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Bed

zacek57170's picture

Bed (post #146191)

zacek57170 on Tue, 02/02/2010 - 22:53
in

Hi!
I´m making my first big project: a queen size bed using spanish cedar; and I have a LOT of questions. The first one is about the posts. The side rails, the footboard and headboard are all 1 1/2 in. thick and 7 1/2 in. wide; I´m gluing up two 1 1/2 in. pieces for the posts and I want to know if I can make the mortise in the posts before gluing them up(so I can fit the tenons easily), or I have to glue up the posts first?

-A +A
ring's picture

You can do that, (post #146191, reply #1 of 3)

by ring in reply to zacek57170 [original] on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 06:16

You can do that, BUT...
Obviously in one direction only. You're still gonna have to deal with the others that are 90° to them. You're going to need to get comfortable with M&T joints sooner or later. This might be a good place to start...

BTW, on most larger beds I will mortise the headboard and footboard to their posts, and make the side rails with knock-down joints to the posts.

David Ring http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

joinerswork's picture

zacek, Like David said, go (post #146191, reply #2 of 3)

by joinerswork in reply to zacek57170 [original] on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 08:29

zacek,
Like David said, go ahead and do your glue up, then cut all the mortises. Queen sized poster beds can be a challenge to get upstairs if the head and foot are glued up as a unit. It is safer to use bedbolts all four ways for the rail to post joints, and let the head and foot boards float in dry mortises. In older homes with narrow, closed staircases, it can be pain enough to get a 7' post up and around a corner.
Ray

zacek57170's picture

First, thank you for your (post #146191, reply #3 of 3)

by zacek57170 in reply to joinerswork [original] on Thu, 02/04/2010 - 15:21

First, thank you for your comments.

David: I'm going to do exactly that, I already got 4 bed bolts from Rockler to join the side rails to the posts (with a shallow mortise) and glue up the head and foot rail to the posts.

Ray: For $everal reasons I'm building only the frame of the bed (without a proper headboard or a footboard) so the glue up with the post isn't cumbersome at all.

So, question number two: all four rails are 1 1/2 in. thick and 7 in. wide. Can I add stability and/or strenght to the frame if I cut the headrail and the footrail in half and glue them up to the posts with...let's say...5 in. in between them?