# Building a Bed Frame



## Jun Ryan (Jan 9, 2010)

Hi all, I'm really new to woodworking and I would really like to build myself a bed frame, I hope that is not too ambitious for a beginner. I have some questions, but I will start by explaining how I want the bed frame to look. I want it to have about 24" of vertical space under it (I have a small room and this is how much room I need under it to store my small chest of drawers). I want it to be 84" long and 60" wide. I am also on a small budget. What kind of lumber would be fairly cheap and sturdy enough for a bed frame? What kind of bolts/screws should I use? I welcome any suggestions. Thank you.


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

Welcome Jun!

I suppose if you're on a budget you could use higher grade construction fir for your frame. Maybe 2x8"'s for the rails, head and foot boards and 4x4"'s for your posts. You'll have to pick through the piles to find straight pieces. Also, if you search around this site you'll find ideas. Just don't search for 'bed'. The search engine needs at least four letters.

For hardware, check Rockler's site. They have several choices.

Good luck with your project,
Bill


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## kreuzie (Jan 10, 2008)

Jun-

You may want to rethink your height dimension. If you add the 24" that you need, plus a couple inches for a cleat and slats to support the bedding, plus the combined height of the box springs and mattress, your overall height would approach 36".

You'd need a ladder to crawl into bed.

Perhaps some sort of storage at the foot of the bed?


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## Jun Ryan (Jan 9, 2010)

kreuzie - 36" is fine with me and I'm actually only going to be placing a futon on it, that doesn't rise more than 4" and also I'm considering lowering the space underneath to 20", thanks for the suggestion

dodgeboy77 - thanks for the ideas about the head and footboards and the search engine


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

Jun,

Your welcome!

Check this link: http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?filter=bed+rail+hardware&submit.x=23&submit.y=12

for some ideas on rail attachment. Depending on how you do it, the hardware can go a long way to strengthening the frame.

Bill


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## kjhart0133 (Feb 4, 2009)

Jun,

I've built a couple of beds out of plywood with great success. I laminate three pieces of 3/4" ply to make the posts then cut them into 2 x 2 x whatever. I use 3/4" and 1/2" plywood laminated together for the side rails and head/foot rails. Finally I paint them with many coats of a good enamel paint for an excellent finish. It's hard to stain and finish plywood unless you buy the eal expensive kind. 

I use the bed-rail fasteners shown below to attach the rails to the head or foot board legs. These work great, they are very strong and they are suface mounted so there is no mortising. Also they are invisible once installed Rockler sells the same ones but at twice the price. The ones I bought a while ago were longer and had four mounting holes. You might call to see if that size is available; for a king size bed, the extra strength might be good.

The King Size bed I made had an additional 12" added to the legs to allow storage underneath the bed and that worked great. I had to build a couple of step stools so my wife and I could climb in, but we still sleep in that bed. I'd show you some pics, but I'm on travel for the next two weeks and don't have access to my photo files.

Good luck,

Kevin H.


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## Jun Ryan (Jan 9, 2010)

Hey Kevin that sounds like such a great idea! I think I might incorporate some of it into my bed, and if you do get the chance please post up those pics, i'd really like to see it. Thanks

-Jun


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## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

Sticks! They're cheap because you can gather them yourself! They add interest to the visual aspect of your furniture. You don't need a lot of expensive tools to work with them.:yes:


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

Mark,

Now, that's quite a bed. It's practically a tree house!

My luck, I'd roll out in my sleep!

Bill


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## Bearcreek (Jul 22, 2009)

mmwood_1 said:


> Sticks! They're cheap because you can gather them yourself! They add interest to the visual aspect of your furniture. You don't need a lot of expensive tools to work with them.:yes:
> View attachment 12755


Cool Bed Mark!! What a great imagination


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## Jun Ryan (Jan 9, 2010)

wow! cool bed mark! really inspiring, how can tell if the sticks were sturdy enough?


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## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

Jun Ryan said:


> wow! cool bed mark! really inspiring, how can tell if the sticks were sturdy enough?


 Well, if they're from a tree that's just been cut down recently and they're not rotted, they could do the job. Dry ones are great if they are sound and sturdy. Of course, you want to use a big enough diameter for them to have the strength for whichever part you use them for. You wouldn't use 1" diameter sticks for your corner posts, for instance. But check out the designs of bridges and trusses. Your support pieces do not need to be as large as your main pieces if you locate them properly and use enough of them.

The species of tree makes a difference, too. I usually use oak because it's plentiful around here and every couple of years we get a good windstorm and nature does the pruning, so I collect some. I keep them wet and under a tarp for a week or two, then peel the bark off and keep them wet and under a tarp for a few more weeks, then slowly let them dry over a few more weeks. Then I rub them with raw linseed oil and they will store and slowly dry out and be ready when I need them. Very little checking/splitting this way.

I have used fresh limbs right away and you can do that, but you have to expect some amount of checking/splitting. You need to use a large enough diameter branch so that the checks will not adversely affect the strength. With fresh limbs, I peel the bark immediately, sand them smooth and rub raw linseed oil into them, twice/day for a few days, then once / day for awhile, at least a week. The oil saturation will slow the moisture release and will help reduce the amount of checking, but will not eliminate it. Make sure you oil the ends, too.

I use a lot of mortise and tenon joints for these. Mostly, I cut the tenons rough size with a japanese saw, then finish them with a rasp until they fit snugly into the drilled holes I make for the mortises.

Juniper lamp guy (I think that's his user name) does a lot of this and does awesome work. He's on this forum and if you searched his name, you can see it. He'd be a good source of info, also.


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