Popular Post danbell78 Posted October 29, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 This will be my first attempt at a Project Journal. Hopefully you can learn something from it and I can learn something from you as well. So the project is a set of bunk bed for my 5, almost 6 year old twin daughters. Wife and I bounced between simple and complex ideas and landed on something somewhere in between I would say. Probably more complex then needed, but should be a pretty fun build. Here is the image that is inspiring the design. I am not a Sketchup or other modeling software user, so hand drawn plans on paper is my method. (I spend all day at work in front of a computer, and worked my way out of modelling there (engineering) so I don't want to spend my free time doing that!). Changes from the picture (Ana White...) and the actual design is that I will be using all solid maple, so the head/foot boards will be real slats instead of slated nailed to plywood. I am also removing the drawers and just going with a bookcase style on that end. The other end will be configured as a little desk area. Wood was milled ~1 year ago and has been drying in the basement since. As I started into the stack I checked a few boards and they read either same or lower then any other boards in my shop, so I think it is dry enough. Step 1 was to go through and get the bulk of it sorted a bit for size/straightness and then ripped on the bad saw down to under 6" so I could run it across the joiner. By the end of the day I had found the 4 longest pieces I needed and got them worked down S3S and ready to be the rails. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted October 29, 2018 Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 I am way past needing bunkbeds in my house, even for grand kids but I am certainly going to follow this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan G Posted October 29, 2018 Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 Wow. This should be a great journal and project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted October 29, 2018 Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 i'm in for this one, i like the detailed drawings, absolutely needed on a project of that size. i will come clean and admit i bought bunk beds for the grandkids, just for when they stay at our house so it's not like a heirloom like yours are going to be, great start sir! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbell78 Posted November 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2018 Got a quick work session in last night and got the top and bottom rails for head and foot boards down to S3S. Still a little clean up on a couple, but the dust collector was full and I didn't want to mess with that at the end of the night. Started the night with an empty bag on the dust collector, hour and a half, and 8 4ft rails later it was full! Last picture shows the long side rails, resting on the lumber rack. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post danbell78 Posted November 8, 2018 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 Gluing up the stock for the bed posts. I didn't get pictures but there is some cool looking grain on some of this. Unfortunately the finishing plans I have in mind won't really do much to highlight this. Just planning on a water based poly on it, for speed of spraying and simplicity. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chestnut Posted November 8, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 Spray it with a shellac before the WB it'll be just as fast and easy but will add some warmth or you could try endurovar for the first coat. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted November 8, 2018 Report Share Posted November 8, 2018 +1 to @Chestnut, I use schellac as a first coat all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 That’s a lot of milling. What planer do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbell78 Posted November 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 DeWalt 735 planer, just upgraded planer and joiner with Shelix heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbell78 Posted November 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 On the shellac first coat recommendation, I have a HVLP set up, but have never sprayed shellac. Is it OK to spray shellac with a made shift spray booth and my furnace blower air filter set up? or would you recommend brushing on that coat of shellac? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 Spray it. Shellac is alcohol based so there is a flammability risk. Don't really know the details of your spray setup so it's hard to say. If your concerned about it i apply a lot of shellac with a cotton rag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan McCully Posted November 9, 2018 Report Share Posted November 9, 2018 38 minutes ago, danbell78 said: On the shellac first coat recommendation, I have a HVLP set up, but have never sprayed shellac. Is it OK to spray shellac with a made shift spray booth and my furnace blower air filter set up? or would you recommend brushing on that coat of shellac? Thanks I generally spray my shellac just outside my garage on the driveway. Never have had any issues with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbell78 Posted November 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2018 Had a full week off work and found some time to get into the shop. Between deer hunting, Thanksgiving and daughters' birthday there wasn't nearly as much time as I had hope for, never is. Lots more milling and getting panels for the bookcase and desk ends of the bed. This maple is really hard stuff and I have run a ton of it through the joiner and planer, and I am impressed with the Shelix heads. You can feel a bit of a wave to the board, but they come out so smooth and it has handled the bits of gnarly grain very well. I probably would have went through 2 sets of OEM blades on the planer for this material. Next is to add some shape to the top boards on the head and foot boards, then get the head and foot boards put together. Any reccomendations on bed hardware? I have purchased these http://www.leevalley.com/us/Hardware/page.aspx?p=65401&cat=3,40842,43730&ap=1 for ease of use, but now I am seeing that I can't get the bed rails centered on my posts like I want with these (too thick on rails and too thin on posts). Maybe I need to step up to these? http://www.leevalley.com/us/Hardware/page.aspx?p=67916&cat=3,40842,43730&ap=1. Then I get to figure out how to mortise these 75" long rails. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbell78 Posted December 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2018 Switch gears from panels for the bookcase and desk sides back to the headboard and foot boards. I added some shape to the top rail in them, just to lighten things up a bit, going to be bulky enough. Then got the joinery plunged in, using the Domino. Then I got all of the vertical slats for the head board and foot boards roughed out, just need to cut them to length and plunge a bunch of domino in those Some of these have some awesome grain, guess that's what you get when the slat all came from the off cuts from the bigger panels. all the fun grain is around the knots and the twisty parts of the boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted December 4, 2018 Report Share Posted December 4, 2018 +1 on spraying shellac. I love shellac, but will admit to having various problems with it in the past, mostly of the streaks and runs variety, because it just cures so fast, even if you cut it down a bit. Once I sprayed it, most of that went away. That being said, the dry time also makes it easy to do multiple coats in a very short period of time, so there are pluses and minuses. It is sort of a lost art at this point, but shellac can be used as a finish on its own. It does offer some positive qualities. First, it is extremely safe/non-toxic (the stuff was used for coating pills after all) and doesn't off-gas significant VOC and second, it is easily repaired as fresh coats dissolve and blend into underlying coats. One of the biggest concerns has to do with its susceptibility to damage from a hot mug (heat and moisture), but neither of those should really apply to this piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted December 4, 2018 Report Share Posted December 4, 2018 26 minutes ago, Isaac said: doesn't off-gas significant VOC .... One of the biggest concerns has to do with its susceptibility to damage from a hot mug (heat and moisture), but neither of those should really apply to this piece. It does off gas my closet smells fantastic every time i go to put away a par of shes on the rack i made and finished with just shellac. But yeah if you mix your own flakes and use pure alcohol breathing in the vapor is no different than drinking the ethyl alcohol. I think the damage gets overplayed i took a heat gun to my bench to see how easily damaged it was and it really wasn't easily damaged. I spill hot coffee on my bench all the time and i can't tell. It's better there than the table saw. It's 100x more durable than just an oil or wax finish that has become trendy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post danbell78 Posted December 10, 2018 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted December 10, 2018 More progress over the weekend. Got a total of 3 head/foot boards glued up. #4 should happen tonight. Glue up went smoother they I was expecting. I did get some Titebond extends to give me a bit more time to get all 24 of the dominos in place. Next step, rails and adding the cleat on the rails to support the mattress. I was planning to use pine 2x2 for this and a pine ply under the mattress, but didn't like the pine ply I had available, so upgraded that to a maple ply. Then the pine 2x2 seemed out of place, so maple for that spot too! (Wife laughed at me for these upgrades, since I said I didn't want the bottom bunk to have to look at the pine stuff on the top bunk) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 10, 2018 Report Share Posted December 10, 2018 Little quirks like the pine/maple choice are what sets us apart from the IKEA crowd. Attention to detail pays off in the long run. Looking Good ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbell78 Posted December 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2018 All the head/foot boards done, ready for finish. And I even have one thing that looks like a bed! That will be the top bunk. I need to shift focus a bit though and get finish on all of these parts so that I can put the beds to use over the Christmas break. They won't be bunked, but should be fine setting on the floor for a bit while I finish the casework for the bunking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted December 18, 2018 Report Share Posted December 18, 2018 Moving right along looks great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post danbell78 Posted December 18, 2018 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted December 18, 2018 Bottom bunk Ready for the finishing to begin! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbell78 Posted December 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 Last coat going on the rails. Now I need to figure out how to rig up 4 head/foot board for spraying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 Hang it from the garage door tracks of course ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 32 minutes ago, danbell78 said: Last coat going on the rails. Now I need to figure out how to rig up 4 head/foot board for spraying. Last bed I did, I stood the end boards on painter's pyramids and sprayed them. Hanging them would have been a better option but, that wasn't an option for me. Looking great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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