# Arched Bed



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Design Sketchup*

Hello jocks and jockettes… it has been awhile since my last project, still I've been keeping busy. This is the first entry in a new series on the Arched Bed. If you've seen the copper patina gates you know where I got the idea, or as my brother said, "you're turning your gate into a bed."



The backstory is I had built a bed a couple years ago but since that time we got a Sleep Number bed. Well the new mattresses are each 10" tall so the old bed is like sleeping on stilts. What a great excuse to build a new bed, huh? Well I wanted to make a kind of a platform bed with curved corners on the footboard to minimize the chance and severity of collisions with my shins. I also wanted to try to match my nightsands, experiement further with bending wood, and incorporate the copper patina panel. I also wanted to learn more about Sketchup. The bed is made out of maple with a jatoba toprail. At least it will have a jatoba toprail when I can find a piece. The side rails and footboard are 1" x 8". The corners of the footrail are bent around a 2 1/2" radius. So how do you bend 1" thick maple around a 2 1/2" radius? See hint below.



















If anyone wants a copy of the sketchup file please let me know. Next entry I'll go into some of the geometry and caculations of the chord, rise, radius, and arch length using a spreadsheet I downloaded from a fellow woodworker and the Sketchup program.

A note of thanks to the hosts of this site, all the folks who take the time to submit blog entries and provide comments and helpful advice, and to all the people who stop by for a look. I get so much out of your contributions this is my way of paying you back and keeping the good vibes going.


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## wwbeds (Jul 1, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Design Sketchup*
> 
> Hello jocks and jockettes… it has been awhile since my last project, still I've been keeping busy. This is the first entry in a new series on the Arched Bed. If you've seen the copper patina gates you know where I got the idea, or as my brother said, "you're turning your gate into a bed."
> 
> ...


Great sketchup work. Very detail. Like the design of the bed also. Did you draw the mattress or is that an item in sketchup? I'm new to using sketchup,


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Design Sketchup*
> 
> Hello jocks and jockettes… it has been awhile since my last project, still I've been keeping busy. This is the first entry in a new series on the Arched Bed. If you've seen the copper patina gates you know where I got the idea, or as my brother said, "you're turning your gate into a bed."
> 
> ...


The mattresses are just rectangles with round corners that are pulled to the 10" height. The pattern on the mattresses is a carpet(?) texture from the materials library. You can probably find a closer match somewhere like the 3D warehouse. The patina panel is from an actual photo I pulled in to the Materials library using the Paintbucket tool. Google/Sketchup has a bunch of great how-to videos. Also search 'Sketchup for Woodworkers'.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Design Sketchup*
> 
> Hello jocks and jockettes… it has been awhile since my last project, still I've been keeping busy. This is the first entry in a new series on the Arched Bed. If you've seen the copper patina gates you know where I got the idea, or as my brother said, "you're turning your gate into a bed."
> 
> ...


Nice design!


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Strike a Chord*

I have found that two dimensions are especially helpful in designing arches; the radius of the arch and the length of the boards that make up the arch. If you do a search on 'Woodworking Formulas' with the added keywords Spreadsheets, Arches, and such, you will hit on numerous sites that either have formulas like the one below, or java script calculators on their webpage, or even spreadsheets free to download. One of the best I've found was written by Paul Huntington, an architectural woodworker from Denver. His spreadsheet is very comprehensive and includes calculations for arcs, ring segmens, stairs, helix stairs, springback calculations for bent laminations, dualslope, crown calculations, bigarcs, ellipses, and proportions. Whew! That's a lot of math. Here's a link to the Woodweb.com page where you can download the file.

To calculate the radius or length of an arc you only need two dimensions, the chord and the rise. The chord is any straight line that connects two points on the circumference except the diameter which is a special chord. (if you know the diameter you do not need to calculate the radius). The rise is the perpendicular distance from the middle of the chord to the circumference. The second diagram shows the formula for calculating the radius. You can also use the Dimension Tool in Sketchup to calculate the radius. On this project I used both the spreadsheet and Sketchup to confirm the calculation. The OD radius of the top rail is about 120". Given a 3 1/2" width at the apex, the ID (inner diameter) radius is 116 1/2". This means the ID radius of the cap rail is also 120" and the OD radius of the lower inside rail is 116 1/2". Maybe I should just make the top rail and use that as a form for the cap and inner rails?

Notice that the 84" width of the cap rail in the Sketchup picture is not the actual length of the wood used to make the rail. That length, or the 'Arc Length' is closer to 86". Just download the spreadsheet, it will make more sense than I do. Also check out Paul's discussion on the Woodweb site.


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## RjGall (Jun 16, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Strike a Chord*
> 
> I have found that two dimensions are especially helpful in designing arches; the radius of the arch and the length of the boards that make up the arch. If you do a search on 'Woodworking Formulas' with the added keywords Spreadsheets, Arches, and such, you will hit on numerous sites that either have formulas like the one below, or java script calculators on their webpage, or even spreadsheets free to download. One of the best I've found was written by Paul Huntington, an architectural woodworker from Denver. His spreadsheet is very comprehensive and includes calculations for arcs, ring segmens, stairs, helix stairs, springback calculations for bent laminations, dualslope, crown calculations, bigarcs, ellipses, and proportions. Whew! That's a lot of math. Here's a link to the Woodweb.com page where you can download the file.
> 
> ...


Good info here Tim ! Thanks for posting this.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Strike a Chord*
> 
> I have found that two dimensions are especially helpful in designing arches; the radius of the arch and the length of the boards that make up the arch. If you do a search on 'Woodworking Formulas' with the added keywords Spreadsheets, Arches, and such, you will hit on numerous sites that either have formulas like the one below, or java script calculators on their webpage, or even spreadsheets free to download. One of the best I've found was written by Paul Huntington, an architectural woodworker from Denver. His spreadsheet is very comprehensive and includes calculations for arcs, ring segmens, stairs, helix stairs, springback calculations for bent laminations, dualslope, crown calculations, bigarcs, ellipses, and proportions. Whew! That's a lot of math. Here's a link to the Woodweb.com page where you can download the file.
> 
> ...


Thanks Bra… hope all is well in San Jose.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Bending 1" Thick Maple*

Curving or wrapping might be better terms. Once again Sketchup is a big help in this process. The plan calls for rounded corners on the footboard so yours truly doesn't bang his shins on them, or when he does it won't be a sharp corner. This is also another good example of the versatility and accuracy of the Mortise Pal jig. The Dimension tool in the Sketchup model measured the outside of the two staves 1 7/8" in order to achieve a 2 1/2" inside radius with 1" thick stock. The other critical dimension is the distance from the outside of the long rail to the inside of the side rail, 1 9/16". With this dimension you can calculate the outside length of the long bottom rail to produce a given inside bed width so the mattress fits. In this case I'm fitting a California King, 72" x 84", so I'm making the inside width 72 1/2".










The other critical design consideration is how to attach the side rails to the headboard and footboard. For this project I'm using countertop connectors and will install metal pins with metal receiving sleeves above and below the connector to keep the rails in alignment. The side rail will also have a short piece that sits on the footboard slat to hold it in place during assembly.










In this picture you can see the shims I cut to set the mortise jig on an angle so the mortises are perpendicular to the beveled sides. Believe me it produced a very tight and accurate fit. The second picture shows how I cut the mortises in the long footrail. And further below you can see some shots of the footboard. You can click on my Homepage/Reviews to see my review of the Mortise Pal and links to their website.

And next up on The New California Workshop I'll show the templates and glue up of the three arches.


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Bending 1" Thick Maple*
> 
> Curving or wrapping might be better terms. Once again Sketchup is a big help in this process. The plan calls for rounded corners on the footboard so yours truly doesn't bang his shins on them, or when he does it won't be a sharp corner. This is also another good example of the versatility and accuracy of the Mortise Pal jig. The Dimension tool in the Sketchup model measured the outside of the two staves 1 7/8" in order to achieve a 2 1/2" inside radius with 1" thick stock. The other critical dimension is the distance from the outside of the long rail to the inside of the side rail, 1 9/16". With this dimension you can calculate the outside length of the long bottom rail to produce a given inside bed width so the mattress fits. In this case I'm fitting a California King, 72" x 84", so I'm making the inside width 72 1/2".
> 
> ...


really nice crisp work


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Bending 1" Thick Maple*
> 
> Curving or wrapping might be better terms. Once again Sketchup is a big help in this process. The plan calls for rounded corners on the footboard so yours truly doesn't bang his shins on them, or when he does it won't be a sharp corner. This is also another good example of the versatility and accuracy of the Mortise Pal jig. The Dimension tool in the Sketchup model measured the outside of the two staves 1 7/8" in order to achieve a 2 1/2" inside radius with 1" thick stock. The other critical dimension is the distance from the outside of the long rail to the inside of the side rail, 1 9/16". With this dimension you can calculate the outside length of the long bottom rail to produce a given inside bed width so the mattress fits. In this case I'm fitting a California King, 72" x 84", so I'm making the inside width 72 1/2".
> 
> ...


I have a bed project in my future so I'm looking around here for ideas. I really like your design and I commend you on your detail work in SketchUp. I'm new to using SketchUp but seem to be catching on to the idea quickly enough, that is to say I can do the basics. I'll be watching your blog as I'm really interested to see the finished bed! Nice job so far.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Bending 1" Thick Maple*
> 
> Curving or wrapping might be better terms. Once again Sketchup is a big help in this process. The plan calls for rounded corners on the footboard so yours truly doesn't bang his shins on them, or when he does it won't be a sharp corner. This is also another good example of the versatility and accuracy of the Mortise Pal jig. The Dimension tool in the Sketchup model measured the outside of the two staves 1 7/8" in order to achieve a 2 1/2" inside radius with 1" thick stock. The other critical dimension is the distance from the outside of the long rail to the inside of the side rail, 1 9/16". With this dimension you can calculate the outside length of the long bottom rail to produce a given inside bed width so the mattress fits. In this case I'm fitting a California King, 72" x 84", so I'm making the inside width 72 1/2".
> 
> ...


Thanks Dan.

captkerk… thanks. Be sure to check out the Sketchup for Woodworkers page. Just Google 'Sketchup for Woodworkers'. They also have a bunch of good videos on the Sketchup Tutorial page and there are a ton of them on YouTube. When I get breaks I've been watching them on my iPhone. Pretty cool. You can also search on specific topics like 'Sketchup/Layers/Video' or 'Sketchup/Inferencing'. Let me kinow if you want a copy of this model.


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Bending 1" Thick Maple*
> 
> Curving or wrapping might be better terms. Once again Sketchup is a big help in this process. The plan calls for rounded corners on the footboard so yours truly doesn't bang his shins on them, or when he does it won't be a sharp corner. This is also another good example of the versatility and accuracy of the Mortise Pal jig. The Dimension tool in the Sketchup model measured the outside of the two staves 1 7/8" in order to achieve a 2 1/2" inside radius with 1" thick stock. The other critical dimension is the distance from the outside of the long rail to the inside of the side rail, 1 9/16". With this dimension you can calculate the outside length of the long bottom rail to produce a given inside bed width so the mattress fits. In this case I'm fitting a California King, 72" x 84", so I'm making the inside width 72 1/2".
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to check out some of the tutorials


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Temple of Templates*

Yeah well you've got to name it something. There are three arches in this project. I figured I could use the middle arch as a form for both the top (cap) arch and the bottom or inside arch. The plan was to make a template of the middle arch and matching bending forms for that part using a jigsaw for the rough cut and a flush trim bit to make the plywood uniform. So back to the second entry in this series. Calculating by both Sketchup and the Chord/Rise equation gave an outside radius (the top of the middle arch) of about 120". Since the headboard posts are 3 1/2" wide I wanted to make the arches match this width so the inside radius is 116 1/2". This is a lesson I learned from another Lumberjock jlsmith5963 regarding segmented arches.  There are a number of ways to cut an arch's radius, but I still prefer to use a router and swing arm.

I lined up my workbench perpendicular to the assembly table and used one of the large holes as a pivot. I scrounged around and found a drain pipe and shimmed it with duct tape for a better fit. I used a 1/4" diameter router bit so the center of the holes were placed 3 1/2" apart plus and minus 1/8". The outside radius was cut with the inside or bottom of the bit while the inside radius was cut with the outside or top of the bit (relative to the pivot). Whew… to technical. The end result of all the cutting would produce three pieces so I screwed them all down to a a scrap sheet of mdf making sure the screws would not be in the way of the cutter. After cutting the top arch I repositioned the pivot in the hole to cut the inside arch.

After a little light sanding the pattern was smooth and it was an easy task to mark the curves in the plywood, rough cut the line, and smooth it to a perfect match with the flush trim bit. Next up on the New California Workshop, the first lamination is cut and glued.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Temple of Templates*
> 
> Yeah well you've got to name it something. There are three arches in this project. I figured I could use the middle arch as a form for both the top (cap) arch and the bottom or inside arch. The plan was to make a template of the middle arch and matching bending forms for that part using a jigsaw for the rough cut and a flush trim bit to make the plywood uniform. So back to the second entry in this series. Calculating by both Sketchup and the Chord/Rise equation gave an outside radius (the top of the middle arch) of about 120". Since the headboard posts are 3 1/2" wide I wanted to make the arches match this width so the inside radius is 116 1/2". This is a lesson I learned from another Lumberjock jlsmith5963 regarding segmented arches.  There are a number of ways to cut an arch's radius, but I still prefer to use a router and swing arm.
> 
> ...


It is always fun to push the limits of the shop with production jigs and fixtures. It feels like you are doing real manly woodworking.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Temple of Templates*
> 
> Yeah well you've got to name it something. There are three arches in this project. I figured I could use the middle arch as a form for both the top (cap) arch and the bottom or inside arch. The plan was to make a template of the middle arch and matching bending forms for that part using a jigsaw for the rough cut and a flush trim bit to make the plywood uniform. So back to the second entry in this series. Calculating by both Sketchup and the Chord/Rise equation gave an outside radius (the top of the middle arch) of about 120". Since the headboard posts are 3 1/2" wide I wanted to make the arches match this width so the inside radius is 116 1/2". This is a lesson I learned from another Lumberjock jlsmith5963 regarding segmented arches.  There are a number of ways to cut an arch's radius, but I still prefer to use a router and swing arm.
> 
> ...


The only arches I can think about in my small shop are the aching kind on my feet. You did very well on this challenging part of your project. I hope you will post it when finished.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Learning Curve*

So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Learning Curve*
> 
> So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


The arch came out great. It really isn't easy to work with such big pieces, but you have organized it really well. I would also like to compliment you on a very orderly and well-equipped shop.


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Learning Curve*
> 
> So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


Looking great! I will stay tuned to your blogs…


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## RjGall (Jun 16, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Learning Curve*
> 
> So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


This sure is coming along nicely !I'm glad your posting it step by step I can't wait to see it when your done.

I like your roller stand were did you get it?

Thanks for posting this!


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Learning Curve*
> 
> So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


Looks great! Quick technique question: Did you have much in the way of saw marks on the strips after cutting them down on the table saw? If so, did they create an issue when gluing up the lamination? Or did you sand or joint out the saw marks?

I just tried my hand at bent laminations and since I wasn't sure if the saw marks would be an issue, I made sure to joint and plane each piece. I have another one to do, this time with thinner pieces, so planing won't be an option, but I'm wondering if I will need to sand them down or not.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Learning Curve*
> 
> So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


Thanks fellas. I'll post pictures of the other two arches tonight.

captkerk… now that I think about it, no, there were not that many saw marks. I was using a newly sharpened blade but ran them lightly across the jointer anyway. They were cut a little thicker than 1/4" any thinner and I would have used the drum sander. I have the 10" Jet which works well. The tradeoff seems to be the thinnner the more flexible but the greater number of glue lines. I think the idea is to try to get flat faces with as sharp edges as you can. I tried to match the grain to help the lamination lines dissappear. You can still see some of them and I'm debating whether to cover the face up with veneer. I'm thinking I could do one side and see how it looks. I don't know. We'll see.


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Learning Curve*
> 
> So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


I don't have a drum sander otherwise I wouldn't worry if I should sand them, I'd just do it. But since I don't, I was thinking about jointing the board, cutting a strip off, then jointing the board again before cutting off each subsequent strip. I think I will just try carefully and lightly sanding the saw marks off the unjointed face. Thanks for the tips and good luck with your decision to veneer or not.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Learning Curve*
> 
> So after building the giant forms I'm finally ready for the first glue lamination. Since this arch section is made out of 8/4 maple I decided to resaw on the tablesaw. I used a thin kerf blade and set a Grip-Tite about 1/4" opposite the fence as a stop. I've turned the saw 180 degrees in the shop so I can keep the jointer out and have better (central) access to the dust collector. So far it is working great. As you can see from the pictures the form was large and the arch came out pretty good for a first attempt. And, once again, you can't have to many clamps.


Rj… I picked up the roller stand a few years ago at Woodcraft. I've seen them around many places. I think Rockler sells them and possibly Harbor Freight.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Golden Arches*

About time to move on to something else but first I have to finish the other two arches. I used the form and top arch to shape the bottom arch and just the top arch for the cap arch which is made out of jatoba. The other two are maple. I used Titebond III on the maple arches and barely had enough working time. I used Titebond Plastic Resin glue on the jatoba. It foamed up a lot and had plenty of open time, but it is expensive. Next time around I think I'll try my hand at mixing up my own.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Golden Arches*
> 
> About time to move on to something else but first I have to finish the other two arches. I used the form and top arch to shape the bottom arch and just the top arch for the cap arch which is made out of jatoba. The other two are maple. I used Titebond III on the maple arches and barely had enough working time. I used Titebond Plastic Resin glue on the jatoba. It foamed up a lot and had plenty of open time, but it is expensive. Next time around I think I'll try my hand at mixing up my own.


great start


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## Wood_Chuck (Feb 19, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Golden Arches*
> 
> About time to move on to something else but first I have to finish the other two arches. I used the form and top arch to shape the bottom arch and just the top arch for the cap arch which is made out of jatoba. The other two are maple. I used Titebond III on the maple arches and barely had enough working time. I used Titebond Plastic Resin glue on the jatoba. It foamed up a lot and had plenty of open time, but it is expensive. Next time around I think I'll try my hand at mixing up my own.


That is pretty nice. Thanks for sharing.


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Golden Arches*
> 
> About time to move on to something else but first I have to finish the other two arches. I used the form and top arch to shape the bottom arch and just the top arch for the cap arch which is made out of jatoba. The other two are maple. I used Titebond III on the maple arches and barely had enough working time. I used Titebond Plastic Resin glue on the jatoba. It foamed up a lot and had plenty of open time, but it is expensive. Next time around I think I'll try my hand at mixing up my own.


From these pics, the grain lines look pretty good on the laminations. Is the springback of the Jatoba going to cause problems?


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Golden Arches*
> 
> About time to move on to something else but first I have to finish the other two arches. I used the form and top arch to shape the bottom arch and just the top arch for the cap arch which is made out of jatoba. The other two are maple. I used Titebond III on the maple arches and barely had enough working time. I used Titebond Plastic Resin glue on the jatoba. It foamed up a lot and had plenty of open time, but it is expensive. Next time around I think I'll try my hand at mixing up my own.


Thanks all… captkerk, sharp eyes by you. No, I don't think the spring back will be a problem because all three arches will be connected to each other so I will be able to clamp them together nice and tight. The Jatoba arch is only 1" thick and about 3" wide so it doesn't have as much lateral resistance? as the other two. The others are 3 1/2" thick and 1 1/2" and 1" wide respectively.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*The Most Critical Cut*

This is one of the many reasons why I love woodworking. It is figuring out how to get accurate results and moving up the learning curve. And speaking of curves, isn't that the point of this series? Now that the three arches have been fabricated it is time to begin making some exact cuts and building the sub-assemblies. On this project I'm contrsturcting from the inside out starting with the inner frame of the headboard. Once again I've found Sketchup to be an invaluable tool. Here's a shot with all the key dimensions of the headboard.










For those who have seen my two series on the Copper Patina Gates, you know how critical the vertical cut of the arch is to keep the piece square and provide for a tight fit. The photo below shows this joint and the setup I used for the gates. The cut has to be square to tangent of the arch. The arch has to be the same length as the bottom rail. Since the process of matching parts by measurement is so inexact, and the arch needed to match the bottom rail, I figured I could just use the bottom rail to line up the arch.










First I made the final cuts on the bottom rail, 63"x 3 1/2" and planed to the same thickness as the arch. I drew a centerline on the bottom rail and the arch rail using the original template. I used a dry wall square to measure and make a pencil mark 31 1/2" on each side of the arch to help line up the bottom rail. I loaded the bottom rail onto the crosscut sled butting one side up agains the blade and clamping it to the sled. I pulled the sled back from the blade a few inches to provide some clearance and set the arch in front of it making sure to line up the centerlines and checking that the tickmarks on either side matched the ends of the bottom rail.



















Then I came back into the house in time to watch Brett Favre crush the hopes of 49'er fans. Wow, what a great pass and catch! So back to the shop. I made sure all the clamps were secure and everything was lined up. I lowered the blade and pushed the sled through a couple times to make sure there were no obstructions and it was working smoothly. I raised the blade and made what I think turned out to be a perfectly parallel cut.



















Keeping the bottom rail clamped to the sled all I had to do was turn the arch around, line up the cut edge with the end of the bottom rail, clamp it all up and make the second cut. I'm real happy with the results. The photo doesn't show the joints to well, but they are tight and parallel to the bottom. Next up I think I'll cut the mortises in this piece so I can keep it lined up for the next steps. And… next time on the New California Workshop… who knows?


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## LesHastings (Jan 26, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Most Critical Cut*
> 
> This is one of the many reasons why I love woodworking. It is figuring out how to get accurate results and moving up the learning curve. And speaking of curves, isn't that the point of this series? Now that the three arches have been fabricated it is time to begin making some exact cuts and building the sub-assemblies. On this project I'm contrsturcting from the inside out starting with the inner frame of the headboard. Once again I've found Sketchup to be an invaluable tool. Here's a shot with all the key dimensions of the headboard.
> 
> ...


Looks like its going together well, neat project.

Just one question though. Why did you decide to laminate the top rail instead making it out of two pieces of solid lumber?


----------



## Karson (May 9, 2006)

newTim said:


> *The Most Critical Cut*
> 
> This is one of the many reasons why I love woodworking. It is figuring out how to get accurate results and moving up the learning curve. And speaking of curves, isn't that the point of this series? Now that the three arches have been fabricated it is time to begin making some exact cuts and building the sub-assemblies. On this project I'm contrsturcting from the inside out starting with the inner frame of the headboard. Once again I've found Sketchup to be an invaluable tool. Here's a shot with all the key dimensions of the headboard.
> 
> ...


Great tip on cutting the two pieces the same length.


----------



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Most Critical Cut*
> 
> This is one of the many reasons why I love woodworking. It is figuring out how to get accurate results and moving up the learning curve. And speaking of curves, isn't that the point of this series? Now that the three arches have been fabricated it is time to begin making some exact cuts and building the sub-assemblies. On this project I'm contrsturcting from the inside out starting with the inner frame of the headboard. Once again I've found Sketchup to be an invaluable tool. Here's a shot with all the key dimensions of the headboard.
> 
> ...


Thanks Karson. Les, I used bent laminations so I could learn more about the technique. For the inner arch I could have used one piece of wood about 7 1/2" wide or glued a couple together. Or I could have cut segments on an angle like the gate. One thing about the bent lams is you can get a really tight fit, in this case because it is molded to the arch above.


----------



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*The Outside Arch Frame*

Like a circle in a spiral, a wheel in a wheel… and so it goes. Here's another chance to practice the plumb cut on an arch. I start by assembling the inner arch with no glue, just tennons and pocket screws to hold it together.










Then I mounted the parts of the outside arch to mark the center and endlines and make sure everything is lined up.










After cutting the bottom (straight) piece to length I butt it up against the sawblade and clamp it to the sled.










I then placed the arch on the straight piece to line up the outside marks, but as you can see it is too long to rest against it on the end marks so trimmed I some of the excess with a jigsaw leaving a couple inches overhang.



















I clamped the arch to the sled and to the straight piece and made the cut.










Then while leaving the straight piece clamped in place I rotated the arched piece and lined up the cut end with the end of the straight rail.










I re-clamped the arch to the sled and rail and made the other (parallel) cut. Then I mounted both pieces on the inner frame to check for accuracy. Works like a charm. Safe and accurate.


----------



## lightweightladylefty (Mar 27, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Outside Arch Frame*
> 
> Like a circle in a spiral, a wheel in a wheel… and so it goes. Here's another chance to practice the plumb cut on an arch. I start by assembling the inner arch with no glue, just tennons and pocket screws to hold it together.
> 
> ...


Very well explained with clear pictures and commentary. Thanks for posting.


----------



## scottishrose (Sep 25, 2009)

newTim said:


> *The Outside Arch Frame*
> 
> Like a circle in a spiral, a wheel in a wheel… and so it goes. Here's another chance to practice the plumb cut on an arch. I start by assembling the inner arch with no glue, just tennons and pocket screws to hold it together.
> 
> ...


Wow that sled looks like a fine piece of furniture. Did you make it?


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Outside Arch Frame*
> 
> Like a circle in a spiral, a wheel in a wheel… and so it goes. Here's another chance to practice the plumb cut on an arch. I start by assembling the inner arch with no glue, just tennons and pocket screws to hold it together.
> 
> ...


Thanks all… yes, I made the sled. It is a little heavy and not as fancy as many on this website, but it is dead on accurate.


----------



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Major Mortise Messup*

In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.

It all started when I glued the inner frame without cutting the mortises on the outside rails.










While this is not optimal it is still not tragic. While I am a big fan of the Mortise Pal jig and you can see its versatility in this shot, it is still not foolproof. In this case me being the fool.










The jig rides like a saddle with one fence fixed and the other adjusts in and out to the thickness of the stock. The router has a guide bushing which rides in a plastic template which is affixed to an adjustable tray that locks in place. Sometimes it doesn't.










It isn't the fault of the jig. With all the mortises I was cutting it is easy for the small lever to loosen due to vibration. And it is easy to push the router bushing against the template with to much force. In any event the tray slipped and the mortise blew out the good side of the frame.

I used a straight bit and guide on the router to cut a rabbet the length of the frame (long grain) and wide enough to remove the damage. I milled up some maple from the cut off bin and beveled one edge on the joiner to get as tight a fit as possible. After a glue and a bunch of clamps I flush trimmed the patch to match the frame and used a small plane, scraper, and sander to smooth it all out. Then I recut the mortises making d-- sure to lock everything down.









And here's the result.


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## Woodbutchery (Aug 1, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


Good repair.

I see notink!


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


Great recovery. Good blog. We love to see that others also make mistakes once in a while. Not out of ill will, but because it reminds us that this is normal, and therefore so are we (more or less). Can't wait to see the whole project finished. I know it will be nice.


----------



## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


A wonderful series, good recovery, great job!


----------



## nmkidd (Sep 18, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


Dang if I can see anything. Great fix!


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## RjGall (Jun 16, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


Ouch That had to hurt! 
Even the best woodworkers makes mistakes, what makes for a great woodworker is when mistakes happen they can cover up the mistake so you can't see it or make them look as if they were ment to be!

Great recovery!!


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


All said an done it came out great


----------



## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


Its not how fast you can make something, that makes you good at woodworking, rather how fast you can fix your mistakes that makes you good at woodworking

nice fix!


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


I find it slightly humorous that after I read this entry and scrolled down, lo and behold! There is an ad for Mortise Pal on the bottom of the page. 

Good job with the fix. Is that side going to face out or against the wall? I assume it will face out, otherwise it wouldn't be as big of a deal.


----------



## ChunkyC (Jun 28, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


I think he's hiding it under all of those clamps. LOL Did you run out of room? There's two springers on the workbench just waiting to go!

All ribbing aside, an very nice fix indeed.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


Scary huh? Seems like whatever I type in to the computer these days an ad pops up about it. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm just a paying customer of the Mortise Pal. I don't even like the name of it although I can't think of anything better. Fact is the jig works real well and saves me a lot of time yada yada ya… You can't have to many clamps, especially if you make a lot of mistakes.


----------



## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Major Mortise Messup*
> 
> In the great tradition of Lumberjocks I am honor bound to once again confess the error of my ways. That sound you hear, no not that one, the other one, is the sound of me learning. Just like the Garden Gate I managed to mess up with the router.
> 
> ...


I looked at the Mortise Pal and thought the price wasn't very friendly. In the past, I've used a 23/32" bit to make my templates out of MDF. That fits the OD of my bushing perfectly, so no side slip. This allows me to use a 3/8" upcutting spiral bit for my mortises. I keep 3/8" loose tenon stock, rounded over with 3/16" bit in stock. My next jig project is to make the base with adjustable clamping fences on either side so you can center or have offsets. There are a ton of these on LJ. Love the project and blog. I really like the gate too. I've seen all of David's shows, twice. I'm off to buy some more clamps…


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Break Down Joinery*

Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.

The idea is to be able to easily break the bed down into its component parts and be able to put it back together so it is solid and stable. I think these first two pictures nicely sum up the challenge.



















The top photo is the footboard to side rail. The second photo is the side rail to the headboard post. You can see metal sleeves in both the footboard and headboard parts. The pins are 1/4" and will be glued in to each side rail. The metal sleeves (spacers) are glued in to the head/footboard. The purpose of the metal sleeves is to help reduce wear and tear on the wood. Next time I think I'll put the sleeves in both parts.

The idea is to cut matching holes in the two conecting parts that are the same distance from the top and the exact same distance apart on center. Here's a shot of the original idea in Sketchup.










And here are a couple of shots of the results. The joints are incredibly strong and fit together easily . Next time I will break down the process of this break down joint.


----------



## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Break Down Joinery*
> 
> Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.
> 
> ...


Clever idea. Looks like it should work perfectly; strong and easily dismantled.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Break Down Joinery*
> 
> Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.
> 
> ...


Very cool idea well done


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Break Down Joinery*
> 
> Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.
> 
> ...


Tim, that looks pretty neat.


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## bfd (Dec 23, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Break Down Joinery*
> 
> Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.
> 
> ...


Tim,The bed is looking great. Great idea for the connection hardware.


----------



## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Break Down Joinery*
> 
> Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.
> 
> ...


Looks like a good idea …how is the counter top hardware holding up in the bed scenario ?


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Break Down Joinery*
> 
> Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.
> 
> ...


It is working out great. We have a sleep number bed which is relatively light. However, I'm not. Relatively light that is.

These pictures don't show it, but there are mattress support rails (ledges) attached to the bottom of the side rails that sit on top of that legde on the footboard so the weight is distributed around the perimiter to the legs and posts and also down through a couple of middle posts and does not stress the connector joints. Still, each joint has two metal pins inserted into metal sleeves so they can take a lot of weight. There's not much force pulling the joint apart horizontally so the counter top bolts aren't stressed too much.

This picture shows it better.


----------



## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Break Down Joinery*
> 
> Where to begin? This time around I thought I'd start at the end then show how I got there. Kind of like one of my favorite books once said, you start by knowing you're already there. Well enough of philosophy. So often I see bed designs but there are no photos of the connector system of the side rails to the head and foot board. To me this is the most interesting part. Most of the time people use the standard bed brackets as I did on my first bed. This time around I wanted to try something different and I think I may have stumbled on to something. This design uses counter top bolts and metal pins and sleeves. The holes have to line up perfectly with no room for error. Fortunately I have a jig which made this a cinch.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the feedback and I'm glad that it's working well for you.
Very nice headboard as well : )
Who / what was your source for the pins and inserts ?
Happy Holidays !!


----------



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Breaking Down the Break Down Joints*

So I've broken down the break down steps into a mini-series or blog within a blog. Since the side rails need to be the exact width as the footboard it only made sense to use the foot board to layout the joints. I centered the footboard on the posts and used a 4" scrap to make sure both sides were the same distance from the bottom and drew a line around the rail.




























This next shot is a little out of order but I used various rulers, squares, and templates to line up the holes. As it turned out all I needed was to find the centerline of the middle hole, the hole that lines up the connector. The other two holes are defined by the jig.










Each of the four joints has three matching holes. The center hole is for the connector. The top and bottom holes are for the pins. I used 1/4" steel rod and 1" long metal spacers. The ID of the spacers is slightly larger than 1/4", very slight. And the OD of the spacers is just under 3/8" so this means I could drill three 3/8" diameter holes on the headboard posts, three 1/4" holes on each end of the two side rails, and two 1/4" holes on the footboard. The footboard only needed two because I had already cut the channel for the connector bolt. I made a 3/8" middle hole in the headboard post to give the 1/4" diameter connector some wiggle room on that side of the joint.

Like I said in the previous blog, it turned out to be much easier than you would expect and due to the length of this entry I'll go through that 'drill' in the next blog.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Breaking Down the Break Down Joints*
> 
> So I've broken down the break down steps into a mini-series or blog within a blog. Since the side rails need to be the exact width as the footboard it only made sense to use the foot board to layout the joints. I centered the footboard on the posts and used a 4" scrap to make sure both sides were the same distance from the bottom and drew a line around the rail.
> 
> ...


interesting keep it coming good work


----------



## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Breaking Down the Break Down Joints*
> 
> So I've broken down the break down steps into a mini-series or blog within a blog. Since the side rails need to be the exact width as the footboard it only made sense to use the foot board to layout the joints. I centered the footboard on the posts and used a 4" scrap to make sure both sides were the same distance from the bottom and drew a line around the rail.
> 
> ...


This is a fun one to follow!


----------



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*The Suspense Was Killing You*

I've made many comments about the Mortise Pal Jig and how accurate it is, but this time we're really putting it to the test. The only negative thing about this jig is its name, but I can't think of anything better and it doesn't really matter what you call a thing as long as it works. And while we can all figure out a quick way to make a template for this particular task, I'm sure many of us don't have the time.

The makers of the jig have a number of different interchangeable templates that register off two small pins in the jig. One of these is a dowling template with five holes, one being on center. I read the instruction manual and didn't see any rules against not using all five so I figured it would be okay.










Since the posts each require three 3/8" diameter holes (the middle hole for the connector, the other two for metal spacers) I decided to drill the posts first then change bits. The picture shows the new version of the jig which can accomodate a little wider piece than the first, but still not wide enough for the 3 1/2" wide posts. No worries though, I made up a pommel(?) for the jig to straddle and clamped it to the post.



















All you have to do is center the sliding part of the jig on the width of the piece and lock it down. Then you line up the jig itself on the centerline or crossline and tighten the clamp. A 5/8" guide bushing is required for the router and as you can see I like to use the Milescraft Turnlock System. My hands are as big as catcher's mits and I'm not getting any younger so the Turnlock system is a very easy way to attach guide bushings, but I digress.

After setting up the jig I drilled the middle hole by plunging the router as deep as the bit would go. For the top and bottom holes I grounded the bit on the surface then set the depth guage using one of the 1" metal spacers as a guide then plunged those holes.




























I just noticed on the picture above it looks like the holes do not line up with the original marks I had made. This is because I used the jig itself the locate the upper and lower holes. Again all I really had to do was locate the center or crossline and let the template take care of itself.

I glued spacers into the top and bottom holes and later routed and chisled a mortise on the back to seat the connector.










You can see here that it is not a bad fit. Next entry I'll do the side rails and footboard.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Suspense Was Killing You*
> 
> I've made many comments about the Mortise Pal Jig and how accurate it is, but this time we're really putting it to the test. The only negative thing about this jig is its name, but I can't think of anything better and it doesn't really matter what you call a thing as long as it works. And while we can all figure out a quick way to make a template for this particular task, I'm sure many of us don't have the time.
> 
> ...


good progress


----------



## lv008008 (Oct 28, 2009)

newTim said:


> *The Suspense Was Killing You*
> 
> I've made many comments about the Mortise Pal Jig and how accurate it is, but this time we're really putting it to the test. The only negative thing about this jig is its name, but I can't think of anything better and it doesn't really matter what you call a thing as long as it works. And while we can all figure out a quick way to make a template for this particular task, I'm sure many of us don't have the time.
> 
> ...


louis vuitton

louis vuitton


----------



## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Suspense Was Killing You*
> 
> I've made many comments about the Mortise Pal Jig and how accurate it is, but this time we're really putting it to the test. The only negative thing about this jig is its name, but I can't think of anything better and it doesn't really matter what you call a thing as long as it works. And while we can all figure out a quick way to make a template for this particular task, I'm sure many of us don't have the time.
> 
> ...


Don't click on the link above. HE'S A SPAMMER







#!


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

newTim said:


> *The Suspense Was Killing You*
> 
> I've made many comments about the Mortise Pal Jig and how accurate it is, but this time we're really putting it to the test. The only negative thing about this jig is its name, but I can't think of anything better and it doesn't really matter what you call a thing as long as it works. And while we can all figure out a quick way to make a template for this particular task, I'm sure many of us don't have the time.
> 
> ...


Lookin good


----------



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Now the suspense is killing me*

Hey I want to see how this thing turns out too so I better get to it. Just a quick look at the side rails and footboard and we move on.










Just like the headboard, the footboard gets 3/8" holes to house the metal spacers. The middle hole or channel for the connector shaft having been already cut. I put some tape on the three middle holes of the jig as a reminder to just cut the top and bottom. Again, it is a pretty easy matter to line up the jig. Just find the center of the stock then slide the jig so it lines up on the cross line. A couple of small tips. One is to use the same side of the jig to register to the same side of the part being drilled. In this case the fixed side of the jig is on the outside of the piece. Another advantage of this is if the tray does slide it will likely slide to the inside and make the error on the hidden side and not on the good side. A little lesson I learned the hard way and covered in Part 9: Mortise Messup.

The side rails require 1/4" holes for the pins so all I had to do was a quick bit change. Or in this case switch routers. Once again you can see the jig can be used safely on long rails which usually require an integral tenon because they are so long.










I went ahead and drilled three holes in the side rails to better line up the router to cut the channel. Then I set up the drill press with a 1 1/2" forstner bit and set the depth so it wouldn't drill through the outside of the rail.

The pins are made out of 1/4" steel rod I bought at Home Depot and cut using a Rotozip. I then chucked each pin into a drill and deburred and rounded one end on the disk sander.










And the proof is in the fit. Enough of this stuff. Time to do an initial assembly! You all come back now, ya hear?


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Now the suspense is killing me*
> 
> Hey I want to see how this thing turns out too so I better get to it. Just a quick look at the side rails and footboard and we move on.
> 
> ...


Looks like a winner


----------



## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*The Plan Comes Together*

We always say it, you do too, we love it when a plan comes together. Not a whole lot more to say at this point. Here are some shots of the first assembly. Lots of small things yet to do and one big thing; the copper patina panel.





































I'm looking forward to meeting all the Sacramento/NorCal Lumberjocks at the Woodworking Show in a couple weeks.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Plan Comes Together*
> 
> We always say it, you do too, we love it when a plan comes together. Not a whole lot more to say at this point. Here are some shots of the first assembly. Lots of small things yet to do and one big thing; the copper patina panel.
> 
> ...


Looking good tim


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Plan Comes Together*
> 
> We always say it, you do too, we love it when a plan comes together. Not a whole lot more to say at this point. Here are some shots of the first assembly. Lots of small things yet to do and one big thing; the copper patina panel.
> 
> ...


I might actually be at the show. Cool!


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## woodworm (Jul 27, 2008)

newTim said:


> *The Plan Comes Together*
> 
> We always say it, you do too, we love it when a plan comes together. Not a whole lot more to say at this point. Here are some shots of the first assembly. Lots of small things yet to do and one big thing; the copper patina panel.
> 
> ...


Cool design. Great effort!
I usually feel more anxious at this stage than when it is completly assembled.


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## bfd (Dec 23, 2007)

newTim said:


> *The Plan Comes Together*
> 
> We always say it, you do too, we love it when a plan comes together. Not a whole lot more to say at this point. Here are some shots of the first assembly. Lots of small things yet to do and one big thing; the copper patina panel.
> 
> ...


Tim, this is looking great. I have enjoyed following your progress on this project. Cannot wait to see the finished product.


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *The Plan Comes Together*
> 
> We always say it, you do too, we love it when a plan comes together. Not a whole lot more to say at this point. Here are some shots of the first assembly. Lots of small things yet to do and one big thing; the copper patina panel.
> 
> ...


Looks great. Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Weird Science*

So this time around I decided to mix my own chemicals. It really gave me an appreciation for the pre-mixed solutions available at Sculpt Neuveu, but there is a level of understanding you just can't get unless you try it for yourself. Regardless of how I got there I must say I'm really happy with the result. Even my wife likes it and she's a professional artist; high praise indeed.

This time around I also wanted to experiment with different colors and techniques so I cut up some sample tiles. And talk about cool tools, this sheet metal cutter is great.










I got the chemicals from The Science Company in Denver and more or less (tried to) followed their patina recipies. Combining dry and liquid measures is not my thing and I have much to learn.










I printed labels with the recipe number, formula, and color so I could keep track.










And here's yours truly in action with some samples.



















In the next installment I'll do the headboard panel.


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## RjGall (Jun 16, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science*
> 
> So this time around I decided to mix my own chemicals. It really gave me an appreciation for the pre-mixed solutions available at Sculpt Neuveu, but there is a level of understanding you just can't get unless you try it for yourself. Regardless of how I got there I must say I'm really happy with the result. Even my wife likes it and she's a professional artist; high praise indeed.
> 
> ...


Good stuff Tim I'm glad you mentioned where to buy the materials .
Now I know what to use my torch for, its like the one your holding, I grabbed it from my dads shop when he passed!
I really can't see the samples very well .


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science*
> 
> So this time around I decided to mix my own chemicals. It really gave me an appreciation for the pre-mixed solutions available at Sculpt Neuveu, but there is a level of understanding you just can't get unless you try it for yourself. Regardless of how I got there I must say I'm really happy with the result. Even my wife likes it and she's a professional artist; high praise indeed.
> 
> ...


Thanks. Re the samples. The colors are kind of muted when you first apply the patina. They can change quite a bit depending on chemicals, technique, and weather conditions (sunshine). They are also hard to see in the shadows, but these are my best photos.


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Weird Science ~ Results*

As you can see in the pictures below, there is quite a bit of difference between the newly applied patina and the aged patina. You can actually see it change colors. The first picture was taken a couple hours after the patina was applied. I let it sit in the sun Saturday afternoon and didn't bring it in until today. The middle picture was taken late this afternoon. I lightly sprayed water on it and some of the patina flaked off. That is okay because my wife wanted some of the copper to show through anyway. The bottom picture is with the first coat of permalac. The colors are fairly accurate in all these photos. I was shooting for an aquarium look and really like the way it turned out.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science ~ Results*
> 
> As you can see in the pictures below, there is quite a bit of difference between the newly applied patina and the aged patina. You can actually see it change colors. The first picture was taken a couple hours after the patina was applied. I let it sit in the sun Saturday afternoon and didn't bring it in until today. The middle picture was taken late this afternoon. I lightly sprayed water on it and some of the patina flaked off. That is okay because my wife wanted some of the copper to show through anyway. The bottom picture is with the first coat of permalac. The colors are fairly accurate in all these photos. I was shooting for an aquarium look and really like the way it turned out.


cool Tim


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science ~ Results*
> 
> As you can see in the pictures below, there is quite a bit of difference between the newly applied patina and the aged patina. You can actually see it change colors. The first picture was taken a couple hours after the patina was applied. I let it sit in the sun Saturday afternoon and didn't bring it in until today. The middle picture was taken late this afternoon. I lightly sprayed water on it and some of the patina flaked off. That is okay because my wife wanted some of the copper to show through anyway. The bottom picture is with the first coat of permalac. The colors are fairly accurate in all these photos. I was shooting for an aquarium look and really like the way it turned out.


Quite unique. I'd love to see the finished product.

Hey, did I spy a mermaid in the corner there??? Why do I hear "Under the Sea" sining in my head (board)?


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science ~ Results*
> 
> As you can see in the pictures below, there is quite a bit of difference between the newly applied patina and the aged patina. You can actually see it change colors. The first picture was taken a couple hours after the patina was applied. I let it sit in the sun Saturday afternoon and didn't bring it in until today. The middle picture was taken late this afternoon. I lightly sprayed water on it and some of the patina flaked off. That is okay because my wife wanted some of the copper to show through anyway. The bottom picture is with the first coat of permalac. The colors are fairly accurate in all these photos. I was shooting for an aquarium look and really like the way it turned out.


Man, that came out great!


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## gagewestern (Mar 24, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science ~ Results*
> 
> As you can see in the pictures below, there is quite a bit of difference between the newly applied patina and the aged patina. You can actually see it change colors. The first picture was taken a couple hours after the patina was applied. I let it sit in the sun Saturday afternoon and didn't bring it in until today. The middle picture was taken late this afternoon. I lightly sprayed water on it and some of the patina flaked off. That is okay because my wife wanted some of the copper to show through anyway. The bottom picture is with the first coat of permalac. The colors are fairly accurate in all these photos. I was shooting for an aquarium look and really like the way it turned out.


is the copper going to have a backing of some kind it looks great


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science ~ Results*
> 
> As you can see in the pictures below, there is quite a bit of difference between the newly applied patina and the aged patina. You can actually see it change colors. The first picture was taken a couple hours after the patina was applied. I let it sit in the sun Saturday afternoon and didn't bring it in until today. The middle picture was taken late this afternoon. I lightly sprayed water on it and some of the patina flaked off. That is okay because my wife wanted some of the copper to show through anyway. The bottom picture is with the first coat of permalac. The colors are fairly accurate in all these photos. I was shooting for an aquarium look and really like the way it turned out.


Thanks all. gagewestern… yes. On this project the copper sheet will be laminated to 1/2" plywood. The gate panels were laminated to 1/4" Luan ply.


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## Mike_FL (Jul 9, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Weird Science ~ Results*
> 
> As you can see in the pictures below, there is quite a bit of difference between the newly applied patina and the aged patina. You can actually see it change colors. The first picture was taken a couple hours after the patina was applied. I let it sit in the sun Saturday afternoon and didn't bring it in until today. The middle picture was taken late this afternoon. I lightly sprayed water on it and some of the patina flaked off. That is okay because my wife wanted some of the copper to show through anyway. The bottom picture is with the first coat of permalac. The colors are fairly accurate in all these photos. I was shooting for an aquarium look and really like the way it turned out.


sweet, im working on a new headboard my self this weekend, i'll be posting pics in a few min


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

*Fork Lift*

It has been awhile since I added to this series. Christmas cutting boards, a commision gate, and other matters conspired to delay my progress. Those things plus the fact we need to paint the bedroom and just decided to add hardwood floors - since we are already breaking down the room we might as well - before we can install the bed. In any event I've struggled moving this thing around the shop without scratching the finish or otherwise destroying it altogether. I got this idea and noodled around the shop/garage then came up with this. These little scafoldings are very useful.


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## captkerk (Jul 11, 2009)

newTim said:


> *Fork Lift*
> 
> It has been awhile since I added to this series. Christmas cutting boards, a commision gate, and other matters conspired to delay my progress. Those things plus the fact we need to paint the bedroom and just decided to add hardwood floors - since we are already breaking down the room we might as well - before we can install the bed. In any event I've struggled moving this thing around the shop without scratching the finish or otherwise destroying it altogether. I got this idea and noodled around the shop/garage then came up with this. These little scafoldings are very useful.


I was wondering if you ever finished that thing. Looks good. How long untill you actually get it set up and use it?


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## newTim (Jul 11, 2008)

newTim said:


> *Fork Lift*
> 
> It has been awhile since I added to this series. Christmas cutting boards, a commision gate, and other matters conspired to delay my progress. Those things plus the fact we need to paint the bedroom and just decided to add hardwood floors - since we are already breaking down the room we might as well - before we can install the bed. In any event I've struggled moving this thing around the shop without scratching the finish or otherwise destroying it altogether. I got this idea and noodled around the shop/garage then came up with this. These little scafoldings are very useful.


Thanks Capt… yeah it has been awhile. It is pretty much done but now we have to prep the bedroom. Like most improvement projects you start with one thing and then say 'as long as we're doing this we should do that.' So I need to move our old bed to the guest room, move things out of our room, paint the walls, and put in a hardwood floor, then set up the new bed. Life is a journey not a destination, yes?


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