Project Information
My working parameters for this new headboard were: make one that matches the cherry chest in the spare room where this is to be located - my prior project located here , raise the bed a few inches, keep the new headboard as narrow as the old store bought unit & keep the bed no longer or wider than it was currently.
Since the existing bed was a simple angle iron type frame with short legs & rollers, I made a leg structure to fit at the foot where the cross member is located. I cut off all four short 7" legs and made this assembly & the headboard so as to raise the re-used rail to 12" off the floor.
Never having made anything this big on my lathe before, nor having practiced the skills needed, I made practice legs by gluing two 2 X 4s together for the 3" square blank, as shown in photos 3 and 6 above. When making the headboard posts, I used the full extension of my HF 40" lathe, where maximum turnings are actually limited to 38 1/2".
Due to this 38" limit on turnings, and wanting a little higher headboard, I made the two finials separately with an included tenon. This location for separation allowed making the posts in two sections without having an obvious joint showing, using the juncture at the bottom of the finial.
My leg stock was cut from 9 quarter cherry, not wide enough for the 3" square posts, so after laminating two boards. I cut the legs out at a 45 deg. angle, putting the glue seam on a 90 deg corner of each post, avoiding a seam running down the middle of the sides. Photo 5 above shows this, as well as a section of the 9 Q lumber used.
The ellipse top of the headboard was drawn in a free tablet application called Geometry Pad, which I prior blogged about. The design I settled on is shown in photo 5 above. Using this APP, I then secured the coordinates of each point at 1" increments:
With these points, I plotted the ellipse on quadrille paper for the template:
Once the headboard was fabricated, mounting to the bed posts was with mortise & tenon, gluing only the center tenon, and pegging the top & bottom ones to allow for wood movement. The pegs at 2 3/4" were also draw bored for strength.
Finish includes Homestead Finishes TransFast cherry dye, so as to simulate as fast as possible the natural aging of the prior built chest on chest, and clear shellac.
Having completed the project, I can say that this method of raising the bed worked well, as the frame remains ridged and stable, and there are no problems of any type.
Thanks for viewing, and I hope some of my methods of work provide some assistance to you.
Since the existing bed was a simple angle iron type frame with short legs & rollers, I made a leg structure to fit at the foot where the cross member is located. I cut off all four short 7" legs and made this assembly & the headboard so as to raise the re-used rail to 12" off the floor.
Never having made anything this big on my lathe before, nor having practiced the skills needed, I made practice legs by gluing two 2 X 4s together for the 3" square blank, as shown in photos 3 and 6 above. When making the headboard posts, I used the full extension of my HF 40" lathe, where maximum turnings are actually limited to 38 1/2".
Due to this 38" limit on turnings, and wanting a little higher headboard, I made the two finials separately with an included tenon. This location for separation allowed making the posts in two sections without having an obvious joint showing, using the juncture at the bottom of the finial.
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My leg stock was cut from 9 quarter cherry, not wide enough for the 3" square posts, so after laminating two boards. I cut the legs out at a 45 deg. angle, putting the glue seam on a 90 deg corner of each post, avoiding a seam running down the middle of the sides. Photo 5 above shows this, as well as a section of the 9 Q lumber used.
The ellipse top of the headboard was drawn in a free tablet application called Geometry Pad, which I prior blogged about. The design I settled on is shown in photo 5 above. Using this APP, I then secured the coordinates of each point at 1" increments:
With these points, I plotted the ellipse on quadrille paper for the template:
Once the headboard was fabricated, mounting to the bed posts was with mortise & tenon, gluing only the center tenon, and pegging the top & bottom ones to allow for wood movement. The pegs at 2 3/4" were also draw bored for strength.
Finish includes Homestead Finishes TransFast cherry dye, so as to simulate as fast as possible the natural aging of the prior built chest on chest, and clear shellac.
Having completed the project, I can say that this method of raising the bed worked well, as the frame remains ridged and stable, and there are no problems of any type.
Thanks for viewing, and I hope some of my methods of work provide some assistance to you.