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Simple Cherry Bed Frame

Project by Dorje posted 209 days ago 1006 views 5 times favorited 26 comments Add to Favorites
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Dorje

1745 posts in 484 days


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Simple Cherry Bed Frame Simple Cherry Bed Frame Simple Cherry Bed Frame Click the pictures to enlarge them

I finished up this Cherry (queen) platform bed yesterday…Poplar is the secondary wood. There is no headboard, I might eventually build one, but right now we wanted the platform. So, the two leg assemblies are pretty much the same. Legs are 2 1/2” square from solid 12/4 stock. Rails and stretchers are 1 1/4 thick, 6” wide and 8” wide, respectively. The stretchers join with the legs via mortise and tenon joints drawbored with walnut pins. Each tenon was notched in the middle, and cut into two separate tenons to allow room for expansion and contraction, versus, one 6” wide tenon.

This all took more time than I thought it would from the get go (story of our lives, eh?), but came together fairly well. I used this type of fastener to connect the rails to the legs:

Here are the mortises for the fasteners in the legs and ends of the rails:


Although, you don’t have to use a center rail and leg on a queen, I decided to do it because I used 3/4” stock for the slats.

I used this type of center rail hardware to make assembly dissassembly easy:

Here’s what that looks like installed on my bed:

And, the center leg; I used a 1” dowel to give the screw from above some long grain to hold onto. I used this same technique at the ends of the rails (though that took three at each end):

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


26 comments so far

View trifern's profile (online now)

trifern

4079 posts in 254 days


posted 209 days ago

Very cool bed. I love the grain pattern on the footboard. Good job.

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

View Damian Penney's profile

Damian Penney

682 posts in 478 days


posted 209 days ago

Looks great Dorje, I used the same rail hardware on the boatbed. Love the cherry, really warm looking, what finish did you use?

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1745 posts in 484 days


posted 209 days ago

I used Tried and True oil varnish – It’s really thick, so I heat it up and it’s a tad bit easier to apply. I really like the stuff…and low to no VOCs…

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

View Mike Lingenfelter's profile

Mike Lingenfelter

390 posts in 601 days


posted 209 days ago

Wow, nicely done! Now that you have the base done, you just have to do the headboard now :).

-- Mike - http://inquisitivewoodworker.blogspot.com/

View darryl's profile

darryl

862 posts in 813 days


posted 209 days ago

looks very nice, you did a great job.
a bed frame is on my list of projects.

-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

View Eric's profile

Eric

667 posts in 271 days


posted 209 days ago

Very nice! Great pics, too. I have a few questions:

1. With your split tenons, do you have 2 mortises or just one? How big is the gap between the tenons?
2. When drawboring, is there a tiny bit of space left at the end of the tenon (the top), between it and the bottom of the mortise? I think I’ll never really get drawboring (the mechanics of it) until I try it out. I understand the principle of it.
3. How are your cleats attached to the stretchers? We’ve had bed issues here in Malaysia (maybe cuz we’re so big compared to Malaysians?) that I’ve always been paranoid about understrength cleats/stretchers. In fact, when I built my son’s bed, the cleats are secured to the side stretchers with glue and about 30 screws! Ha! A sheet of 3/4” plywood sits on top of it, and I could probably jump up and down on it with no effect.

Thanks for sharing!

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

9120 posts in 309 days


posted 209 days ago

Hi Dorje,

This is a nice bed. You can’t go wrong with cherry. I love the wood. The tapered legs lighten the bed and the walnut pins add a nice detail to the piece.

I have been assigned a bed (along with numerous other projects that are all #1) so I may borrow a few of your ideas if you don’t mind.

thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

2758 posts in 467 days


posted 209 days ago

Hey Dorje;

You’re doing some really fine work. The workmanship is superb, as is your attention to detail.

Beautiful!

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

View cajunpen's profile

cajunpen

5348 posts in 553 days


posted 209 days ago

Dorje that’s a beautiful bed. The cherry is really nice and the finish just makies it look even better. That head and foot board will only make it better.

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

View Tom Adamski's profile

Tom Adamski

220 posts in 258 days


posted 209 days ago

Dorje,
The simplicity is great. It brings out the quality of the craftsmanship. I too use the Tried and True, but never thought about heating it up… the stuff is as thick as maple syrup…
Thanks for the tip.

Tom

-- Anybody can become a woodworker, but only a Craftsman can hide his mistakes.

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

2558 posts in 551 days


posted 209 days ago

The wood is really splendid, the finish is warm and beautiful, and it will only age to a better and more mellow hue. I agree with Scott about the leg conformation, and like the subtle chamfer at the top of the legs. How did you mortise in the hardware on the long rails?. It’s got to be tough to secure that long a timber and work endgrain.
Really looks good, Dorje.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1745 posts in 484 days


posted 209 days ago

Eric- It’s just one big mortise. Splitting the tenons was an along-the-way decision. The twin tenons are pinned right in the center of each of them. I think I cut out 1” between the two. Also, if I understand the question re: the space at the end of the tenon…then, yes, the mortise is about 1/16”-1/8” deeper than the length of the tenon. That would be standard practice, whether you draw bore or not. The cleats were affixed like yours! Glue and screws!

Scott – most of my ideas are not really mine, just a composite of borrowed ideas…

Douglas – I can’t recall exactly how I did it! It was a couple months ago now, but I know that I routed out the mortise on the end grain with the rails in the face vise, the ends pointing up at me at an angle. I think I used the plunge router with a fence to waste the bulk of the mortise to the right depth and cut out the rest with a chisel. Getting the right depth so the rails would lock into the legs and close up tight took a little fussing around with test mortises.

Thanks for all the comments guys!

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

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8489 posts in 475 days


posted 209 days ago

Very nice simple clean lines. Great contruction.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Tony's profile

Tony

573 posts in 517 days


posted 209 days ago

Thank for posting this – it has given me some inspiration on a project I am currently working on.

Simple clean lines, but nice detail – a winner

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

View jm82435's profile

jm82435

213 posts in 229 days


posted 208 days ago

I don’t remember seeing the cross dowel technique to avoid screwing into endgrain before. Hopefully I will remember that trick next time I have that issue. Great looking bed. Thanks for posting.

-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever... - Keats

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

7689 posts in 361 days


posted 208 days ago

That is a very good explanation of how you built the bed. It looks really nice.

-- Maplewood, MN

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1745 posts in 484 days


posted 208 days ago

Thanks guys – now I’m wondering what Tony’s thinking!

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

View Jarrod Zion Murphree's profile

Jarrod Zion Murphree

217 posts in 210 days


posted 207 days ago

Dude, that is a sweeeeeeeet bed, and that second picture looks like it could have been in a Thos. Moser catalog… Wicked nice job.

-- Jarrod, Eagle Nest, NM http://anthologyfinefurniture.wordpress.com

View Bill Butler's profile

Bill Butler

72 posts in 250 days


posted 205 days ago

Nice work, love the crisp lines. It is inspirational for me as I too am looking to make a bed frame and I now have a ton (quite literally) of cherry.

Can you tell us about the finish you put on. It looks great.

Thanks,
Bill.

View Dorje's profile

Dorje

1745 posts in 484 days


posted 205 days ago

Bill – the finish is Tried and True varnish oil…

http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com/

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

View damnHippie's profile

damnHippie

27 posts in 262 days


posted 200 days ago

Great work man! Good craftsmanship.

-- 10 fingers, 2 eyes, and healthy lungs. for now. :P

View Joe Brumley's profile

Joe Brumley

52 posts in 269 days


posted 197 days ago

Dorje, that is a really beautiful piece. I love the simplicity with no headboard. I bet it adds a nice aesthetic to the room without overwhelming it. Also makes for a more restful environment. All of the pieces sound like they are very stout but look very well proportioned. I have been toying with building a platform bed for quite some time now and this has given me some more inspiration.

-- Joe, Indiana, http://www.crookedshack.com

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

1792 posts in 564 days


posted 197 days ago

very nice…thanks for all the extra picts and descriptions…i love the wood…and the legs…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...142 days to sanity...

View Steffen's profile

Steffen

233 posts in 522 days


posted 154 days ago

Very nice Dorje…I have a bed on my list of projects. I love simple yet beautiful furniture.

-- Steffen

View John Gray's profile

John Gray

698 posts in 372 days


posted 151 days ago

Super nice!!!! Love that cherry.

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

View matt garcia's profile

matt garcia

201 posts in 159 days


posted 147 days ago

Yes, I have a platform bed in my future. Yours is awesome!! Love that cherry, and the finish looks very clear, not too yellow like Armor Seal, or Tung oil. Just a beautiful bed!!

-- Matt, Houston Texas

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