# What type of joint is used here?



## rajcic (Feb 18, 2019)

Hi, I am new here. I am going to build my kid a bunk bed and I'm planning on copying the attached design (with some slight mods). However, I am not sure how they did the joints at the posts. The lofted bed looks like 6x4 posts and the queen on the bottom looks like 4x4. They clearly used hardware but I am not sure how all 3 pieces meet at the corners. I attached my best guess for the 6x4 and the 4x4.

If anyone can tell what they did I'd appreciate it.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It's probably just doweled and what you are seeing on the face could be a hole where a lag screw and washer is inserted. It's probably made for some kind of hole plug to cover the lag screw hole. 

This kind of furniture is cheaply made so it's done as simple as possible. Mortise and tenon would be a more labor intensive process.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*It could be one of several ....*

This one would be the same as your image;
 



https://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/haunched-mortise-tenon/


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

Welcome
Lee Valley sells bed rail corner joint kits that are invisible and blind.
The furniture shop down my street uses them for queens and kings.
Makes it possible to dismantle the bed completely.


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

Rajcic, I made a similar bunk for my grandson. The headboard and footboard parts are glued, using 1" deep mortice and tenon joinery into the posts. The rails that support the mattress are also morticed but not glued...they are attached using a long 3/8" bolt and nut through the headboard into the rail using a blind hole to access the nut. I also made the safety rail to slide up and out to make it easier to change the bedding. By making it this way makes it easier to take apart to move it or to move it to a different room.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

rajcic said:


> Hi, I am new here. I am going to build my kid a bunk bed and I'm planning on copying the attached design (with some slight mods). However, I am not sure how they did the joints at the posts. The lofted bed looks like 6x4 posts and the queen on the bottom looks like 4x4. They clearly used hardware but I am not sure how all 3 pieces meet at the corners. I attached my best guess for the 6x4 and the 4x4....If anyone can tell what they did I'd appreciate it.


Hi Rajcic,

If you want a "knock down" bed with full traditional joinery, I have several examples I could offer...???...but I'm not sure you want something like that. It would be my first recommendation since that is the kind of work I do...However, Brian T.'s advise is my "go to" for most DIYers that just want "fast, cheap, and secure," with a great track record of use...

Let me know if you would like to try your hand at a really "heirloom quality" build for the project and traditional:grin: knock down joinery"...???...I would love to help...

If you want "fast"...then Brian's is a great suggestion! below are the links I send clients/students:

Knock-Down Bed Hardware

Bed Rail Fasteners

Good Luck !!! :smile2:

j


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

A lot of "ready to assemble" furniture uses various forms of cross screw dowels (or similar), sometimes with metal pins or wood dowels for alignment. My guess is that @rajcic's bed is assembled with cross screw dowels and long countersunk screws, which are hidden by the caps.

Do a web image search for "cross screw dowels".

I have seen a lot of nice bed hardware at my local woodworking store. If I were building my own bed, I would use the nice, heavy, quality hardware ... not cross screw dowels.


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## rajcic (Feb 18, 2019)

*rajcic*

Thank you for all the awesome information.


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## jeremymcon (Oct 16, 2014)

I'm thinking barrel nuts with stub tenons for alignment. Or it might be heavier "bed bolt" type hardware. It looks like the whole bed comes apart, footboard and all.


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