Arts & Crafts Style Bed

Very nice job, I can’t believe that she wouldn’t like it. After she see what you can do, then she might be ready to approach for the new saw. Good luck anyhow.

-- Kaleo , http://www.kaleosworkshop.com

Great looking bed Shane. I would be very surprised if she doesn’t like the bed, it’s really nice looking. I have that Bosch 4000 saw and I absolutely love mine. I think it’s the best contractor’s saw on the market. I’d like a hybrid too, but I don’t really have the space for one.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Very attractive. How did you join the rails to the head and foot boards?

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

I think the table saw is in the bag.

-- Bruce from Central New York

Nice, I like the corner details. Looks like you did a fine job with the tools available. That’s the best way.

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Tattered bed frame? ... you had a bed? Why, when we were little, we lived in a rat hole, and our parents ate three of us for breakfast every day.

I’ve found that the A&C style grows on you; sort of like some are born to greatness, others have A&C thrust upon them … If you prefer the Federal style, perhaps you should have tried that. One thing I’ve found as a professional amateur is that virtually any job broken down far enough into its component parts is “do-able.” It may take a little longer—but what job was ever finished in the budgeted time, anyway?—but from the skill exhibited in the photos, you shouldn’t have any trouble. Maybe try this: finish this (unlike me, who has to climb over all the unfinished projects in the office, living room, bedroom, closet, .... just keep going), find a buyer who likes A&C, and use the proceeds to finance the construction of a Federal bedstead. It’s a little like social justice (free plug time). Tasks that are impossible for one individual become solvable by organizing with like-minded others and working to restructure social institutions. Similarly, if a woodworking task seems too complex, just keep breaking it down into smaller and smaller bits until you’ve got something you can manage, do those, and then assemble the whole thing. Next week, I solve world hunger.

-- Hibernicvs

Thank you, I copied the corner details from the woodwork style in the parsonage. The parsonage was built in 1916 and the mantle and book cases all have this design. It is essentially a rectangle with two triangles underneath. The front of the triangle is tapered back from bottom to top. I was trying to figure out how to make 8 all the same, and then it hit me – use the tenoning jig with the blade of the table saw angled. I attached the rails to the head and foot board using a bed rail kit from Rockler. The metal jointer plates are mortised and screwed into each peice so there are no visible fasteners when it is assembled.

-- Shane, Askov, Minnesota

Very nice, heck, beautiful bed Pastor, you have what it takes to be a Lumberjock for sure. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

That is a very nice bed frame. I really like the Arts and Crafts style myself. It looks to me like that will be one that is passed on to other generations… Great work…

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

Beautiful job Shane. That is some sturdy bed.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

looks great…another on the to-do list for me…as my skills grow (very slowly these days)

-- Matt, Napa, CA...177 days to sanity...

This looks very nice. What you should have done is make two of them and then that saw would be paid for. Besides if she is like my wife, who inventoried my saws once(27), you would have to sneak them into the shop like I do :-)

-- Woodworking is Life. Anything before or after is just waiting.--S. McQueen sort of

Very nice bed!

-- Krisztian (from Hungary) VA

Excellent work on the build of this bed – I’m working on a simple bed, with nowhere near the amount of m&t work that went into this. I can appreciate how much time went into it!

How are you planning on finishing it? Stain and topcoat that is!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

You do seem to be a craftsman. The bed looks great.

-- Maplewood, MN

Shane! Wonderful bed!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Thank you all for ther wonderful comments! I plan on finishing it using Minwax “Red Oak” stain followed by a couple coats of poly. I just have to take it all apart, do a final sanding and then it will be ready for stain and then on to the next project!

-- Shane, Askov, Minnesota