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BEDS
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ubsher: Jim Childs
Associate publisher Helen Abert
Associate editor Strother PurdyCopy editor Nancy . Bailey
Indexer Peter Chapman
Cover designer Steve Hughes
nterior designer Lori Wendin
Layout artists ori Wendin and Amy Bernard Russo
Front cover photographer Randy O'Rourke
Back cover photographer Tanya Tucka
Interior photographer Tanya Tucka, ecept where noted
Illusrator Bob a Pointe
Tet 1999 by eff Miller
Photographs 1999 by The aunon Press, nc
llustrations 999 by The Taunon Press, ncAll rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
0 9 8 7 6
The Taunton ress nc.,
63 South Main Street, PO Bo 5506 ewtown CT 06470-5506
e-mail tp@tauntoncom
Libary of ngress Cataloging-in-Publication Daailler Jeff 956
Beds outstanding projecs from one of America's best craftsmen /Jeff iller
p cm. (Step-by-step)
SB-3 9785658-254-9
SB0 -5658-549
Beds 2. urniture making 1. itle II Series Step-by-Step (Taunton Press)
TT97.5.B455 1999
6815dc21
ABOUT YOUR SAFETY
99-15009
CP
Working wt wood s nheently dageous. Usng and o powe toos mproperly o igog stadadsafey pacces can ead o perae juy or even deah. Don't ty to perfor ope atos you leaabou ee (o esewhee) uless youe certain hey are safe for you. I sometg abou an opeaodoesn fee rgh, do do t. Loo fo aoe way. We wa you to enoy he crat, so please eep safetyfoeos you md wheever youre woking wt wood.
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To Becky, saac, and Arie
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A book ike this isn't writen without hep. Some of the help-a quick check of a fact
or the conrmation of the sanity of an idea-is casua, the stu of friendship. I
thank a of those whove assisted me in this way for heir suppor Other hep is
much more substantial Around the shop, Ive gotten hel p, support, and friendship
through both ordinary times and some rather extraordinary ones from Bruce Sharp,
Craig Kucina, Andy Brownell, Jason Holtz Bruce McDonald, and Tracy Perrio.
Tanya Tuckas wilingness to run over to photograph whatever was going on
making i look not ony easy but good as we-made the process ever so much
easier. I value the hep ve gotten from Strother Purdy, Helen Albert, and NancyBailey a Taunton, especially Strothers willingness to put up with my questions,
opinions, and ranings
A special thanks to Birgitte Wiliams, who allowed me to se up shop in her bas e
ment so many years ago, getting me started down this fascinating pah.
And I always carry with me the support of my parens, my wife, and my children.
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2 INTRO DUC TION
4 BD-BULD BAC
18 BD
36 AK-L BD
52 PCL-P BD
72 C BD
90 CAMA-L BD
112 D BD
130 PLAM BD
144 L BD
164 BUK BD
182 APPENDIX: Finishing Beds with Oil and Wax
183 SOURCS
184 METRIC CONVERSION CHART
185 INDEX
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2
W
spd clos to a thid of
ou livs i bd. Fo this
aso alo i a icasigly fast-
pacd ad slp-dpivd wold ou
bds a ou mos t impotat plac of
pos. But it is th oth activitisthat hlp mak ou bds so spcial.
W watch tlvisio. W ad stois
to ou child. W stay up too lat
ouslvs with a good book (a plasu
usually gttd th t day Ou
child us th bd as a tampoli.
W us th bd as a . tampoli d
w sv bakfast i bd as a vy
spcial tat.
Fo ths asos th bd is o of
th most sigicat pics of fuitu
i th hom akig with th diig
oom tabl as a majo puchas o poj-
ct. But wh th diig tabl is som-
thig of a showpic th bd has a
mo pivat maig. Ou choic of
bd vals mo o f ou imost
idas of pos comfot ad familylif. Physical comfot is ot th issu
thats up to th mattss. ts th bd
fam that matts I buildig o
choosig o its almost as if w c-
atig som sot of pivat shlt This
itimat shlt ca tak may foms
fom th pu ad simpl to th ich
ad imposig.
Whatv th bd looks lik
aust o laboatth basic stuc-
tu is faily simpl. h hadboad
ad footboad a gally spaat
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pieces coected to the side ails with
some fom of kockdow joiey
Thee ae moe complex aiatios
but I haet foud much use fo them
Ie deeloped a quick easy ad ey
study coectio system based otaditioa bed bolts which I use o
most o f the pojects i th is book
This book ca be see as a collectio
of good bed pojects that utiize this
simple system Whee appopiate Ie
gie optios fo chagig some of the
desigs to see as aiatios o futhe
poj ects. Bu t this book is moe tha
just poects. The bed desigs coe a
wide age of woodwokig techiques
ad ca ead to the mastey of a
equaly wide age of woodwokig
skills. Tapeig log posts lamiatig
big cues cuttig ad smoothig
gaceful shapes ee ceatig age
oud postsall ae a pat of the sta
dad epetoie of the bed make ad
cabietmake.I the ist chapte I walk you
though the basics of buidig beds
What follows ae ie bed poje cts.
You ca p ick a poj ect based o good
desig fudametals that ca expad
you woodwokig capabilities O
you ca use these basic desigs as a
foudatio fom which to desig you
ow bed
3
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4
C
BDS CM N a shapes, szes, a
kis. Thee ae ozes o bascorms hres o ieet stles, a thosas o vaiatos Howeve the ol esseta part o a be is what we acta le owa seep o. This sall meas a mattess oe orm o aothe I act the wor be"was orgia se to escbe st the beig the wo bestea appe to the otheparts o what we ow thk o as a be. With
all o this variet t's sprisig how simarthe basc costcto o most bes is
BASIC BED
OMPONENTS
A
tpica be has a heaboa ootboar, seras, a some sot o mattess spport. Nota bes have all these partssome are ttlemoe tha the mattress while others a oa sorts o etras. B t whateve the be co sists o, th ere is oe almo st versal eatrekockow oier Ths is simpl a matte opractcalit A be is st too har to movearo as a igle it so each compoet s
iee a separate pat Well cosie each othe pats separatel beore we ook at how topt them togethe
The headboardThe heaboa is sall the vsa ocs othe be It estabishes the ook a the stea is geeall the most orate pat Its a
goo place to show o o skils as a woo
worke as og as the esig s wel itegratethoghot the rest o the be
a tpcal wooe be, the heaboacossts o the two legs or posts at the heao the be, the heaboar ra a some sorto a boar that etes p above the mattress.The term hadboard s sometmes se toescibe st ths boar at other times itescibes the complete heaboar assembl
icig the legs, ails a o corse thsheaboa plak. I wil se hadboard toescibe the assemb a hadboard plank toescibe the pak
Fctioall the heaboar keeps the pilows om slppig o the be a the waom gettig irt om cotact with heasa hai ols the othe ha the hea
boa oest awas e p agaist the wallSome people place the be i the mie othe oom. The eteeth-cetr writerMak Twa pace the ootboar o hisate talia be agast the wal. With pows agaist the ootboa he col look atthe beatill oate heaboar ow b hiseet whe i be Most people are ot qteths eccetic
Heaboa heghts ca va om st highe tha the plow to ma eet hgher thathe mattess his s most a matter o stlea esig althogh a ow heaboa makest eas to kock o hea o toss atr at ight I ecomme a mimm heghto 0 . to 2 . above the mattress.
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Parts of a Bed
Hadoad ank(o hadoad)
oooad g o pos)
adoad lg (o pos)
Mass so (h,a sad sppo)
Foooad ail
B D B L D N G B A S S 5
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Te footboardTe oooa s ote a scaleown vesio
o the eaoa elecg an compemet
ing e heaoas elemes. I can e ascompe as e heaoa o as smple as wolegs a a coectig a
e oooa ca e simpe ecase ioest have as mpotan a ncton as eeaoa gal t ma ave hepe tokeep e mattess in place. ow it's most aesig coventon tat as vsal alace tothe e
Some peope on like he coniemeto a ootoa. Some o't ke te ac at makes eang wth shees a lankets alitle moe icl. es n e vsalan psical cose at e ottom o thee comotig Coosng a ootoa esigneall comes ow o pesonal peeenceWhen o make a smila eaoa an
ootoa, oth at oce so a onee to se t p machnes an igs ol oceo wok o o
Te side railsThee sall s't a wole lo to he sieails eon olng evetig ogehe. nmost es the ae simp ectanga oase easo that e se as ot ge all tatmc attetio s ta te sheets ao akets wil oten cove tem. Howeve, tee aepet o was o ess tem p. specal on
es wth cves, te se as can echo acompleme te esgn.
Sctall te se ais conec teeaoa an e ootoa an sppo themattess Ths is accomplise mos oenw some sot o kockow awae so hee oes have to e move n oe pece.
M E T L R E S & WO O D E N H E D B O R D S
' aly coon to ee a bed wth a
woode headboard ataced to a etal
bed ae. Soe etal rae coe wh
a bracke or t p poe. Yo crew hebracke o he headboa d o bot nto a
headed net n the eg), te lde t
onto te pn on the ae.
Tee knd o bed a e c eae
to ake, bt te conecto betwee a
etal bed ae ad a woode headboard
a l ly q te wobby The etal ae
o degned we l o th prpoe, and
te conecton too low to o d he
headboard ecrely. tead, yo co d
try attach ng t e h eadboa d d rectly o
he wal l .
B E D B U L D N G B A S S
M E T A L B D FR A M E A T T A CH M N T
Wood
hdod
Bols dhrddiss o
scrs
l d m
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Box-Spring Supports
Box pg hae a gd fae ad o eed pport oly al og e edge.
A N G L E I R O N
K I N G S I Z E B E D
h
k-sz bd ds a s s h h il fh w- bx s h lsa f h sas
O O D E N C L E AT C H A N N E L I R O N OR A LU M I N U M A N G L E
Sws
S al
Hardwae designed
fo the center
support on a ing
size bed maes
setting up and
nocng down the
bed easy. Simple
ange bracets asofunction wel
B D B U L D G B A 7
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ATTRESS UPPORTS
Te las major comoe o a bed s some
hg o sor he maress his ca beeher a box sriga woode rame coaiig srigsor a laorm odaio
Box-spring supportsMa beds have a box srig as well as a maress Accordig o he eraioal Seerodcs Assocaio SA, a bo srg ssod alog wi abo 0 erce o e ma
resses i hs co r Box srigs aredesiged as a semirgid sor Te caabsorb some o e imac o a erso sig,lg or eve jmg o a bed, whc rologs e lie o e maress Ma eoeid he srg sor o a box srig morecomorabe a woode maress sors.
rom a bed blders vewoi i is easiero bd a woode rame bed or a box srigWile a sme maress eeds slas or a a orm o sor i, a box srg is soredarod he edges a b a kig-size bed, asime woode cea or eve a seres o maress hager iros screwed i lace arod esde o e bed ras is eogh a kgsize bed wic ses wo wsze boxsrgs side b sde as he odao o
eed a sor rig rom eadboard o
ooboard dow he midde o e bed ad a leg e midde o is sor
or ears, I js aaced is ceer s
or wh smal age brackes is coed we b ad o be screwed io lacewhe seg e bed Now here is a secic ece o kockdow ardware avaiabejs or hs rose Is a le harder osal e sho ha e agle brackes, bwe seig he bed o ca s droe sor o ace
Patform foundationsThe aeraive o e box srig is he laorm odaio, whch ca sor maresseswiho a box srig here are wo commoes o laorm sor slaed ad solidwhch is made wi lwood o r similar sheemaeral I roe, saed odaos,oe sig lamiaed sas isead o soldwood oes, are ver commo I is core erm platfom bd sa meas a lwood sor srace
mc reer sas or maress sorSas have some gve ad so ac ike woodesrigs w each sla movg ad exgideedel o he oers Ts makes orrmer sor a a box srig, b oe ais sll exible Aog idvdal sas ma
o look srog eog o sor eole
P L A T FO R M FO U N DA T IO N S
Wio a box srg , a maress ees o be so ed across is eie eg a d wi
SLAD
ooden cea
8 B D B U D G B A S S
SOD
Rail
Cla
Pywoodplaom
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withot breakig oce weght is dsibedacoss em te hod p ve well ad teirspport is te good. Slas aso allow he
matress to beathe" rogh e spaces owhatever as woh.
Sas are a bit more work to make tha asmple pwood plaorm. The also will movearod ove time leavig parts o te matess spported less o povide someom o algme or atacmet Slas arealso better a a dieret kid o movgaod: he are ve portable especia i
there ped togeter ad strapped io twobdles whc are mc easie to move taeiter a bo sprg or a see o plwood.
A plwood plaorm has is ow advatagesad disadvaages A plwood patorm s lesstrobe to make; bt withot sgicat spport deeath eve a /-i.- thck plwoodplaorm wil sag. Ulke the slas e etiepece o plwood eds to sag as a iSaggig plwood is dete o comortableto seep o becase o spie wil mach hesag However a recessed bo esig o heoo ca eas sppo a plaorm o a bedszes ecep the kig There o ca addadditioal sctre iside the bo Yo caalso se woode or meal strts dereat tospport a patorm wihot a bo.
A well-sppoed pwood plaorm is ieto sleep o althog stil rmer a a slatedplatom. Ulmate his added irmess cashorte the ie o a matress ess the maress is speccall desged or patom se.
A ver dere sppo problem s createdb waebed matresses. Tese shod aveplwood paorms b te ms be eioced wth a more eesive gid strctre
deeath to hep disribte e weght othe waer over a geate area o te loo.Amos a bed desg ca be ted ito awaterbed b addig a spport gid dereahe platorm. here ae commercial avaiablemeta ames that do te same tig.
IZING A BED
To te sleepe the mos importa part o thebed is the matress. I te bed ad plaormare strctrall sod te matess deer
mes the como o te bed To te wood worker however oe o ths s o mchierest. The mos mporta thg a woodworker eeds to kow abo a matress s issize ad is s a big deal ideed.
Matresses var i sze more ha eogho case bg pobems or e woodwoker.The sadad matess sizes I've ecoteredae isted i te cha o p. 0. I se hem as ale o tmb becase variatios i size ae
ie commo. ve come across matressesta were as mc as 1 i wider o arrowea stadad Te lesso here is that is verimportat a o measre te leg adhe wd o e matess ol be sig wihthe bed. Bt dot make a woode bed to it aslighl desized matess becase a bedshold otlast a paca mattess Itcold become diicl laer o o id aoher
dersized matress.Mattress hickesses var ar moe ta
hei widh ad egtp to 9 i . Mamattresses are sil made rogh 6 i. o 7 .thick. Bt he ed te idsr s to makethcker ad thicker mattresses. Some ca beaod 1 i. o 5 . tick. Ths ca eallcase problems o a bed desged o a 6-to 7ihick matress b coverg al or most
o a headboard ad ootboad. I o wa t ose a t hck matess ads t the popoios ote bed o accommodate he added blk
his grd nsde o
a box is one way
to distibute the
weght of a water
bed mattress ove
a ager aea. A
diagona grd s
also a possibity.
B D B L D N G B A S S 9
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Mattress Thickness and BedProportionsatesses ca ay by to 9 hckess. Desg eadboa ds
ad ooboads o accomodae e actal tickess of e matess
yo w l se
The mattess isay oerwhems this bed
The same mattress its this bed whch has a taer headboard and footboard
B D B L D N G B A S S
SNR E SIZES
Sandard Nam idh n nh n
wn 75
u r u 54 75
Qun 0
n 7
arna in 7 84
Determnng correctheadboard and footboardra engthsIts eas eogh to ow o wat the istace
betwee sie ais to be abot i. to i geater tha the mattress is wie Its aothermatter howeve to taslate that measremet to the eact legth o the heaboaa ootboa ails. his egth epes o acombiato o the space betwee the ailsthe with o the egs a the sie ral thicess A scale or l-size rawg wil o the
ob. Bt Ive evise two ormlas escribe iDetemiig Rai egths
BED HARDWARE
The eal tic to be big s pttig al othese pats together A o have to o it a wa th at s ve rgi a able whe the
be is together bt stil eas to tae apat ormovg o stoage here ae ma was toaress this pobem bt ew that real solveit we.
Bed boltshe best sotio that Ive o is stil acompromse be bots I re o these i oeorm o aother o amost al o m bes. o
other asteer has the same reliabit heoit is ve soi over log perios o timea ca be easil tightee ecessar Thee
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are dawbacks however t's ot he easiestwa to assemble a bed Yo have o have theecessar wech i order to se p o disas
semble he bed ad o have to keep taco both the wech ad he bots whe hebed s moved o stoed Ad bed bolts sareire holes he otside aces o thelegssome people d he holes visaldistracg
Bed bots come seveal stes Yo casill b he taditoalsle io bed botsome orm o which has bee sed i beds or
ceties These bolts have a sae head
a wide lage to seat secel agaist thebotom o he hole ito which the'reecessed, ad a poed ed to help thead
easi ito the t tha s embedded i theral he also eire a specia bed botwech Ma woodwokig ad spealtperiod hadware catalogs car boh the boltsad the wreches
Yo ca aso se simple hexhead bolswih ts ad washers rom a hadwaresore These are coveet to b ad alite easie to se becase o do't have o
embed the s carel ito he ras
E T E R N N G I L E N G T S
hese wo fomas may ook a ie oth eds, we s se X stac
itimi dati g, hey'e acay ig (XY)/ wice s he same as s
qie simle oce yo kow what al tacg X). At ths o, yo hae
O a ed whee the egs o ais
may e diffee sies, yo'l eed
hs foma
the ees mea Oy simle math s the distace ewee teo shol
eqed des Add he two teo leghs
W X1 Y 1 - X2-Y2 T1 22 2
W (x y) (t x 2)
o aslae this ito Egsh, we
wa o fige o he legth of he
headoad o foooad a whchwe cal We kow the widh of themaess Addg i o i oha wdh ges s W, he distace
we wat etwee the sde as
Next we eed to kow the dis
ace ewee he sde als ad he
sid e face of he leg If the side ai
s ceteed he leg, the his ds
tace s eqal o the hickess of the
leg X ms the hickess of the a
Y dided y two As his mease
met eeds o e sacted fom
fo a oea ai egh
H E A D B O A R D A N D F O O T B O A R D R A I L A N D L E G S
Location of side a
Tenon
mattress width plus V to Y1
X
X
leg thicknessY
=
ail thickness
=
tenon length
Y2
2
B D B L D N G B A S S
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Bed Bolt Joints
T R A DIT IO N A L B O L T J O IN T
Bed bots on s i de ai s to bed oss wthgeat steng
Embedded u
Bed aileg
Sub e ail
Shallw misei he leg
Cuebredhe f he headf he bl
H E - H E A D B O L T J O IN T
Ths woks as wel as tadoal bed bols headwae is commonly ava able
D-shaed ecess iside f ail
Bed ail
Nu
eg
2 B E D B D N G B A S S
dimeer dwe
Cuerbedhe f head
bl ad washe
Washe
06 hexheadbl
Bed bot oints need a way to pevent the parts rom twist
ing. A shalow motiseandtenon joint wos perfectly.
Dowes are an altern ative to the shalow mortise andten on and are shown hee with a hex-head bot oint.
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B AR R E L N U T J O I N T
Barel s der ony n e shae of e ad the ecess They requi re cke ra l s a the oter
ypes o bed bos.
Fatbottomed
hoe on insideof rai
Bed rai
Barre nut
eg
H I D D E N B O LT J O I N T
Counterboredhoe for head ofbolt and washer
%" bot
Washer
I is ossibe o everse te orienato of bed botsand ot have a oe on e osde face of e leg
T-shaped recesson inside of rai
Bed rail
;," bot
Washer
Leg
.' dameterdowe
Tenon fromheadboard orfootboard rai
.' square nutembedded in
outer cheek ofhe tenon
Barrel nuts ae another variation on the bed bot.
Bed bolts can be hidden by revesing ther orientation so
that they screw in from the ail into the eg Ths requies
some ingenuity and a far bit moe wok
B E D - B UI LD I N G B A S I C S 1 3
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he ae sghtl ae o wo w ngassembl, oweve, wh e loose washesa s.
To solve the pobem o sae stoage o theess commo assemb ool Ive aso sesoce-ea bols wch nee an Allewench to ghten Yo can easl mae aotch o e Ae wench o one o he seal cleats, so t's awas avalabe Howevelog soce ea bols ae ot eas o .
Usng bed bots
Whateve tpe o be bolt o se w notmae a compete jon b se It hos eal gt aganst e leg b oesn peventhe al om otatg o stg p ow ose o se Be bolts mst be se n con-
jcto w a locang ssem hat pevesths moton an eses pope agnmet.
atona bes a ve sho tenon o
the en o the al s te mos common solton. Ts teon plgs nto a shalow moseon te leg that sol be o abot / n o eep to avo weaeng the eg see etop awg o p. 12) e bol ns hoghthe me o te motseateno ot aseces .
An atenave s o se two /n.ameteowes oe o ete se o he bolt he
ae not ecessal as stong as a moseaeno jont bt hee st moe han songeog Don oge tat the bot a nthol the jon togete. he motse an eoo he owel s ot gle
H I D I N G T E E D O L T H O L E S
he easiest way to se a bed bol
leaes a hole o the otsde ace o a
eg Yo ca leae he hoes exosed
o coceal hem with decoaie
coes C ommecal mea coes
sa l y ot o the scew o whichhey hag some ae simle woode
mshoom lgs Thogh the wood
e lgs ook ie hey ted o al l
ot a d ge os oe ime Yo ca
also make csom woode coes i
ay sh ae o syle yo wat
Tth be told, do't md theholes ha mch ed o thk ohem he way thik o the scibed
layot l es a hadc doetai
jo They ae a s g o qal iy ad a
eectio o the way the ece s t
togethe Not eeyoe agees wth
me o this howee
4 B E D B U L D N G B A S S
op eft: Bed bolt covers swve on
a snge scew effectivey ding
te bed bot ole, but a lowng
easy access
op igt: Bed bot covers come in
a sur prsi ng ly wide vaiety of styles.
Some are made fom stamped
seet brass, but te ger quality
ones are cast brass
eft: e wooden musroom pug
s anote easy way to conceal a
bolt oe.
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Barrl nutsA smple vaiaon o the bed bo and n u s
the bolt and bael nut The onl deence s
in the nu whch is a section o meal odwih a theaded hole unning hough i coss
wse Ths makes it a litle easie to insa the
nut: You ust dl a hole. Howeve his woks
bee in concept han in eali Bael nuts
impose limtations tha tpica bolts and nuts
don't. Fo example the on wok on ails
hat ae a least 156 n. thck. Plus hee is aneed o eithe consideabe accuac o a ai
amount o ussing to get he nuts to wokpopel.
S C R E I N G I N TO E N D G R A I N
Hiddn boltsThee ae was o use bed bots wihou leav
ing holes on he ouside o the leg You just
switch the oenaton o he bol and nut soha he nut is embedded n the leg and he
bot s inseted though a -shaped ecess on
the nsde ace o the side ail The wide pa
o he ecess allows ou o tighen he bolt
once i s ul in its ho le. You'l ind his vai
ation on the Casman-Stle Bed on p. 90
he Patom Bed on p. 130 and the Slegh
Bed on p. 144
Othr bd assmblyhardwarThee ae man othe tpes o commecial
mechancal asenes avalable o assemblng
For greater g i , i se owels i o a s ie ai so te
screws ca bte to og ga
Knockdownhadwae
Dowels give scewsbette gip
Hee ae a few
of the many bed
ra fasteners out
on the maret:
ho os, sldng
eys, cams, and
other nterocng
mechansms.
B D BU I L D I N G B A S I S 5
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O O D E N K N O C K D O N J O I N T S
o joi he sde ra ls o he head board ad ootboard legsthere are seeral wood ots hat wi wok ee ae wo good
examles
TUSK TENON
Side ai
Tapered wedge
TAPERED SLID NG DOVETAIL
E D D N G A S S
beds icorporatig varios kids o hookswedges, cams ad screws. The atracio omos o hese is h a the are ivisibe rom
the oside o the bed. Most are qite coveie becase the dot reqire tools toassembe the bedo js sip oe par iothe other ad psh dow. ortael moso them ail to make a joit hat is either rigideogh or drable eogh over ime
There are a ew thigs o cosider whejdgig the potetia o a paricar aseer.Firs do o have to screw ito ed grai o
attach the asteer o the bed rai? his is apoeial serios problem sice screws wilevea pll ot o ed grai To help sovethis problem o ca drill hoes i the raiad iser dowels perpediclar to he screwhole. This wa the screws wil pass hroghthe og grai o he dowes
ex is he hardware ise wel made?Look or the srdies hardware o ca d.
Does i t icorporate some orm o a wedge otighe the joit ll? The wedgig aciothat comes rom a apered prog or hookaows o to tighe he joi simp b tappig dow o the rail i it ooses over time.
I he hardware passes hese tests I ikeo tr ot the asteer i a mockp joi t osee i it's eas to isall ad se i there area sa dimesioal reqiremets, adi it makes a rigid eogh co ecio.ortael I have od a perectsoltiosat leas o et.
OODEN KNOCDOWN
JONTS
here are was o make a bed sig woode
kockdow joits, too. These are ot vercommo bt he ca make soid coectios ad ierestig additios o bed desigs.There is a commo problem wih hese joisoe par either the side rail or the headboardor ootboard rail eeds to protrde o romthe bed edge so ha there is eogh wood ora solid joi t. his ca be brta o shis. Yoca trai orsel o walk arod, bt sill
have scars rom m raiig period I do'tse hese joits a more.
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An Under-Bed Storage Box on Wheels
To use good sorage space uder he bed,buid boxes o fxed casters. They roll in andout from nder te bed ike drawers.
Fxed castes ensue
that the stoage box
tacs eativey
staght as t sides
out and bac unde
the bed amost as if
it was on dawesl ides.
STORAGE UNDER
THE BED
Undethe-ed stoage s a geat ay to se a
age and otese ased space Afte expe
entng th al knds of eods fo ang
ng daes o the ed ae Ive decded
tha havng a dae ox ol on the gond
oks est My desgn s vey stagfoad
t's js a ox castes set nto he ot o
I se e-hee casteste xed knd
no the sveng onesand the ox pls o
8
1 above foor
C R O S S S E C T I O N
O F M O U N T I N G C AS T ER
Plywood bottomof box
Bock for
aost stagt as f as on dae sdes
Yo can pl te ox o oxes) all he ay
ot fo nde te ed hch s a g advanage ove daes onted to te fae
hee ae o the ess copcaed ays o
ake e stoage ox oll Yo can get vey
lo poe cases and also specal ed ox
heels a sce o the o tsde o the ox
B I lke e eel o te 2-n e-ee
castes and ey oll el on os sfaces
thogh oldn' go so a as to ncde
sag capeng
Side ofstorage
box
1
B - B U L N G B A S 1 7
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T
his bed is basic unadorned
and simple It's an ideal first
bed project because its very simplicity
also makes it perfect as an introduction
to making any other bed. We examine
all of the basic elements of making a
typical wooden bed in this chapter We
use some variation of these methods on
all of the beds in this bookexcept for
the Platform Bed which has a diferent
structure entirelyso this project also
functions as an overall reference
This "first bed has a simple head
board but no real footboardjust legs
and a footboard rail The bed sets up
and disassembles easily using bolts
with washers and nuts. The side rails
support a series of wooden slats which
create the platform to hold the mat-
tress The whole thing is easy to store
or move around since the parts are
reasonably small and relatively light
This bed is also a first bed in another
wayit's a good first bed for a child
because it's a little lower than usual
But it certainly doesnt have to be this
wa You could add 2 in to the legs to
bring the rails up to 10 in. of the foor
making it a more typical adult bed.
give the basic dimensions for the other
standard sizes as well, since all o f the
techniques and approaches described
here apply to any sie bed; just the
dimensions need to be recalculated
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18'4
5"
8
8'
1
" hoe
386 (ee he dea on 1)41/6
V I E W FR O M I N S I D E O F B E D
35
I you chooe o ay ou he headoard a a ell e, i ha a majordiamee o 41 ad a mior dia meer of 23
1
Teo doed lie)
" hole wih %"counerore
5"
8
V I E W F R O M O U TS I D E O F B E D
+-75
&
Clea ide rai
S I D E RA I L J O I N E RY
Bol hole
S I D E R AI L
C U T L I S F O R F I R S T BED
H e a d b o a d a n d F o o t b o a r d
ea doa d o i. x . x 8 i .
Foooard o i. x . x 1 30 .
Headoad ad foooad rail H i. x 5 . x 41 % .
Headoard lak Y i. x 8 i. x 39) i.
S i d e R a i l s
Sde ai 1 Y . x 5 i x 75 i
lea 1 . x 1 i. x 75 .
15 Sa % i. x 4 i. x 39 i .
H a d w a e
4 Hex-head ol wh & waher 06 . x 5 i
8 Dowel (for alime )
30 Dowel (fo la i)
#6 x i cew
#6 x 1 X-. dywal crew, a eeded
06 i x i.
i . x .
Note: These dimensons ae fo a twn-size bed Yo may ave to adjst yo dimensons to suit the bed sze, te mattess sze or any deences n wood dmensons.
F I R S B D 2 1
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UG --TE
Tip f you cut a
tenon too loose you
can glue a thn
atch of wood onto
the chee hen
eft the tenon
erl
TH FRST BD eaks dow to foasc cooes: e headoad te
ootoard he sde ras ad he atress so It's est o work o he headoard adootoard at te sae te sce te work sso slar ad yo wll save set te oeach of the ecessary stes he sde rals
coe ext sce tey colee the ed fraeally work o th e slas
HEADOARD AND
FOOTOARD
Making and mrtisingte psts
1 Ml te sock fo the or osts to 1% sqae the ct te to the egts dcaed he dawgs2 Lay ot ad ct he headoard ad foooard ral orses o te er faces of theosts A 3og wde ad V-dee orse ceteed o te wdth o theos works wel or all ed szes O a chldsed locae e ottos o te ortses 9
ENSIONS FOR OHER SIZE ESo u qu or ay o , mpy u m
o po ow
Note: Remember to adjust you Cut List accordingy.
Legth betweeeadboadteos & foot-boad ais (A
Fu 5
Qu
aifria i
2 2 R T B E
Widt of Ovealeadboard headboadpank height
38
39'"
1
Side ralegth
5X
8X
8X
8X
ro he ottos of e osts O aadl-sze ed the otses sod sart 1 1 fro he os ottos I se a rote ad aotsg jg o do ts wok (see Mortsgg for Rotg T Workeces")
3. Mak o ad c t a addtoal otse o each o the eadoad osts or e headoard
sel Ts s a log sallow ortse9 log wde ad dee
Milling te rais1 . M the eadoad ad ootoad ras tose t o to legth o shold also the sde als ow sce they ae the saethckess ad wdt (t he s et te asdet yo'e doe wth the headoad ad
foooard) 2 erfy tat he hckess of the oss sactally % ad ta the thckess o thesde als s actaly efoe ctg herals to the dcated egth I yove gotars ta are dffee eher y desg oy aestace yo eed o calclate hecorec al legths (see Deeg RalLegts" o 1 1) .
Tenning te rails1 Mark ot he locato o te teo so thats ceteed o he ral fro sde to sde ado o to otto Mark the egt o teteo as wel o oth o these asks refe
0
C
+-A
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Mortising Jig for Routing Thin Workpieces
Optional stop to register
bottom o workpiece
Workpece clamp lushwith top o ence)
These acesmust bepependcular.
Bench hold-down clampattached to mortsing
block clamps can be usedinstead o hold downs on
ager pieces)
S I D E V I EW
Router ence
Workpiece
Bench holddown clamp
Auxliaryence
Guide stp
Mortisng pacer blockblock
Tis mort s ing j ig o lds n workpieces, suc as bed
posts, a would otewise be diicul to moise
wth a route Te bock is essenia l y a arge piece owood mi l ed a and sq are at supports e route
base dur ing e ct. A gui de srp keeps e route
fence gt o e bock dur ing e ct
With the post
clamped to the mor-
tising block, the
router s steady and
easy to hadle .
F R T B E 2 3
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A Tenoning Jighs g he ps yo t a rage o teos au
atey. ts wo as ompoes ae a workpiee spport whih atahes o the part to
e teoed ad a epae whih guides
the ts.
Brace
ece
22"pacer bloc
B O TT O M V I E O F J I G
9"
2 4 R S B
ece
pacer bock
F R O N T V I E O F O R K P I E C E S U P P O RT
-"
Ruer
B O T T O M V E O F T E N O N I N G T E M P LAT E
maple trip
Ruer
6
B U I L D I N G T H E J I G
t2W'
1 Aemble all the part o the ma i body o theig (horizota platorm, orkpiece upport,pacer block, ece, ad brace).2. To aig the teoig template o the horizotapatorm o that the guide trip o the tempateill cut teo paralel to the edge o the orkpiece upport, clamp a thick by ide reerece board to the orkpiece upport o that itexted through the opeig i the horizotalplatorm
3. Place the teoig template o the guide tripi lied up exactly ith the reerece board adclamp the template to the horizotal platorm
. cre the to ru er to the bottom o thetemplate o they it tightly agait the horizotaplatorm
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o se a arkg gage, yo ca aso easre a ark eer a pecl or a kfe2 Ct aay te aste Te tool se osofte to o ts jo s y pge roer a aspecal eog g see A Teog Jg) Te g orks t a pge roer a gesg tat folos a ge srp to ct teeo Te locao of te teo ca e corole y ere yo posto e eogepae o top of e orzotal pator ofe orkpece spport3. Cap te okpece to e orkpece
sppor a ege agas te ece ae op fs t te otto of e teogepate ocate te epate aove e orkpeceere yo a to c te teo a clapor scre pace5. Pt e oter o e g a set eplge ecas o te rgt ept Tr ote roer a pge to te f ep of ct
see Cr oss Secto o Teog g Usea p Ct te teo ase ay gpasses To ct e oer ace of e teoove over to e opeg o te ote seo e ge strp Cse o ct e ase fro te ses ofe eos a ro e over t a raspto atc te roe es o te ortse (see
o p 26)
ip When ung he enonssa wh a ve shaow cmb
cu hen wase away he es ojhe wood.
C R O SS S E C I O N O F T E N ON I N G J I G I N U S E
Route
route bt
ude tp
orkpece
pacer block
Bench ve
eong template
n gude buhng
Horzontal platorm
Bace
okpece upport
hoto A Th tnon
ing ig postons th
wokpic pight
and suppots thot on th nd of
th a.
R B 2
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hoto B Rasping thdgs of a tnon is
quick and asy. ts a
ot asi to mak
th tnon fit a out
d motis than to
squa up th nds
of th motis
2 R T B
After yo ct te teos ceck te it oeac ivaly I se a specia aet plaeto fit te ceeks t a rasp or sapaper o aock orks also Be carel ot to o overo tape te ceeks o sol ave a sgfit tat yo ca pt togete y a
9 Mak te teo a te corespoigortise it te sae lette o er as
soo as yo'e oe fttg te s il otoly ei yo ere te joit goes t italso serves as a reier tat yo avealreay t te joit
Makng te eadboardf yo ca f a sigle --ie plakfor te eaoa se t O a tale tisol oraly lea to arpg t ere telog otises i te posts keep te plakstaigt I yo o ave to gle p te eaoa coose yor oo caefly or a gooatc Reee te eaoar s sayte vsal focs of te e
1 . Ge p te pak fo te eaoa ifecessary) l et t y t e ake it lat a
soot Make se te otto ege sstraigt
2 ge te egt y caely easrigte sole-tosole egt o f te eaoar ra a a i for te to -teos se te rai tself as te rer to arko te egt3. Cossct te oa to legt reerecigot cts o te sae ege o ay at toseak p o te proper egt fst cttiga lttle log te takig a lttle it off at atie tl te eaoa is pecisely te igtlegt a exacty sare Te eaoa sol ave a ce gete
cve alog te top ege Mak it y sprigiga ti pece of oo to a cve sig aclap ti yo ae satisie t te sapea trace te lie it a pecil Dot ct tote lie jst yet see pt C)5. eo te es of te eaoar Tis sot a oral teoits very e a veysot e sipest ay to o t is to rotot sies of eac e it a V- raetig
it Set te ept of ct o te roter so yollleave jst over ts so ea cttg jst er i eep o ot sies ofte / i tick eaoa Back p teeaoar ere te roter exts te ct Ct te cve o top o te eaoa oca se a asa or a jigsa te plae orsa soot7 Mark te eaoa teos 1 fo
ot te oo a top eges a ct aayte aste Tis sol leave a teo tat isaot i sorte ta te ortse leavigroo o expasio o ot ee to roove te es of te teos or sare p tees of te otises see t o p 29). it te teos to te ortises a akot alves o te joi t so yol ko atgoes ere later
Dring oes n te postsfor te bed botsTe kocko joits fo te sie ails are asiple verso of taitioal e olts eeae tree oes to ril te eaoa aootoa posts o eac jota ceta oltole a to o les o aliget ps ae
o oels Te pis alig te ra properya keep t o tistig or siftig
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1 . ay ot e oatos fo te bol ole ea pos. Tey sould be exay eteed ote post ad h n. p om te botom fo ads bed o
hn. up fom te botom fo
a standad wn bed.2. Lay ot te oes o te algnmetps . above and n. beow te botoles as meased on etes3. To dl te ee oles te posts I makead use a spea jg (see A Bot Ho e DllngGde" o p e ee oes ave toalg exatly on bo te poss ad te als
so osstey s esseta One youve dledte bol ole a post (ete on tedll pess o wt doweng jg) yo anse s jg to agn te -n. oles above adbelo. Te as ole to d s e onteboed/-.damee ole o e ousde o tepos I yo dot ave a -. ou ebongbt wt a plot you sould t s ole
befoe e ee o te oe sde. Mak anddll e /-n. ole abot n. deep fom teousde Te dll og e ente of eoe w a . b en make and use tedlng gude to dll e / oles fomte sde as desbed above
Assembling the hadboadand footboad
1 . eoe assemby aefly pane sapeand sand (n wateve ombao you pee) all pas smoo. You mg aso wat oadd a small ame o a o te edgesabou . seems abou gt. pu a bggeamfe on te tops of e possmoe ke .beause I k t looks bete On tepos bottoms te ame elps keep woodfom spltg o ppng o ff wen t e bed smoved aoud2. Gle up te eadboad fs pead gue one of te al motses ad ten vey lgtlyo te oespodng a teon. oo mgle on te teon wll lead to squeezeotnse te a teon as fa as you a byad e set e eadboad eon ote log mose n te pos oweve don't
apply ay gle o te eadboadpost ont.Appy gle to t e al motse ad teno onte oe sde.
hoto C Spinging an vny thin pc of wood into a gnt cuv s
an asy way to ay out th top of th had boad. You can oosn o r
tightn th camp to fin-tun th shap.
R T B E 2 7
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A Bolt Hole Drilling GudeT i s s i p le dr i i ide esures os i se
paeet o te eta l ol oe ad a ie dowel oles Use a dr i l pess o ake
sure e oes ae stra Ts j i a e
used o dr i l e oes i ot te poss ad e eds o e s de ra i l s .1
Hard ma ple with grain running lengthwise
%"
II
3/8" diamete dowel
r - _I l " i
/"
I TH G U I D E B U S H I N G S
Drill ushng
or a moe durae jig ,inset hadened drillushi ngs or a -indrl l . ude should e aittle thicker than theushings are long.
2 8 l R T B E D
ude strip alignsthe jg when used
to dril the holeson the rail ends
2V
%,'
I
_ " i - /
2% "
I T H G U I D E S TR I P
Hoes arecenteredon lock.
5/6"
1%,
Clamp
Rail
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3. Camp te assemy togeter sowly witone amp on te front of te assemly andone on te ak to equaize te lampingpressure (see pt on p 30). You mayave to a djust te position o f te eadoardso ts parallel to te ra n order to amp tup tgt
. Wen te eadoard is assemed pin teenter n plae wt a #6 y 2 in srew.is also eps keep te souder of te ead
oard tigt against te post. Drl te piotoles so tey ome troug te legs enteredon te ends o f te eadoard. Countersink
Tip: Yel low glue sets qu c ly soyou have to move fast o hel
wth lage ects get eve
thng eady befoe statngChec that you have enough
clams and enough om to
wo lay evethng out n away that hels me emembe how
t all goes togethe
Photo Chiel away
the thin wate et
ate bandawng
the tenon end t'
eay to get a precieuace by hand
becaue the chiel i
guded by the tenon
houder.
te oles aout / in deep so you an pugtem after asseml
IDE AILS
Miing and cutting te aisto lengtMi te side rails now if you avent areadand ut tem to engt. Wt a ed made
speially for a ld its est to eave verylitte room around te mattress anoroxspring so te ild ant slide down into a
R S B E D 2 9
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Photo E: When clamping up the headboard assembly, use two clamps on the rail-one in front o the headboard and one
behind-and ofset them slightly.
3 0 F I R S T B E
gap or shift things arond when sing the bed
as a trampoine75/ in long is fine on this
bed. But or an adult bed with just the mat
tress on a platform o sats, its better to make
the rail between Ih in. and 1 in onger than
the mattress This leaves room or tucking in
the bedding and or taler peope to hang their
toes of the end
Drillng holesfor the bed bolts1 . Drill the bolt hoes for the railtopost
joi nts. Beca se its not easy to dri perfectly
straight holes into the end o a 75-inong
board sggest using a se-centering doweling jig (see pht F . Dri as deeply as possi-
be with the jig, then deepen the hoe giding
the dril by hand.
2 Dril the dowe pin ocating hoes in
deep, using the same jig you made to drill the
hoes in the posts (see pt G ) I f you didn't
make that jig, the secentering doweling jig
wi also work.
3. Gue the 6-in by 1 /4in. dowels in the pin
hoes in the ends o rais
Routing the nut ecesses1 . To ct the recesses for the bed bolt nut on
the inside face o each rai, make p a tem
pate that wil both ocate the recess on the
rail and create the D shape (see A empatefor Roting Nut Recesses" on p ), and
clamp it to the inside ace.
2 h h b d % d
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2 Wh a -n sraigh b and a %n gude
bushing n a punge oue, plungecu o a
deph no cose han lis n fom he oppose
sde of he ai, akng vey shallow passes.
Sop and bow ou he sawdus as ofen asnecessay o preven sawdus fom buding
up in he recess
3. Chamfer or ease he edges of he recess
Making and instalingthe ceats1 . Mi up sock fo he wo ceas (use scap
fom making he side als f you have )2 n one of he -nwde sdes of each cea,
lay ou he locaions fo /n dowel pns
Space hem every 5 n , saring 29/ n from
each end (or faher f he ceas are longer).
3. Dll he n-damee hoes ceneed on
he hckness of he cea, and make hem
abou n deep
4. Dill a seies of counesunk plo holes for
screws n each clea, evey 6 in or so and n azgzag paern abou / in. from each edge
he cleas wl be more secure hs wa Spread
a ile glue ino each of he dowel hoes, andpound n n by /4-nong dowels5 Wai unl afte you apply a fnsh o he
sde als before aachng he ceas This
makes he fnishng much easer
FINAL SSEMBLY
Making the sats1 . Mill enough wood for 1 5 sas ha are
n hck, and rip o n wide
2 ase all four edges of each sla by roung
wh a V4-in. roundove bi (ahough anyhng
ha breas he sharp edges s fne).
3 Cu he sas a ll e b over nshed lengh
for now. To ge he exac engh, you have o
acually se up he bed.
4. Once you've cu each of he slas o lengh
you can cu he dowel noches n he ends
do hs wh a jg (see "A Jig fo Nochng Bed
Sas on p 3) Howeve, hs jg only works
f youe makng a small bed o have a failyhgh ceing If you don', here s no reason
Photo F: Dri the -in. bot hoe in the side rai with a sef-centeing
doweing jig. It centers the hoe wel and is simpe to use
PhotoG:
To cut the 5/16-in.-dowe aignment hoes in the side ais, use
the same dil ing guide you used fo the posts
F I R S T B E
A T l t f R ti N t R
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A Template for Routing Nut RecessesThs s mp e tepae akes a qu ick ob o
cttg e t recesses o he s ide faces
of the sde a ls .
Plunge oute
%" gude bushng
:a"o V oute bit
Bolt hoe
okbech
3 2 FI R S T B E D
Ra i l
1 hoe
TOP VIEW OF TE MP LATE
emplate
3%"
W' to%"
thck
+-
5
14
Camp
Chise or fie awayto leave enda
you can't cut the notches on the bandsaw and Ti H d l th b t d f th
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you can t cut the notches on the bandsaw and
clean them up wih a chsel. To check the
o the slats, you'll have to assembe the bed
Atach the c eats once youve fnished and
waxed the bed (see the Appendix on p.
or nishing suggestons) Line hem up ush
wth the botom of the sde rais, and screw
n pace.
To attach he sde rails to the headboard
and fooboard ean he headboard uprght
aganst a wa or somehing secure, and pace
the side rals roughy in positon. Place a
16-in. by 52-in hex-head bolt wth a washer
and a second washer and nut a each corner
Inser the dowels on one end of a sde ra
into he correspondng hoes in he headboard
post. nsert the bot and washer rom he out
side o the headboard, until he end of he
bol s jus coming nto the nut recess. No w
place he other washer on the end of he boltand thread on the nut t helps to rotate the
bol from the outside of he bed when youre
doing this (see ph H).
Tip: Hard male s the best wood for the
slats-t has good stffness and s trength. Ths
s less of a factor wth a narwer bed Any
tye of wood you can get nexensvely s fnefor a twn.
F I R S T B E D 3 3
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A J I G F O R O T C H I N G B E D L T S
This j ig lds he slas vetical y s ha perectly squa re nces ca b e ct n te table saw wih a dad blad e Theig bdy s cmpsed tw ba ds jned at right a ges. A ece hat sraddle s te tabe saw's rip ece gu des
he ig tugh te ct
TABLE-SAW
N O CH I N G J I G
3 4 FI R S T B E D
F R O N V I E W
I4 -
Bed sat
Notching jig
Ths spacer bloc
is the same widthas the rip fenceand ides o topof i.
Rip fece
Cuttng the slat's dowe
notches on the tabe saw s
efficent and easy, but only if
you have enough room above
you tabe saw. The notching
jig hods the sats upright.
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Photo J Dop the sats into pace with the notches aound the ocating pins in the ceats to
compete the bed
4. Use a -. ut dve to tghte up thebolt ad a -. ope-ed weh to keep the
ut om tug Tghte seuely but dot
tghte so had that youe ushg the wood.5. Attah the footboad to the othe edo the a the same way you attahed the
headboad. (Dot ty to put the bed togethe
by attahg the seod al beoe you attah
the ootboad uless you have he lp.)
Attah the ot he sde al to the headboadad footboad (see pt I o p. 33) Put
both of the bolt s (wth the washes) to the
bolt holes the posts beoe you pk up the
a Pushg both bots to the al w gua
atee that the loatg dowes wot adetaly pop out whe you wok o gettg the
washes ad uts o. Chek to see that al o
the bots ae tght.7. Dop the slats ove the dowel ps o the
leats hopg they t ad adustg them f
they dot The dop the mattess to plae
(see pt J) . Vo A bed.
I R T B E 3 5
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.. -------_...... ----------_.. ----------_..------------_..--------_._...------_._..---------_._ .. .. .._----....------_._ ..---------
SHAKER-STYLE BED
T
he Shakers lived their lives
apart from the "world, what
they called life outside their religious
communities. They did a lot of things
differently from the "world, including
sleep Because the Shakers were celi
bate, they had little need for double
beds and used them only to save
space. Two en, women, or children
would sleep together in these.
Many Shaker-designed single beds
did not break down The side rails
were tenoned into the legs just like
the headboards and footboards
Almost all of the beds had casters on
the legs This made it easy o move
the bed o ut o f the way when sweeping
the foors The beds were also relative-
ly high of the ground to keep out of
the cold drafs near the foor.
This bed is not a copy of a particular
Shaker bed Instead I have borrowed
elements from a number of Shaker beds
I have seen. Some of my construction
details remain faithful to traditional
Shaker construction But have made
concessions to odern living and to
contemporary woodworking techniques
chose to make this a full-size bed,
which is more useful than the 28-in .-
to 34-in-wide and 70-in.- to 72-in
long originals. also omitted the
casters I hesitate to say that these
changes make the bed better but they
certainly make it more familiar and
comfortable for us toda
3 7
Shaker-Style Bed
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Shaker Style BedT AS STRUTUR of he Sha kerStyle ed
s s i mi l ar to the i s ed. owever the es a reured the headoard ad footoard aks do
doue dy as sttua rai ls ad the eas are
iea w ih the s de a l des
Sqresetio
OHER E SIZES
Ril
Hedbordheght n cene
Foobordhegh ceter
Tw* "Quee
Fo tw ed shote the hedbod squresetio o 4 d me he heght o hehedord where it mees he eg.oe A kng-ze SherSye Bed s no ecommeded
3 8 H K E R T Y L B E
er
et
Ss
ot holeove
H E A DB O A R D D E TA IL S
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H E A D BO A RD E N D O F S I D E R A I L
1 X"
"
1 "
oood
Rails are1 thick
5"
F O O T B O A R D E N D O F S I D E R A I L
0"3" + ,- 4"
;==
1 "
Ct
H E A DB O A R D D E TA IL S
eadboad le
3"
Shallowmortise
bolthole
1 X
Hadboard 1 thick)
14
3 to opposite e
1"
1 "
13"
The overall leth o the headboard ad
ootboard p aks (i cludi teos) is "
FOOTBOARD DETAILS
This curve is a sectio o aell ipse with a mior diameter o1 " ad a major diameter o ".
Footboard (1 thick)
3 to opposite le
2
2
O O DE N B O L T H O L E CO V E R
er
2
W
\ootbod g
H K R - T Y L B 3 9
UG T TT
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C U T L I S T F O R S H A K E R B E D
H e a d b o a r d a n d F o o t b o a r d
eaoar pak
ootoa pak
2 eaoar poss
2 Foooar posts
S i d e R a i l s
2 Se as
2 ees or eaoar es
2 ees fo ootoa es
2 eas
5 Slas
H a r d w a r e
3 owels (or sla ps
1 x 2% . x 56 .
1 . x 1 3 . x 56 .
2 . x 2 . x 32
2 . x 2 . 26 .
1 . x x 76
1 x 5 x 12
1 x 3 x 1
1 . x 2 . x 76
% . x 4 . x 54 .
x 1 ;
4 exea ols w s a wases . x 5;.
ol ole oes . x 1 % x . k
# x sews as eee
# x % rouea rass srews as eeeThese di mesons are for a full-size bed wt a mattress up to i tick Youmay have to adjust you dmensos to sit the ed size, te mattess size oay deees wood dimesios.
Tip: he osu re n yell o glue
sells ood slg hly long on edgesW 24 hou rs before soo h ng h e
su ces o gve he o su re chnce
o evore nd he ood o sele
bc don
4 0 H K R - T Y E B E
ALTHOUGH THI BD ooks vey dfeent fom te Fs Bed on pp 18-35 e ovea appoa o budng s esame. To stat you wok on e eadboadand fooboad togee. en move on o tesde as and fnay te matess suppot. etuned egs ae not essena o te onstuton bu tey ae o te desgn. You an makete bed w stagt o apeed egs but wont ook as ne.
AING TE
HEADOARD AND
FOOTOARD
Miling the headboard andfootboard panks1 . M up e pees o te eadboad andfootboad panks.2. f youe not wokng w a snge boadpank gue e pees nto sgty oveszepanks.3. Cut e panks to sze makng sue eedges ae paae and te ends squae.
Cuttng the tenonss bed doesn ave a sepaae eadboadand ootboad a to povde stuuastengt so te panks temseves need stutua tenons. Howeve 8-n.- o 4-n.-wdemotseandenon jons woud beak apatdue o seasona wood movement. e ad
tona souton s to make a dvded enon (seeHeadboad and Footboad oney" on p. 2).
1 . Cu te eadboad and ootboad pankenon soudes wt te tenonng gdesbed n A Tenonng Jg" on p. 24 and a4-n.-ong stag bt o use te g w ewde eadboad emove e vea eneom e wokpee suppo. You ave o ute tenons a poon a a tme (see poo
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2 ay ot te setons o tenon tat wll stayfl lengt an te sort /n. anes3. Ct away e waste on e bansaw anen pare away all of te an enon on tevery top an botom to leave solers
Layng out and cuttng t
curv on top of t planksTe eaboar an ootboar on s beave epal rves I yo're nfamlarwt elpse ayo see An llpse Layot gon p 7 Yo an aso se a smple rve asfor te Frst Be.
1 . Lay ot eer a smple rve or an elpsealong te op ege of te boar
2 Ct te rve o on te bansaw keepngto te otse o te lne
3. Clean p te sawn ege wt a pane orsanpaper.
Cuttng t lg jonry1 . Ml p te leg banks. Te t lst mensons are / n. longer tan nse. e exra/ n on te top o te egs s or te trnng
enters on e laeyol o ansmoot t to sape ater2 ay ot te morses for te eaboarfootboar an se rals as sown nHeaboar an Footboar onery on p. Remember tat t e let an rgt egs are no enal og ey are symmetral.3. Mar nes tat nae te en of te seons tat reman sqare all e way aross e
Photo A: One goodway to cut the u
width tenon on t he
headboard and oot
board i with the
tenoning ig on
p. 24 and a 4-in.
ong router bit.
H K E R T Y L E B E 4
Headboard and Footboard Joinery
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ou e teo s ae he rado al way o o a wde heado ad to les. Wood oee a y
st c ause crack ecause te oera l oeet o te pa k s st l costaed. u thejos sould rea srucural ly soud. To e cack ake sue he wood s ey dy.
e hauches ae o ued ad ep keep te eadoad ro warp.
H E A D B O A R D L E G B L A N K A N D T E N O N F O O TB O AR D L E G B L A N K A N D T E N O N
"
/"
f3" 3"3"
+
3"
3" " t
13W13
4 2 H K E R - T Y L E B E
eadboard
14"
13W
"
" deepmortise
1'13"
ootboard
8"
X"
A L T E R N T I V E J O I N E R YF H E A F T
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F O R H E D B O R D A N D F O O T B O R D
he head boad ad footboad a ks ae sucual o he di sadaae o ths echiqu e is tha te jo
ts bed. Whil e te adioa costuctio mehod s a may o kee te eadboa d a k as ht aa is te
diided eo wood moeme may cause cacki les. t also oes ess lue suface (ad stet ha
because he oea l moemet o he la k is sti co he diided eos. Us at hauches (shal ow teos,
stai ed. A a teatie mehod is o use a s e teo ea y) witout lue to ete sde o te teo hels kee
he cee. Ts des a lows o ucosa ed moe- he headboa d fom wai .
met a d tt e cha ce of cack
H E A D B O A R D FOOTBOARD
5"
4" 4 "+ eadboard5"4" 14"
t4"
blak at te top a botom. Yo ee thesemarks whe trg.. Ct the se ral mortses eep steep eogh to keep he ra rom wstgor movg ow he best tools for the jobare a pge roter a the mortsg blokesrbe Morsg g or Rotg maWorkpees o p
2" 3
1 " i
5 Also t he heaboar a ootboar mortses . eep over ther fll leg. hego bak a t e wo flep mortses . eep. Drll e /--ameer eep oerbore for the be bots o the otse ofea leg
ootboard
8"
H K R - T Y L E B E 4 3
Tp Use wood w th
straght, even gran
7 Drll e oles for e - exead bed bolts troug te legs entered n b T b l l
. Roug out te to and bottom o f teblan o ylnders w a rougng gouge
b d f
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g g
for the legs. You
don't want much
gran runout on the
relatvely long and
thn legs because t
wll weaken them
consderabl
e ounterbore To ensure tat te bolt oles srag drll rom bot sdes and meet
te mddle ts te long way around o do but t esures a good resut
Turnng the egs1 . Mae u fullsale atterns of te uerand lower arts of te turngs o ees o. lywood 2 w de ad as lon g as teseo volved (see Mang te urnngPatern)
2 et u e bla n e lae.3. et te tool rest n osto or rouggout te yldral lower leg Rotae te legbla by and o e a te tool restwo't terfere wt te blan wen ssng.
Making the Turning PatternPywoo paes wt oes to o te p o a pe l e p yoa te tu i la aae y w e t s spi i te late .
stayg abou a way rom te edges ofe square seton
5 lean u e transon betwee ylnderand square seon usng a gouge worgslowly to te le. art e ut wt te toolu on edge e roll te gouge later towarde bottom of te ut eeg te bevel rubbg agast e sng leg (see o. ) If you just reset te ool flat (le asrag ool) youre lely to ear a uoff e edges o te square seton.
Usg a el transer te not loaosrom te attern to te snnng bla (see o ) 7 Usg a artng ool tur notes eblan were you ave mared to te varous dameters (see Leg urg trategy)ote tat you dont do s on every lne you
Brad to resteottom of turn n
\lan
F O R B E L O T H E S Q U A R E S E C T I O NM A K I N G T H EPATTERN
. Da the profiles ofthe tunin on thepyood. Ethersetch it out y h ando trace an enlaedphotocopy.
2. Dra perpendiculalines out to oneede of the patternThese ill late seveas depth-of-cut and
turnin-detai udes
Notches fo point
I of pencl
" " "
" plyood
%"
3 At each of theselines cut a shallonotch ith a nife ora sa just ienouh to hold apencil point
F O R A B OV E T H E S Q U A R E S E C T I O N
4 Ma the dameterof the le at each ofthe indicated pointson the patten
4 4 H K E R T Y L E B E
Cut aay the corneto prevent teaout onthe suare section
hen the patten is inuse
Brad to estefom the top ofthe turnn lan
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Photo B: Ate
roughng out the
cyinder beow the
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y
joinery bock you
have to cut the tantion rom quae
to round careuly.
he gouge hould
be up on edge a
you tat the cut at
the ne
Photo C: ouchng a penc poin t ightly in each o
the notche on the turning pattern eave an eay
viibe mark on the round leg bank hee mark w
guide your cut.
4 H K R T Y L E B E
Photo : Hod the ca per wth one han d and the parting
too with the other hand. he caipe wil drop over the
zed notch when you turn to the corect diameter.
Photo E Ater
roughing out the
hape o thi part
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teo shoues. Check that the teos
ae ot too og o the mortises. hey
shou be about i. short. Otherwise
whe you gue up the joit may ot come
y togethe.
AKNG THE DE
ALS AND LATS
1 M up the .wie ais gettig a at
a smooth sace o both eges becauseyou have gue jots o both.
2. Crosscut to 1/ . og which eaves . o etra egth
3 Smooth the top ege o the ai wth ahapae ow so you wo't have to o this
with the bocks attache You ca o this ate
with a scaper a sapape, i you pree (or
i yo oget, as I .
Addng ogee blocksto the sde rals1 ip the ou ogee bocks to with 5 i orthe heaboa bocks a i. or the oot
boa bocks. Fi boars that match we
coor a grai so the jot betwee the
bocks a the ra i s't obvous. Aso make
sure the e ga o the bock matches that
o the rai (see Grai Orietatio o the Sieais" o p. 9).
o the leg with a
gouge, inih upthe cut with a kew
chie
Photo F: Sa nd the trantion rom quare to round u ing a anding
dowe o you don't bur the edge anding by hand.
H K E R - T Y B E
2 Jon the boom edge of the sock straght
and smooh.
3 Ct he headboard bocks to 1 n. ong
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PhotoG:
Burnish the leg with a handful of clean shavings after al the
sanding is done.
Photo H: Trimmingthe cheeks of the
tenons to fit the
mortises is easy with
a shoulder p lane.
Note that you cut
across the g rain
4 8 S H A K R - S T Y L E B E D
g
and he ooboard bocks to 0 n. ong.
hs leaves 1 n. extra: /4 n. for wase and14 n. or the enon.
4. ay ot he ogee shape on each bock and
bandsaw to shape Smooh he rogh edges
wth spokeshaves, scrapers, and sandpaper
5 Lne p the blocks wth the ends o he
ras and glue hem n pace usng caus made
rom the cutoffs (see h I on p 50).
6 C t he ral ends square and to ther in
shed length o 76 n after the gle dres
Cutting the stub tenonsThe sde ras se a short tenon nstead o wo
dowes to agn and renorce he ra-oleg
jont agans tws and shear forces
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Photo : t' eay to
camp the haped
bock to the ide
i i
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Photo J Both othee wooden bot
hoe cover ook
good with the bed.
Chooe o yo ure.
O H A K R T Y B E
rai i you ue cau
made rom cuto
et over rom mak
ng the bock
(panted darker o
better viibiity)
CLEAT DETAILS
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e srews old the l ea to the ottom o e rai l shoul d e spaed 4" a part.
The dowel p s sou ld e spaed 5 apart .
END VIEW
.' overhang
1 "
SIDE VIEW
%"
Dowel pin ;'x 1 W'
f % " j r % jI 2;'-
Cleat
9 Dve screws nto the hoes one at a tme
checkng to be sue the al and cleat stay
poperly algned.
Making the bolt hole
coversYou can purchase bolt hole covers for thsbed or you can make your own out o wood
The wood ones ae smple to make and ae
more tradtona. You can ethe make P/-n.
y 1/n. rectangles o /-n.thck stock, or
cut out ovals (see J)
1 To make eter square o ound bolt ole
coves cut them to sze sand the edgessmooth then chame the outsde ace wth a
plane or sandpape.
2 Dll %n-damete hoes n the tops
and I-n. or 5n pot holes n the egs
Dowel pins
Piot holes forscrews
about 3/8 n. aove the top o the counterbored
bolt hoe.
3. Secure te coves w th #6 by -n. round
head rass scews
Makng the slatsAll tat emans s makng the ed sats andinsng the ed
1 Make the 3/-n.t hck n.wde e d sats
out o mape o get the exact length you
shoud assemble the bed ist and measure the
dstance nsde the rals.
2. Notch the ends on the bandsaw wth a
oute o uprght on the tae saw asdescrbed n A Jg [or Notchng Bed Slats" on
p 4. Drop each sat nto pace over the
dowe pns then lt te mattess nto place.
Ceat
H K E R - T Y L E B 5 1
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PENCIL- P OST BED
B
eds with four tall posts at the
corners have been around
since the Middle Ages In the early his
tory of the bed, the posts held heavy
drapes that both created a more private
space and helped retain some heat in
otherwise poorly heated rooms The
Pencil-Post Bed is one of many varia
tions of this form and lightens it up
considerably What I like so much
about this particular type of bed is the
distilled simplicity
his is the only bed in the book that
can be built almost entirely without
glue There arent any glued joints You
may have to glue up the headboard
plank out of narrower boards, but once
that's done, you can pretty much put
the glue bottle away
On all of the other beds, the head-
board and footboard are assemblies. On
the PencilPost Bed, each of the posts
and rails remains separate. All these
parts are held together with bolts Dry
tenons hold the headboard in place on
the posts, and the bolted connections
between the headboard rail and the
posts capture the headboard securely in
place Why is this? The bed has to dis-
assemble nto single parts o r it would
be almost impossible to move out of
any one room into another. f you
glued the headboard up in your shop,
you might have to sleep in your shop
5 3
PenciPost BedAS HE RE SN ' MU H I E N i n t s ed, t s exp loded iew is e l l y n
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n oled iew. N oe ow t e ots for t e hed ord n d ootod i s e off
set om he s de r l ots The ed od p nk i s tenoned o he hedord
posts he tenons js hod he ed ord pos t o Te ols od in g te
posts to te r s keep the hedord secre y p ce .
Pot
Headoard plak
eadoard rai l
de rai
5 4 P E N L P O T B E
Bolt hoe
ootoard rail
H E A D B O A R D
View i s from ins de bed
F O O T B O A R D
Vew is o outsd e ed
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2"8"
2"
28 "
1
80"
1V"(top opost)
1 7 "
' countrborfor bd
5% 5W
1 2"
'732" hol
2"
1
f
W'
C U T L I S T F O R P E N C I L - P O S T B E D
H e a d b o a r d a n d F o o t b o a d
4 Posts
2 Headboard and footboard rails
Headboard pank
4 Finial s (turning banks)
2 ester rails (head and foot)
2 Tester rail s (sde)
S i d e R a i l s
2 Side ras
H a r d w a r e
8 Traditiona bed bots with nuts
6 Mattress hangers and screws
4 Dowel pns
8 Brass bolt hoe covers and screws
2% in. 2% n x 80 n
% in 5 n. 60Y in.
n 1 7 n 6 1 n
1% n 1 % i n. 4% in
o in . 1 Y' n. 63Y n
o in . Y' in. 83' 7 n
% i n 5 n x 81 n
n 2 n
These dimensions are for a queen-size bed wit a box spring an d mattress. You may have to adjst yordimensions to sit te bed sze, the mattress size or any differences in wood dimensions.
P C I - P O S T B E D 5 5
UG E EE
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P O S T DE T A IL S
e posts ae te s ge ost copex pat to ake.u a e jo ie ry te posts eoe yo ape te, a
yo save ay eaaces .
Mortiss forhaboar 2" 1 "p (only inth haboa poss
80"
' -8"2"
28"T
18
'
5 P E N L P O B E
" countr
bor" p
ransiion fomstraight scton otapr octagon
mortis7/3"p
TH PNCIPOS BD beas downnto a oeton of nne ajo pats:fou posts ou as and the headboad. hebox spng s suppoted by ast-on baetssewed to the sde als You an add ethenals o a teste to deta the tops of theposts. he wo pogesses o posts to asto the headboad sne the fnshed posts ae
helpul to dll the als auatey and theheadboad densons should oe fo atest-t o the headboad posts and al
E OSTS
Mlng the postsAs you ght expet ost of the wo onthe Pen-Post Bed goes nto the posts. hebas llng otsng and shapng of theposts aounts o alost half of ths poe t.otunatey the wo s nteestng andewadng.
Ml up sto o fou posts 2% n. squaeand 80 n long y to nd 12 sto fo theposts. f you ant glue the u p fo 8sto. wo ayes of 6 sto do not ae2/ n th one jonted and paned.
Motsing and dillingthe posts1 oo at the posts and dede whee youwant the on the bed Ma the ntendedposton o eah post on the botto lose to
IJyu glue u badsJ the sts t tut eces w th s mla gan tgethe b th n
tems j aeaance and entatn Glungtgethe quateed andatsawn bads s an
nvtatn t tuble late And t t kee theseam between the layes centeed n the sts
LAY I N G O U T TA P E R S O N T H E P O S T B L A N K S
apes give e oss ef io a igess eye aso easy o ct
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B post bak
Straght scton
1 Mark out th finish imn sons on th top a bottom of th posts. orth top st th marking gaug to
o th bottom st it to
2 M ar k th li mits of th straight sctios with a pcil a a squar Thyrlocat from 1 to 8 " up from th bottom of ach post.3 Draw straght lins btw th conrs of th straight sctio a th
finish imnsion marks o th uppr a lowr sctions of ach postbut only on o fac of ach post f you mark th taprs on ajacntfacs bfor cutting th fst two taprs you l just cut off th marks forth sco fac whn you basaw th first.
he eer hs way he marks wll survvehe shapg proess.2 Lay ou e ra morse oaos o allour poss. ey are al eered o e possad oaed bewee 2/ . ad 7/ . uprom he booms (see Pos Deals")
3 . Rou he morses wh a puge rouer. sragh b ad ee he poss arewde eough o rou whou ay addoalsuppor Make he u wo passes oe romea sde o he pos. Mar ou e loaos or he bol holes,saggerg hem so hey do o erseMake sure you s agger hem ossely whlow oes or he sde rals ad hgh oes or
he headboard ad ooboard or ve versa.
5 Drll e . ouerbores or he bolheads he ousde aes o he poss abou/ deep
Drll e -. or -. bol oes abouhaway rough e pos rom he ousde.7 Measure ad mark he loaos o he
hoes o he sde aes o he poss ( emorses) ad drl ba o mee e bolholes. O ourse you ould also drl beoremorsg ad avod s roube You ouldalso do a o e drlg aer youve ue poss o shape (as you see he poographs) bu oly you orge o do ow(as dd)
Markig gaug lins
ip Set u the
ute to ut o the
Ja sde oj the ost
Jm the Jee. hs
way J the Jee
sl s Jom the ost
whe utg the
mstake a be ut
away o the ext
ass
P E N L P O S T B E 5 7
Post-Taerng Jigsou ca use ese j igs ee w a badsaw o w a ae saw a as eogade e ig o cu oug e comied ickess o e j ig ad e pos Hols for clamps
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ade e ig o cu oug e comied ickess o e j ig ad e pos Hols for clamps(Tuts rcss
urath
V
Sco cut si
Hos for camps(Tuts rcss
urath
B U I L D I N G T H E J I G S
1 O o si of a pic of plywoo about 8" wi a 8' logpostio a post blak so that th wg-shap pic you'll b cuttig off xactly ovrhags th g
Draw a li o th plywoo whr th post rsts This s th layout
li for th gui strips o th "frst cut" si Attach th gustrips alog ths is3. Chck th gui strp locatios by tracig th jg g oto a post
blak o whch th first tapr has b alray cut Ajust ascssary
4. Attach som typ of clampi g mc haism to kp th posts scururig th cut ou coul us quick-ras camps but som simp -shap bloc ks from som scraps of woo bolts a Tutsaso work vry wl5. Aftr you cut th first tapr rpat th abov procss o t h othr
si of th jg for th "sco cut" O this s th gu stripsrgistr agaist th facs that wr tapr first a cut taprs o
th opposit si
5 8 P E N L - P O B E
96"
F O R U P P E R TA P E R8 "
ol for VB
clamps
rcss(Tuts
urath
6W'
irst cutsi
61W'
Sco
F L U S H T R I M M I N G G U I D EF O R T H E B AN D S A
e edge e per ig j ig ides
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gis e se f t s gu de des eere wit e cttg
Bandsaw bad
to "thick
Guid clampdo badsaw tabl(ot shown
F O R L O E R TA P E R
8%
8
2' 203
1 1 " 1 2 %
First cut Scondsd cut sid
Cutting te taperson te postshee ae several good ways o tape the oursdes of the posts u y eye on te andsawor use a g on te andsaw or on he talesaw eehand utng on the andsaw s sple ut reques prety good tenque for astraght u over su a ong dsane e jgalernatves ae oe nvolved ut guaaneeresults.
1 . Mak ou the tapes on the posts seeayng Ou apers on te P ost Banks" onp 52 Make wo taperng jgs one for he upperaper and one for the ower aper (see Postapeng gs ) he jgs work equaly well onethe the andsaw o te tae saw
3. On the andsaw te gs rde aganst hefush-trng gude. Set the trng gde
o ut n shy o te taper layou nes see A
Photo A: he hod
down camp i n the
oreground i a
bock and a bot
threaded nto a
receed -nut on
the bottom o
the jig
P E N L P O T B E 5 9
ip You er
smer ees oj
woo o he oer
sJey bu o' ry
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Photo B: On a table aw with a bade that can be aied to at eat
3% in., the tapering jig work very we. Camp a piece o pywood on
the other id e o the ba de to prevent the wedgehaped cuto om
dropping though the throat pate.
0 P E N P O S T B E
wh 7-J.-ooss I eous
you' ever e
he e rh
On te tabe saw se te p fene o nwde tan e pywood apeng jg eopposte edge of te jg des agans te pfene as te sawbade uts e pos aostus wt e g (see ) 5. Cu e apes to e outsde of te nes onete e bandsaw o te table saw eavngenoug oo o lean up e uts W bogs you u tapes on two adjaent faes wt
e post on e s u sde of te jg tensw ove to e seond ut sde fo eeanng two faes Save e uo ffs fo e apeng of teuppe pat of e postyoul need tewen utng te otses fo te eadboadplan. Clean up e apeed faes wt a andpane o by sandng y o avod utng ntote stagt seon.
Gvng the posts eght sdesWen tapeed te poss ae ony alf donee apes sll need o be ut nto an otagona pofe
1 . ay out e edges of fou new faes along
te apeed poons of e posts (see woOagon ayout Meods.2 If you use e layou g pate w afew es on soe saps of %-n wood It'snot e easest g to use beause te pontstend to wande
3. Wen onden ap te pos seueyso you an use wo ands on e jg andsbe te otagon lnes.
Two Octagon Layout MethodsYou ca n lay ou he octago oe o two ways . he i rst i s by dete
mn ng the octago pof le and d awing the l es wih a sa ig htedge.
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The second ena i l s b i l d g a s i mp e j i g .
D R AW I N G A N O C TA G O N P R O F I L E
he distance from a corner to the center of the squae whentansferred to the sides of the squae defines the corners of the
octagon
1 Draw three different-sie squares: one that's the same dimensions as th e very top of the post one of the bottom and onethe size of the straight section (2% by 2%") that you will use atthe top and bottom of ths section
2. Draw the two diagon as to find the center of each square3. Set a compass to the distance from on e of the corners to the
cente of the square4 With the compass point in the corne of the square, mak the
sides of the square Repeat this process fom the other cornersand you'll locate the points where the octagon sides meet
5
Transfe the dmensons fom the drawn ocagons to the facesof he posts
6 Con nect the points on the post with a straightedge to createthe edges of the octagonal facets
O C TAG O N LAYO U T J I G
his jg scrbes ines that wil defne the edges of the octagon all aong the post
he dowels ride along theedges of the post andthe brads scribe theedges of the octagon
%"-1 "
Use an octagon dawn tothe sze of the staightsecton of the post to layout the location of thebads and dowels
Brad tips fled to sharppoints stick out 2'
P E N C I L - P O S T B E D 6 1
A Jig for Cutting Tapered OctagonsT i j g ot he ot when bandawing he angled acet o make an octago.
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C L A M P
"
3
T O P V I E
8"
1 raius 2Y 1 Y
1V
1
Start to cut the octagon ide at the end o the pot. Startng atthe quare ection wil caue problem.
2 P E N - P O S T B E
2%"
f
7Y
-
20"
M AK I N G A N D U S I N G T H E J I G
1 . ay out th proi o a post (with a at straightsctio i th ctr o a pic o %" plywoo that's SY w a 8" og Draw i actrli
2. Cut away a smooth th jig to th proil li o
th post as show i th rawg ou'll wa t tomak your ig th mirror imag o mi i youbasaw's throat is o th lt si (op o thright3. Mak a attach a clamp at th bottom a a
support ar th rot to hol th post scurly4 Us th ig with th sam lush-trimmig gui
you us or th oursi tapr ig5. Th ig works bttr wh you cut rom a
tha wh you try to cut rom th straght sctio That's why you cut o ly o s o thuppr a lowr proils o th jg
6 Rotat th post a cut th xt acts Rpatutil th octagos ar compt
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Photo D: The author clamped the wedgeshaped cutoffs from the
tapering operation (darkened for better visibility in the photograph)
on either side of the post to provide a straight reference edge forrouting the headboard mortises.
Photo C: It taes a twisting motion with
the sandpaper-wrapped dowel to clean upthe curved transition area between the
square joinery block and the octagonal post
effectively.
with a router 1 in deep (see h D) You
can also dri ou t the waste wood and chop
the mortises by hand
4 Chisel the ends o the mortises square andchamer the mortise edges very lightl
MAKING THE RAILS
Miling the rail stock1 . Mill rail stock or the side, headboard, and
ootboard rails, and cut them to length (see
Rail Details")
2 Ct the tenons on the ends o the rails on
the table saw with a dado blade or with a
router sing a /in rabbeting bit To spport
the roter when cutting the narrow sides,
camp a pair of rails together (see ht E)
3. Rot the wider faces to complete the
tenons (see h F.
Drilling for the boltshe easiest way to dril the bed bolt holes in
the ends o the rails is to use the hoes in the
posts as a drilling guide
1 Clamp a headboard or ootboard rai
pright in a bench vise and hold the appro-
priate post in place. Make sure you'vematched up the correct post with the rail
R AI L D E TAI LS
Tip: When ruting
tenons using a
rabbeting bit, stop
a li ttl e short of the
end of the board
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Rcsss for mattrss hang rs(si ails ony)
Haboar an footboar rais ar0X" (59X" btwn tnons).
Phoo E: To make he eos o he side rais, camp he
wo rai ls ogeher ad ou a rabbe o he op a dboom.
end of the boardand chisel away the
rest. This prevents
cutting the rabbet
around the coer
by mistake.
Phoo F Rou he rabbes o he sides of he rais oe a
a ime. Be vey carefu o o ru he bearig aoud heed of he eo whe sarig or fiishig he cu.
P E L P O B E 6 5
oure dling. Snce he hoes are oset, ou
don wan to drl a ra ofse the wrong wa
2 Drill down through the hole n he post as
fa as ou can into the rail (see p G)
Youl have t o dr deepe once ou remove
the post om the end o the ail o dr
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Photo
G:
Dri ing the hoe for the bed bot in the end of the rai is
best done by using the post itsef as a dri l gui de. Hod the post
secuey in pace whie you dril
6 6 P E N I L - P O S T B E
the post om the end o the ail o dr
between 3 in and 4 in. deep, uness ou
have a ve long tws dri to do he job a
a once.
3. o dll hoes in he onge sde rails, clamp
them in he bench vse a oughl a 45 degee
ange. Othewse, oul have to clmb up on a
stepadder or on top of the bench tsef to dri
the hoe.
Embedding the bed boltnuts in the raishough tadional and elegan, capurng he
nut fo the bed bolt inside the ail is a ot of
wo an d strctl an option You coud use
an o the easie techniques described n the
othe proecs n this boo. Bu ths echnque
leaves a compleel hidden nut and eases bedassemb
1 Rout a recessbasical a in. b n.
b 1 -in.-deep mortiseon the nsde face o
the side ail (see Setting a Capured Nu n
he Rail").
2 Mi some enon soc abou 12 n. long,
and round ove he edges o mach the ounded
ends of he mose (wihout gue)3. Insert one end of the tenon soc all he
wa down into he mortse
nsert a bed bol no the hole in the end of
he ral, and ap i to mar he bol s location
on the tenon soc.
5. Remove the tenon stoc and a out he
location o the nu, cenered aound he bolts
mar.
Dril out he wase and caeul chse the
hole square so the nu is snugl
7 Put he nu in the square hole in he
enon soc and glue he soc n pace (see
p H)
head the bot onto he nut befoe the
gue dres o be sue t wos.
9 Afer he gue des cut he enon ush
wih the inside ral Al that wi show s alitle patch of end gran.
S E TT I N G A CA P TU R E D N U T I N T H E R A I L
Embeddg a n eo stock tat s into a roted ecess grealy s impl if ies he
process o embeddg a nu t the ra l .
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Rail
Adding the mattresshangersTo sppor the matress you can se special
casiron matress hangers, avaiabe rom some
of the speci alty hardware cataogs ised in
Sources on p. 83 Yo can also se fl
length angle iron or Vin. by V2-in. by V2-in.
Lshaped auminum angle stock. You could
also se wooden cleas as in he First Bed proj
ect, bt the meal brackes le yo hide abou
1 in more o the box spring inside the rais.
1 . Rout recesses or the casiron mattress
hangers in he side rails so the box spring
wont snag on he edges of he hardware. If
yo eave an exra in. space between he
rails, his won't be necessar
2. Screw the hangers into place afer al o thefinishing for he bed has been don e.
Tenon st ock is fush-cutafter t's properly alignedand the glue dies.
Bolt ho,
Photo H: A captued
nut is ready to be
inseted into themortse in the sde
rai l . When gued n
pace and cut fush
against the a, it
makes an elegant
joint
Tip Dont use sm
le hardware store
bracets to suort
a box srng
theyre not stng
AING TEHEADOARD
Glung up te eadboadf yo ave a sige board wde eog for te
2. Jo te edges careflly ad gle togeerLet te gledp pla st for at least 24 ors,ad te smoo it3. Assemble e wo eadboard posts wit teeadboard ra to get a exac egt for teeadboarddo't s rey o te dimesos
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y genough
y g geadboard wtot gg it p, te sip ostep 3. If o, yol eed to ge oe p
1 . Coose te boards ta will mae p eeadboard, mag sre ey mac for coorad grai A board tat is al f te ecessarywd b twce te egt is say a good
coice. at way yo ca ct i i af adave two boards very smilar caracer
Phoo Rou he enon a nd he ransion curve of he back of he
headboad. Do hs before you shape he headboard so he oue
fence can regiser agains a ong enon edge
8 P E N P O T B E
y e drawigs for ts. Measre betwee e lower morses o teposs e add e dept of te mortises tocome p wi a al legt for te eadboard. Oly te sold yo crossc teeadboard o eg
Cuttng te tenonse eos o e eadboard are ot typicaleos i a tere are o solders Becasee eadboard is tcer ta te mortsesare wide yo do eed to ct te edges ofte eadboard dow o t i te mortisesAltog a sraig taper ca wor, recommed a crved rasiio.
1 . Ct a /- -og rabbet across bo edsof e bac of te eadboard, eavg jst overe desired eo tcess. Ts ca be doeo te table saw or by sg a roter ad astraig bt wt a axary fece ataced.2 Draw te sape of e trasto crve oa edge o gde yor cts.3.Wt a corebox bt (a covig bi wiot apot i e roter, mae a mber of passes
adstg bot e fece ad te bt eig towaste away as mc wood as possbe (see I) crape ad sad e crve wt sadpaperwrapped arod a i. -dameer dowel torefie a