Antique Kingsize Headboard

In most cases if a decorator or customer searches long and hard enough they will find the perfect antique bedroom set. What they will not find is a matching King Size headboard.

It then becomes the woodworkers job to create one such I’m showing here.

What I did was to take a headboard and matching footboard from the set and salvage the edge moldings, feet, and carvings. Then I laid out the pieces into the basic size and shape I needed to somewhat match the original. Using those acquired dimensions I’d glue up a new 3/4in blank for the field, cut it to shape and edge it. The lower part which would be hidden by the bed was for structural purposes and made from whatever happened to be extra in the lumber rack at the time. The moldings were then cut and mitered to make a new frame and follow the lines of the new blank. The feet from the footboard were incorporated into the base. Last thing was to mount the carving

The antique dealer we did this for had his own finisher so what you see is what he got back. Headboards like this were almost always mounted directly to the wall and the bed frame placed on the floor in front of it.

-- Tom Landon, Lakeland, Fl. When you're through learning, you're through.