# Any tricks for installing bed rail hardware ?



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hi Gang
I have a bed to build for a customer and I'm using bed interlocking hardware. I you haven't used this hardware before it mortices into both the post and the end grain of the rails of the bed. This bed rail is about 80"long so one way is to clamp the rail to a ladder and build a simple mortice jig on the end of the rail so you can router out the mortice while standing on the ladder ,this is a bit uncomfortable if not down right scary. I've done it this way in years gone buy but now have a Multi-router that will clamp the rail down firmly and mortice the end grain quit easily. This got me to thinking that folks with out a $4000 Multi-router might need a way to do this same operation without standing on a ladder or chiseling it out by hand. So I thought I'd throw it out to the cleaver minds on LJs to perhaps help folks without expensive equipment to do this same operation in a safer easier manner.

What's you answer to this problem ?


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## Sigung (Nov 20, 2013)

Jim, you are, no doubt, going to laugh at this..but if you had access to a shopsmith, you could it into horizontal boring position, put a router bit into the chuck, add one or two of those portable outfeed rollers out on the right hand side to support the piece, then clamp the rail to your miter gauge or crosscut sled and rout it out that way.

Another thought - The rail is about 6'6" and change, comfortable routing height for the average guy would be somwwhere about 3 feet off the ground. So if you had a 3 foot deep hole in, say the back yard or something, you could drop the rail down into the hole and the end would be about the right height for routing.

Sorry buddy, that's the best I got right now.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks Jerry
That's what I asked for creative thinking, good suggestions ,you never know what the rest of the membership has in the way of equipment or some kind of area that would allow to drop one end of your board lower than where your standing,perhaps standing on your bench in stead of a ladder .


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## Sigung (Nov 20, 2013)

Well, I think you may have answered your own question!! What about clamping the rail to the side of your bench and then standing on the bench to rout it?


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## Sigung (Nov 20, 2013)

Wait, I just had another idea, do you have any windows that are high off the ground? You could maybe affix the rail to the side of your house just under the window or somehow hang the board from the window sill and rout it that way. How you would fix it to the side of the house or hang it, though, is another matter…


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

That's a distinct possibility .I really posted this for folks that don't have the same equipment I have, so this makes two approaches so far. thanks for your Ideas.


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

I'm thinking a sideways router table. Instead of a fence - you have a run off table. The sideways router table itself would be the thing that moved against the run off table. It's like having an 8 foot fence. I'd clamp the work to the fence and move the sideways router table on a track.

But then again. It seems the router table might rock too much. My design is starting to get too complicated. The side mounted surface would need to slide accurately against the run off table.

Thanks for the puzzle. I'm going to let it simmer for a while before I present my unworthy solution.

Yeah - like the biggest issue that just entered my head. How do I 'plunge' my work into the contraption? Uh-huh unworthy.


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

How about a brad point drill bit, to remove the majority of the waste, then a sharp chisel… and you sit down and do it off the end of your bench,,,, I have a Muli Router as well, but didn't always,,,


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Mark that's close to what my multi-router does except the router moves from side to side, it's big and heavy enough to hold it in place as long as the end of the boards supported.
Thanks for more food for thought.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

I'm with charles. Put the end of the rail on the floor so you at least and angle to the bench. Then use a chisel. It's not like you've got a dozen to do and they only go in a little bit. It would be like doing a few door hinges but even smaller. I wouldn't waste my time with the vertical height and router set up for 4 small chip out's.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Jerry that did make me chuckle a little thinking of and unsuspecting passer by having saw dust rain down on them when your routering  but if you have a large enough window that you could clamp it properly,why not.

Charles not fare making this simply  LOL


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Daniel 
I know simple is good and Charles always has the best command sense approach ,I was just wondering if anyone had made a jig to do the job.


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## MarioF (Feb 6, 2009)

Jim, I have done it using a 1/2in edge trim bit with a 3/4 length cutter, 1/4 in shank along with a 1/4 bearing, board resting on table, mark your rail over the endgrain and carefully rout close to the edge, finish with a chisel, of course depending on your rail´s thickness you might have to use a different bearing, seems to work just fine.


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## Sigung (Nov 20, 2013)

Jim, Matthias Wandel has made a machine called the PantoRouter that would take care of this in short order. If a person were in need often enough, and had the time and motivation to make this himself, this is really the hot ticket:


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks Mario 
Did you use some kind of guide or template.

That's a good one Jerry, Matthias Wandel has all kinds of cool jigs.


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## MarioF (Feb 6, 2009)

No Jim, didn´t use a guide, just slowly guided the cutter all the way. The 3/4 wide groove was perfect for the rail piece.


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## Sigung (Nov 20, 2013)

Here's a solution I found on another forum. This is NOT my original idea, but it seems pretty ingenious

Make a template that clamps over the end of the rail.

Clamp the rail diagonally in a vise at a comfortable angle, then use a router with the template to cut the mortise.

Finish up with a chisel to square the corners.

The template consists of a board with a slot down the middle that will guide a router bit with either a bearing (dado cleanout bit or short pattern bit) or guide bushing.

Mount a perpendicular board underneath the template so the slot is centered on the end of the rail. This clamps onto the face of the rail. Add a stop to align the end of the slot so it is centered on the height of the rail.

There are lots of ways to make the template. Start with a 3/4" board about 4" wide and longer than the rail height by a few inches. Cut a dado down the middle of the board that was exactly the width of the fitting (plus offset if using a guide bushing) and about 3/8" deep. End stops in the slot that defined the ends of the slot (length of the fitting) and drill a starter hole in the middle of the slot. Use a pattern follower bit to open up the slot through the board. Then widen out the dado so it fit over the end of the rail with the slot centered. Add the clamping board and stop and use it to cut the 4 mortises in my rails.


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## kiefer (Feb 5, 2011)

Just make a guide block that fits the hardware piece perfectly and clamp it in place .
I have done this with all hinds of hardware over the years .
Clamp the bed rail to the bench or in a vise and use a router with a bit that has a top pilot bearing that way I can use the router horizontally and then use a corner chisel to square up the corners .
Here is my door hinge jig that works on that principle 
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/44050 and has done hundreds of doors .
The other option would be to build a mezzanine floor and clamp the rail to the header .LOL


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

A jig "similar" to this would work…then square up the ends with a chisel


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Is would clamp both rails together to give a hand held router better support and then just clamp the rails to a bench top for the routing operation.


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## kiefer (Feb 5, 2011)

Just make a guide block that fits the hardware piece perfectly and clamp it in place .
I have done this with all hinds of hardware over the years .
Clamp the bed rail to the bench or in a vise and use a router with a bit that has a top pilot bearing that way I can use the router horizontally and then use a corner chisel to square up the corners .
Here is my door hinge jig that works on that principle 
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/44050 
and has done hundreds of doors .
The other option would be to build a mezzanine floor and clamp the rail to the header .LOL


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

When I've done in the past I pretty much used that type of jig Jerry .

Good Ideas Kiefer,Kenny and mike.


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## mbs (May 8, 2010)

I'm making the mortises today …. on the multi router.


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## JesseTutt (Aug 15, 2012)

How about a horizontal mortising table? Mine is an L shaped fence with the router mounted so that the bit is parallel to the table. Use a roller stand to support the back end and plunge the wood in and slide it along.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Yep that's a good one too Jesse next best thing to a multi-router.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Hi Jim. I had to do some 80" one a few years ago and I wen up on the deck and clamped the rail vertically hanging down and used a router on the ends to make the mortices for the hardware.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hey Jim That's a good one,just not as fun as hanging out a window like Jerry said  
It would sure make it easier than standing on a bench.


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## johnhutchinson (Dec 9, 2013)

Use different hardware?


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I've taken the locating pins out of my biscuit jointer and since it has a flat bottom registered parallel with the blade, used it to cut horizontally. This could be done with blocks limiting the movement to generate a stop dado and could be repeated at different heights until the desired mortise was accomplished. You'd still have to chisel out where the blade started and stopped as the radius left could be significant depending on how deep you're planning on going, about 5/8" or so would be the limit with my machine.


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## hoosier0311 (Nov 8, 2012)

I only built one bed, but I used my mortising machine for the post and mallet and chisel for the rail.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

My immediate reaction was to make a jig, clamp it on the end, place at a convenient height, route away, then, square up the corners.


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Similar to Jerry's suggestion in post #16, I used my Mortise-pal which clamped onto the end of the rail which was at an angle in my bench vice. Easy!


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks guys lots of super ideas.


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## Chris208 (Mar 8, 2012)

I built a bed with plywood rails. I didn't want to screw into plywood side grain, so I attached the rail hardware to a hardwood block (4×4" or so) that was screwed in to the rail. This also has the advantage of eliminating the problem of mortising the long rail.


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## MarkTheFiddler (May 29, 2012)

Just goes to show. I start thinking about something - then someone gives a much better solution. It's the act of thinking about a problem that helps to understand the solutions others come up with.

Jim, thanks for the topic. Lot's of experience and sharp minds on this site.


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## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

Start with a horizontal drill [Davis-Wells or Ritter or similar] to hog out most material, then use a good scary-sharp chissel.


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