really sure what problems to expect. Haha putting this down in words makes me realize just how in over my head I am.

Ben,

I just finished a platform bed. They can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make them. I did mine the simple way - 3 sheets of 3/4 birch plywood that I ironed edge banding on all the exposed edges. I think the ply was about $30.00 a sheet more or less. I had the big box store cut the ply to exact size. (I will never struggle with full sheets again!) My constraints were the fact that I had this and another big and one little project that had to be completed at my place and hauled 400 miles and then set up with pretty minimal tools at the far end. I made two boxes (looked a lot like big coffins!) that had no bottom or top for the support. This was for a queen (60x80 as I recall) so the support boxes were something like 24x72 each to give that floating effect to the larger top. As I recall the boxes were 18 inches high. The boxes provided edge support for the mattress out at 48 inches and middle support so there was no give with the very heavy latex mattress and two adults. The top was two pieces of plywood 30X80 each. I rounded the two foot ends to avoid scraped legs in the morning on the corners(ouch!). For that I used a jig saw followed by a corner rounding jig and pattern bit in the router. All of the joinery at the set up location was unglued Kreg pocket screw joints. Because I couldn't think of a good way to get the two top pieces to go together I put pocket screw holes down the middle of one side and screwed it to the other side. Since the mattress covered the top it was not important to have a pretty top, just a strong one. This was set up in a pretty small bedroom so we had to be able to break it down into sheets again if a move was in the offing. You can have cutouts on the bottom for sliding drawers for storage in the coffins, but that was vetoed in my case. You can also have the mattress sit inside a short frame or even have a large frame for the mattress to sit on with exposed wood out beyond the mattress. Both of those ideas can look pretty but they can also be uncomfortable in getting in & out of the bed and they can make changing the sheets more of a chore. For finish I put a dye mix on followed by a few coats of Arm-R-Seal oil & urethane. On the bottom edge we put some of that sticky carpet stuff every foot or so to keep from marring the hardwood floors. It hasn't fallen apart yet! Of all the things I have built, this was probably the easiest. Suggestion: If it's a queen or larger find a big space to work on it. I did mine in the garage. If you keep the joinery simple this is a very doable beginner project. The neat thing about a platform bed is that most of it is hidden and it's probably all square corners, no curves. It's when you get into fancy curved headboards, hidden bed bolts, or spindles that you can have a real challenge. I'm looking at a sleigh bed design now, but that will have to wait for another day.

[Bigboat123]

Ben,

I just finished a platform bed. They can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make them. I did mine the simple way - 3 sheets of 3/4 birch plywood that I ironed edge banding on all the exposed edges. I think the ply was about $30.00 a sheet more or less. I had the big box store cut the ply to exact size. (I will never struggle with full sheets again!) My constraints were the fact that I had this and another big and one little project that had to be completed at my place and hauled 400 miles and then set up with pretty minimal tools at the far end. I made two boxes (looked a lot like big coffins!) that had no bottom or top for the support. This was for a queen (60x80 as I recall) so the support boxes were something like 24x72 each to give that floating effect to the larger top. As I recall the boxes were 18 inches high. The boxes provided edge support for the mattress out at 48 inches and middle support so there was no give with the very heavy latex mattress and two adults. The top was two pieces of plywood 30X80 each. I rounded the two foot ends to avoid scraped legs in the morning on the corners(ouch!). For that I used a jig saw followed by a corner rounding jig and pattern bit in the router. All of the joinery at the set up location was unglued Kreg pocket screw joints. Because I couldn't think of a good way to get the two top pieces to go together I put pocket screw holes down the middle of one side and screwed it to the other side. Since the mattress covered the top it was not important to have a pretty top, just a strong one. This was set up in a pretty small bedroom so we had to be able to break it down into sheets again if a move was in the offing. You can have cutouts on the bottom for sliding drawers for storage in the coffins, but that was vetoed in my case. You can also have the mattress sit inside a short frame or even have a large frame for the mattress to sit on with exposed wood out beyond the mattress. Both of those ideas can look pretty but they can also be uncomfortable in getting in & out of the bed and they can make changing the sheets more of a chore. For finish I put a dye mix on followed by a few coats of Arm-R-Seal oil & urethane. On the bottom edge we put some of that sticky carpet stuff every foot or so to keep from marring the hardwood floors. It hasn't fallen apart yet! Of all the things I have built, this was probably the easiest. Suggestion: If it's a queen or larger find a big space to work on it. I did mine in the garage. If you keep the joinery simple this is a very doable beginner project. The neat thing about a platform bed is that most of it is hidden and it's probably all square corners, no curves. It's when you get into fancy curved headboards, hidden bed bolts, or spindles that you can have a real challenge. I'm looking at a sleigh bed design now, but that will have to wait for another day.

Thanks for the input. I hadn’t really considered a two separate pieces I was thinking too much like a traditional bed with 4 sides with complicated mitered corners. I was over thinking it. I will probably go a similar route you did. Much appreciation.

[Mike M]

I have built 3 platform beds so far, 2 kings and one queen.

I built the platform as a single open 'coffin' that could be disassembled for moving. For the queen bed I started with a sheet of veneered plywood (cherry) and cut 16" off one end. I then ripped the remaining into 3 strips, dressing them down to 15 1/2" wide. I cut 4 corner posts out of 2x2 cherry and dadoed grooves for the sides on two faces. I drilled 2 holes in one of the two dados of each post to accept 1/4" bolts. The king was built the same way but required another piece of plywood for the 4th side.

I cut two of the long strips to length (~70") and drilled them for cross dowels to match up with the 1/4" holes. This setup allows me to bolt a post on each end of the sides. I cut the remaining strips to width (~46") and glued the posts to each end. The board with the grain running the wrong way becomes the head end since it is hidden anyway. Now I have a 'coffin' that comes apart. I also cut a pair of 15 1/2" square pieces of plywood or mdf and notched them to form an 'X'. This became the center support.

I made the top out of 2 pieces of plywood that run side to side (60"x40" each). I added cleats on the underside to align them with the base and keep them together. I chose to edge them with a 1x2 in cherry, but you could use any edge treatment. I would strongly suggest that you cut about 3" of each corner of the foot end board at a 45 degree angle or round it off. This will save bruised shins and nocturnal screaming.

I hang the headboard on the wall, so I don't have a support problem.

I am using Tempurpedic matresses that measure 8" high so the top of my beds end up at about 24" off the floor.

One advantage of the platform running side to side is that it is easy to lift the bottom end of the bed to access the storage. I hold it up while friend wife retrieves or stores the junk we keep under the bed.

Any questions, give me a shout.

Mike

[Guest Trace]

I built a bed frame for our bedroom from 2 X 12's for the lateral support from the floor up. Then 2 X 4's for the longitudnal supports, half lapped into the top of the 2 X 12's. 2 x 4's around the perimeter. A simple fascia of 8" oak around the outer edge of the base finished the thing off. It was not fancy, but gave me the true support I needed, and put the sleeping level at about 24" above the floor. I had been injured and needed the height for ease of getting in and out of bed.

[Bombarde16]

A sketch or two (done by hand and scanned if you're not into CAD) and a picture of the room to which this piece is destined would help us be more helpful to you. As one other poster mentioned, it'd also be good to know what implements you have at your disposal. But speaking in general terms:

- A platform bed is indeed one of the easier ways to get a place to put your mattress and well within the grasp of a beginner. You could even get by without a table saw for this one.

- Poplar is indeed inexpensive and quite satisfying to work, whether by hand tools or power tools. Beware of trying to finish it with a clear finish, though. Personally, I'd give it a honey sort of amber and let the grain be its unremarkable self or obliterate the grain altogether with a coat of paint. But trying to get a major color change *and* celebrate the grain is asking for trouble. Try Marc's vid where he refinishes a rocking chair with two different layers of color.

- Expect the biggest challenge to be, well, bigness. I did a four-poster bed over the summer and the &#$^@ thing dominated my garage for weeks. Big pieces to machine. Big pieces to finish. Big pieces to assemble and keep safe while machining and finishing other big pieces.

Good hunting.