# Can I laminate pine boards together to make legs for a bed?



## CXD (Mar 5, 2009)

I am new to woodworking. And, I am already in over my head. I want to make a pine bed for my 3 year old son. I want to use pine primarily because the other furniture in his room is pine, but also because it is inexpensive. Here is my problem. I cannot find any pine boards thicker than 1". I originally wanted to use 4×4 posts for the legs, but can't find any pine 4×4's. Can I laminate the 1" thick boards together to "glue up" a 4×4? Will it be strong enough for a bed post? Will the glue joints hold up over time?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.


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## kiwi1969 (Dec 22, 2008)

If your mating faces on your stock are flat, then you should have no problems at all. It,s plenty strong enough and often more stable than 4×4 stock anyway.


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## gbvinc (Aug 6, 2007)

Sure! Plenty strong. Just make sure the glued faces are good and flat to bond well.


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## Moai (Feb 9, 2009)

Sure you can, why not, make sure to use a good glue (Ultimate Titebond III -green-) and strong screw clamps.


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## Greg3G (Mar 20, 2007)

Sure you can….just take a look at the furniture in some of the stores now….pine and other softwoods are used all over the place.

Keep a couple things in mind as you do this. 1st use a good quality glue and make sure you get an even layer on both mating faces. Second, use enough clamps! (You can never have enough clamps  And 3rd is remember it is almost impossible to keep the pieces from sliding so you will have to true up each side when the glue has dried, so have a plan for that (you can use a jointer.)

Sounds like a great project and I look forward to seeing the final photos of it.

PS….don't worry about that feeling like you are over your head. You will soon be swimming with the rest of us.

Take care and Have Fun


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## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

Another thing to add to the list of precautions is to make sure you are using wood that has a moisture content below 10%. Pine construction lumber is usually significantly more.


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## CXD (Mar 5, 2009)

Thanks for all the great replies.

-CXD


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## kolwdwrkr (Jul 27, 2008)

When you clamp it up use Cauls. Pine is soft and may be dented or damaged from the clamps. Be sure to post your completed project ;-)


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