[MrElliott1982]

A few years ago when I started looking online at plans and maybe wanting to make some furniture and do woodworking projects I saw this bed and I am pretty sure there was a whole video build that included plans online from one of the major woodworking magazines. Can anyone point me in the direction to find this again? I hope to have my shop set up this weekend, then knock out a few small projects then jump right into making this bed.

 

[Steve Neul]

The bed is pretty simple. I think we could help you make your own plans. What size mattress do you plan to use? It would also be simpler if the side rails didn't through mortise through the head and footboard. Could that detail be left out?

 

[Dave Paine]

It would also be simpler if the side rails didn't through mortise through the head and footboard. Could that detail be left out?

That detail could also be faked. Just glue a piece on the post. I have seen this done in other magazine plans.

 

[MrElliott1982]

I would be Ok with a fake mortise on it. I want a good strong sturdy solid bed though. Right now we have a queen, the wife has talked about a king bed over the years though so I guess that is the first thing I need to decide

 

[Steve Neul]

On thing you might consider if you choose a king with that style of bed it will be about a third wider than the one you have pictured. It may end up looking more like a picket fence for a headboard and footboard.

Another thing you might consider is the thickness of the springs and mattress. I built a bed in the 1970's and sized the footboard to be level with the top of the mattress. Then when we changed the mattress the new one sticks up about 4" above the footboard now.

 

[jigs-n-fixtures]

A few years ago when I started looking online at plans and maybe wanting to make some furniture and do woodworking projects I saw this bed and I am pretty sure there was a whole video build that included plans online from one of the major woodworking magazines. Can anyone point me in the direction to find this again? I hope to have my shop set up this weekend, then knock out a few small projects then jump right into making this bed.

It looks like part of a set that Wood Magazine did about ten or fifteen years back.

 

[Dave Paine]

I would be Ok with a fake mortise on it. I want a good strong sturdy solid bed though.

It is hard to beat a bolt and embedded nut for strength. Also consider the ability to take apart if you ever move.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Hardware/page.aspx?p=40445&cat=3,40842,41269&ap=1

A friend recently made a bed for his daughter and used similar hardware to attach the headboard and footboard. He used regular nut and cut a flat bottomed hole, instead of buying the barrel nut. Less expensive and just as strong.

 

[jigs-n-fixtures]

It looks like part of a set that Wood Magazine did about ten or fifteen years back.

Just checked their web page and it is theirs, or one very similar to one they have. They have a set of plans for a complete "Arts and Crafts" bedroom set, or maybe sets, since their are plans for the bed you want, and for a crib that converts to a toddler bed, and then a twin, plus a changing table/dresser.

 

[Midlandbob]

It looks like an uninspired imitation of a "craft period" bed.

There are several plans around. A more elegant one is in a book called (wait for it) "Beds" published by Tauton Press. A search would find it and a dozen or so other bed projects. Fair price in paperback.

 

[rrich]

Woodsmith has a similar one. I believe it is called a Mission Cherry Bed. IIRC it has adjustments for full and queen sizes.

This may be a place to start.

http://plansnow.com/dn1065c.html

 

[MissionIsMyMission]

I've always found it's much easier/better to build the bed to fit your mattress. I'd decide on them first. Get the exact Length, Width and Height of the set and then make your own set of plans to fit them. All the reasons stated above are valid. King size headboard/Footboard design is a tricky thing. They are BIG and can tend to be Overwhelming if not designed appropriately. Some designs just Don't work with a King! I think the one you have pictured is one of them. A smaller slat would be better IMHO. Something more like this...

 

[rrich]

Some designs just Don't work with a King! I think the one you have pictured is one of them. A smaller slat would be better IMHO. Something more like this...

Nice looking bed but it seems to be very wide and rather short, head to foot. Probably the perspective was altered to make the picture fit the white space.

Just a note from my furniture deliveryman days.....
We always delivered two twin frames and twin box springs with king mattresses. When I asked why the two twin arrangement, the answer was, "With all the activity that goes on in a bed, the vast span of a king needs central support."

 

[kjhart0133]

Here's a similar King size Mission style bed I made shortly after my wife and I were married. I was living overseas on a military base and did not have access to hardwoods of any kind so I made it entirely out of Home Depot type plywood. It took four coats of latex paint to cover all the plys and grain, but it came out great. I got the plans on-line (sorry, I can't remember where). The plans originally called for narrower slats, but I opted for wider slats to make the construction a little easier. I also made the four corner legs 12 inches longer to provide storage space underneath, as military housing does not have a lot of closet/storage space. I've since cut the legs back to normal length.

I used this bed-hardware from Rockler to attach the side rails; the bed is rock solid as a result. Plus it comes apart, which is important as we've moved three times since I built it.

If you're making a Queen or King size, you'll need a center support to hold up the middle of the bed. I rigged up something that supports the three center slats under the box-spring.

Good luck.

Kevin H.