Bunk Beds

The grand children stay with us at least one night a week. Our guest room had a queen sized bed and the two boys did not sleep well together. I decided to make a set of bunk beds to remedy the problem. I’m partial to Arts and Crafts style of furniture and the Green and Green variations of that style. I designed these beds in that style.

They are made from 5/4 white oak with quarter sawn white oak top rails on the head boards. The inlaid wood is maccaranduba (similar to ipe). The rails on the headboard and foot board are thru tenons with wedges for strength. the bed rails are connected with metal rail hangars and a thru bolt into a threaded insert. The slats and spacers are all glued int a dado running the length of each rail top and bottom. I used 3/4” IDO plywood for the bed boards and sprayed them with a coat of lacquer as well.

The beds were designed using the extra long twin mattress length (80”) and were built to revert to two twins for use as the boys get older. Right now two headboards make the bottom bunk, and the two foot boards make the top bunk.

They are finished with Valspar Early American stain followed by Watco dark oak oil finish and then sprayed with catalyzed lacquer.

-- Bill G - West Springfield, MA