A pair of New Beds

[Isaac]

Hey all,

This will be sort of quick project journal on two recent bed projects I've completed. The first is a house bed I made for 1 year old daughter. We already had the extra queen mattress, so that determined the size, and my wife wanted something close to the ground so my daughter could climb into it right from the start. Over the summer I posted about salvaging a large number of cedar boards from an old deck. I planed the boards down, tossed the excessively deteriorated ones, and dried the others in my garage for about 4 months, which was sufficient for the approximately 1 inch thick boards to dry out. 

Sorry, I didn't capture many shots of the construction, but it involved making two rectangular sub frames which are bolted together and in turn have the two end A-Frames bolted to them. Initially I planned to construct everything with strategic bolted connections, to allow for disassembly, and I mostly carried that through to the end. However, as I got further into the project, I realized the cedar material really was quite soft, and this probably won't be a hand me down type bed, but should be fun for my daughter none the less. This also helped me decide on the antique white paint, which matches a couple other items in her room. This also reduced the need to do as much sanding, as I was truly in a hurry as she was rapidly outgrowing her crib!

This was the original version:

However, after putting it to use, my wife complained that the horizontal bar made it awkward to enter and exit the bed. She was right. Taking that horizontal bar out completely wasn't really an option, as it provided stability to the rest of the bed frame, so I came up with this modification (bonus points for spotting my cats tail!): 

The second bed was needed for guests. I looked into buying a simple metal frame, but online review scared me away from that option and decided to come up with something simple. I settled on this platform design to keep the bed relatively low to the ground and eliminate the need for a box spring. I selected cherry for its universal appeal. I didn't have any 16/4 Cherry for the legs, so they are made of four 4/4 plies laminated together, to a final thickness of about 3 1/2 inches. 

I decided to use floating tenon joints on the end frames. I was able to use a dowel jig on the ends of the long rail pieces, which was less awkward than trying to do them by hand or by router. For the mortises on the legs, I used hand tools.

 

Gluing up the eccentric rail to leg connections proved to be more challenging than anticipated. I do not have any bar clamps that can cover the required 6+ feet, so I had to use strap clamps. However, the straps do not apply their force solely down the length of the rail, as a result, the legs wanted to rotate. I solved this problem by using cutting 2x4 filler boards to balance the load. I cut the 2x4 a tiny amount longer than the rail, which ensured a closed joint on the show, outside face. 

 

Next step was assembling the frame, and gluing on pine laminations for the inner slat support.

I decided to finish the bed with 3 coats of gloss Enduro Var and 1 coat of Satin

Next moving the bed to its final location:

Close ups of some details:

I chamfered all the edges with a block plane and used non-mortising hardware, which I already had on hand. They are very strong. 

Chamfered Corners:

And the final shot:

Overall I'm happy with how both beds turned out. I was able to complete them in a timely manner, minimized waste (all salvaged A LOT of material for my daughters bed),  and now my daughter and visiting parents have a place to sleep!

Thanks for taking a look!

[Coop]

Really great looking projects Isaac. Thanks for sharing. 

[Chet]

That is a really cute design for your daughter's bed.  The guest bed looks like it should serve it's purpose for quite a while.

[RichardA]

  Ya done good!

[Chestnut]

Hey those both look good. I really like your idea for your daughters bed. Is this the same kid of yours that you made the boat for?

[Isaac]

Just now, Chet said:

That is a really cute design for your daughter's bed.  The guest bed looks like it should serve it's purpose for quite a while.

Thanks Chet,

Yeah it is a very robust design, I can definitely see it lasting many years, and with the simple smooth faced design, refinishing, if ever necessary would be very doable. 

 

Just now, Chestnut said:

Hey those both look good. I really like your idea for your daughters bed. Is this the same kid of yours that you made the boat for?

Yup, same one. She outgrew the boat pretty fast, so now it is just a showcase piece/stuffed animal holder in of our rooms.

[Mick S]

Very nice Isaac. I'll bet your daughter is thrilled!

Time to get started on the 'next' one. They grow so fast.

[Bankstick]

On 12/27/2019 at 9:45 AM, Mick S said:

Very nice Isaac. I'll bet your daughter is thrilled!

Time to get started on the 'next' one. They grow so fast.

Next bed or next kid? I like the bed, BTW.