Building a Bed

[KEstes]

I am in the process of planning out a queen size bed, and I have a few questions.

First, we just purchased a new mattress and it includes a box spring. My preference would be to build a bed that does not require a box spring. Thoughts on this?

Second, I have been trying to figure out which type of bed rail fastener to use. Can anyone tell me the best type to use followed by the second best type to use? I want to be able to disassemble the bed for future moves, so that eliminates any permanent joinery.

 

[Drew Roy]

I believe you can get the hardware frome either Rockler Hardware or Woodworker Supply out of Burlington.
As to the no box spring idea, 3/4 inch plywood with 2x4 ribs in the vertical to support on 12 inch centers should give you plenty of support.
I hould ask if this is going to be low to the floor or up off of the floor I have a pic of one I done low to the floor a few years ago that I could post if you would like.

 

[KEstes]

Thanks for the reply, Drew. I have enough hard maple to use as ribs without plywood. Even though it will rarely be seen, it feels like this places it closer to the fine furniture category. I didn't know if there was some sort of advantage to using box springs rather than ribs every two inches.

I would like to see a picture of the one you built. What hardware did you use on the rails? I was thinking about using the kind that has hooks and requires some mortising. I also saw some at Lee Valley that didn't require any mortising that looked pretty stout.

 

[Drew Roy]

The purpose behind the plywood (use maple so it will be closer to furniture) is to support the matress with out developing "lumps" The bed I done was a platform bed, low to the floor for a handicaped fellow and his wife. They were from California. Myself, I cant stand to ride and get out of a low riding car.
Pic of the bed will be in my gallery in a few minutes.

 

[Trent Mason]

Kevin,

Here is a king-sized platform bed that I made a few years ago.

In my case, my box springs had springs coming through them so I wanted to throw them away, that's why I made the platform bed. :rotflm:

For the rail fastener hardware, I just did mortise and tenon joints with "corner braces" from the BORG. That was only because I didn't have any money left for the nice stuff that was mentioned before. I would HIGHLY recommend spending the extra money on the nicer hardware. I think Ace sells it to, in case you'd rather just ride down the road.

Similar to what was said before, I used 2x4 slats, 1/2" plywood and built a center support piece.

Hope this helps. More pictures in the gallery. Looking forward to seeing some WIP pics. :icon_thum

 

[zdorsch]

Kevin,

I built a bed several months ago from an old six panel door. I plan to use a box spring with mine. I also based my design off of the "100th Year Anniversary Bed" in Popular Mechanics: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/woodworking/1273341.

View image in gallery​

I used the bed rail fastener hardware from Rockler. The only complaint that I have with the Rockler hardware is with the #8 wood screws that attach the bed rail fasteners.

 

[Mt. Gomer]

I much prefer platform beds to box springs. I personally feel it's much better support for my back and much more comfortable. I also like being able to build the platform a bit higher so there's more clearance under the bed for storage.

As for slats v. plywood. I think either work as long as you have enough slats (to prevent lumps) and they don't sag in the middle. I've personally never used slats for anything larger that a twin bed (see the bunkbeds thread). My king bed has a 1/2" ply platform supported on a 2x6 frame (probably overkill but I weigh over 350 lbs so I wasn't taking any chances).

I've heard the argument that slats have an advantage as it allows the mattress to breathe and prevents moisture buildup. Don't know about that one way or the other but I suppose it's something to consider.

Either way, with a queen or king bed I'd suggest some sort of support in the center of the bed...

 

[KEstes]

All the beds look great.

Trent, thanks for the info on the rail hardware. That is helpful.

Mt. Gomer, I would love to see a picture of any beds you have made. I have been wanting the platform version of a bed rather than the box springs for a while. The problem is my wife wants our mattress to be close to the same height as our nightstands. I have been hesitant to raise the platform too high because I don't want it to look like we are sleeping in a treehouse. You had mentioned you like yours up off the floor. What was the distance yours is from the floor? Thanks.

I will post a sketch up of what I am thinking about building. I would love any and all feedback.

 

[KEstes]

View image in gallery​

 

[Mt. Gomer]

Mt. Gomer, I would love to see a picture of any beds you have made. I have been wanting the platform version of a bed rather than the box springs for a while. The problem is my wife wants our mattress to be close to the same height as our nightstands. I have been hesitant to raise the platform too high because I don't want it to look like we are sleeping in a treehouse. You had mentioned you like yours up off the floor. What was the distance yours is from the floor? Thanks.

The Bunk Beds can be seen here with work in progress pics here.


I don't have any pictures of the platform bed because it was designed to be cheap, indestructable and invisible (uncovered it's VERY ugly, but functional). This was before I had a shop so "fine furniture" or "pretty" wasn't really an option. It was built with a miter saw, a battery operated cut off saw, and a drill/driver. I cut two lengths of 2x10 equal to the width of the bed and used those a support slabs. The slab at the head of the bed is screwed into the wall (shimmed out so it also holds up the headboard which came with our bedroom furniture and clears the molding). The slab near the foot of the bed has the bottom corners cut off at 45 degrees starting about 8 inches from the floor so that toes don't get stubbed. It's secured to the floor using two right angle shelf brackets about a foot in from each side. On top of the two slabs I laid a platform framed from 2x6 lumber (like a wall, two end pieces and several studs) that is about .5 inches smaller than the mattress in each direction (I figured having the mattress hang over a bit would prevent me from banging my shins on the frame, works great until the mattress slides off to one side). The frame was then covered in 1/2" ply. The invisible part happens when I use the dustcover that came with our bedding set which is designed to go over the box springs. I simply put that over the platform and the bed it self magically disappeared. It basically just floats there... I hope that made sense...

As for dimensions the platform is 9.5 inches off the ground (width of the 2x10s) and the top of the platform is another 6" above that. We have a think mattress so it is a very tall bed but as I'm 6'8" I don't mind one bit. Again, this was built on a shoestring with minimal tools in about 6 hrs on a weekend so it's not pretty. But it has done the job for 8 years or so and is sturdy enough to sleep 15.

 

[ehpoole]

The problem is my wife wants our mattress to be close to the same height as our nightstands. I have been hesitant to raise the platform too high because I don't want it to look like we are sleeping in a treehouse. You had mentioned you like yours up off the floor. What was the distance yours is from the floor? Thanks.

I have yet to build a nice mission/arts-and-crafts style bed frame and headboard like I one day intend to, but years ago when I purchased my bed I opted for a thick matress and springs because I really liked the extra height. At about 24-1/2" to 25" from floor to top of mattress, I find that height extremely comfortable to sit down on and get into bed. I don't have to 'climb' into bed, nor do I have to stoop down to get into bed (and I'm a fairly typical 5'10"). That's just 2-1/2" to 3" shorter than my nightstand, though I would consider the extra 2-1/2" of my nightstand to be too tall to comfortably sit on my mattress, so unless I were considerably taller I would not go any higher.

HTH, and good luck with your project.

 

[pviser]

I recently built a queen-sized bed out of walnut. I used box springs, mostly because I wanted a slightly high bed the way I've seen in many fine antique examples. As a purist, I have no hardware to attach rails to posts, but simply made four large mortise and tenon joints and a mechanism to hold the dry fits together for use. As for support, once again I am a bit of a purist: I made five walnut slats each greatly strengthened by six-inch wide 3/4" walnut pieces oriented downward at 90 degrees, secured with a tight-fitting glued dado(technically, a groove) joint.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

These bolts work well and think about the box spring

Rockler has several options, but I now have several beds with these and they have endured two military moves well. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=367&rrt=1

I like a firm box spring under a mattress much better than a mattress on a plywood board. My back just appreciates it. Not sure what you are used to. I know as a kid, my brother each had matching single beds that had awful, super soft mattresses that must have been twenty years old at the time. The ones at college weren't much better, being a seemingly rock hard mattress on top of metal spring stretchers. Once I bought my first new bed, I began to wonder why all of those people had tortured me for so long. I might suggest that you look at top quality box springs and mattress before making a final design and maybe discuss it with a chiropractor.

Good luck.

 

[JimD]

Re: These bolts work well and think about the box spring

I only build platform beds now. I've built 3 queen sized, one double, and a couple twins. The advantages are as you cite. The firmness is a funtion of how you build the platform. I use these fasteners:

http://woodworker.com/4-bed-rail-fasteners-mssu-130-604.asp?utm_source=google&utm_medium=feed

I built a template guide so I could cut the mortises with my plunge router. Once you make the guide, it is pretty painless. The resulting connection is strong and the bed looks professional when you're done. You have to check the fit, however. Sometimes they need a little filing to fully engage. It's worth checking.

The bed I sleep on is a very rigid platform with a pillow top mattress. I like it but my late wife thought it was pretty firm. I built the cross structure of 3/4 plywood with 1/2 inch plywood top. My son's queen sized is solid 3/4 construction plywood (no braces under it). Two pieces glued and screwed together using another piece of 3/4 spanning the joint. It is a little less rigid but not enough better to be worthwhile in my opinion. The huge sheet of plywood is a pain to move. The two beds I've made for my daughter have been slats. I think that is better after trying the other ways. Her double has individual slats of 3/4 baltic birch about 4 inches wide spaced about 1 inch apart. Dowels on the inside ledge of the rails align each slat. This has some flex but is comfortably firm for me. Her queen sized has 3/4 construction plywood slats about 11 inches wide. This added enough firmness for the wider queen sized bed. I haven't slept on it but I laid on it without a mattress and it has only a little flex (I weigh 185). I also walked on it. I don't think a queen needs a center support with the correct mattress supporting platform or slats. Maybe it needs a solid platform if you are over 300, however. Dowels (I used 3/4 oak on my last bed) to align the slats is also a good idea. It's a lot easier to move slats than a platform. Pulling the slats, popping off the rails and just moving the headboard and footboard makes moves easy and the bed just as solid once you complete the move.

Jim