Design critique wanted! - Bed for my daughter.

[Niels J. Larsen]

So, I need to build a new bed for my 2½ yr old daughter as she's getting to big for her crib.

Instead of going for what we call a "junior" size bed (70x140cm) I'll use a standard adult mattress (90x200cm).

The wood will be ovangkol (also called shedua).
Head and tailboard will be 40mm thick (1.57") stock and the bed rails and safety rails will be 30mm thick (1.2").
The headboard will be 800mm high (31.5") and the tailboard 650mm (25.5") high.

The head- and tailboard are both approx 950mm wide (37.4")

So, the pictures show the bed from various angles.
The safety rails will be connected to the bed rails with three stainless steel rods 20mm (0.8") in diameter and they will be removable. However they will be secured so they cannot be removed by accident.

The bed rails will be connected to the head- and tailboard with thread studs (correct?) inserted into the head- and tailboard.
A threaded rod is inserted in the studs, and the bed rails are then mounted onto the threaded rod. Through a hole on the inside of the bed rails, a washer and nut will fasten them securely.
Dominos will be used dry to make sure that everything aligns properly.

The edges will have a slight chamfer (made with block plane, spokeshave or similar), but no more.

The finish will be cold-pressed linseed oil.

Let me know what you think and PLEASE be honest - I can take it

Thanks!

[Rod Sheridan]

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...842,41269&ap=1

Hi Niels, your design looks very similar to the bed I made for my daughter 21 years ago.

I used the larger bed rail fasteners shown in the link above, and the bed remains solid to this day.

Your drawing shows that the mattress is a few cm above the bed rail which is good, on the bed I made it's 10cm which worked well to avoid hitting the rail when getting on the mattress.

Regards, Rod.

[Jamie Buxton]

I like the overall shape. Very graceful.

Details...

Is it really going to be all solid lumber? That is, not veneered plywood? That's a lot of shedua.

What does the mattress rest on? Box spring? Slats? Plywood?

When you remove the guard boards, what will be left -- visible holes on top of the bed rails? Instead, could you somehow fasten the guard boards to the inside faces of the bed rails?

[Ken Higginbotham]

A bit off topic: What are you drawing that with, some kind of cad tool?

[Niels J. Larsen]

I like the overall shape. Very graceful.

Details...

Is it really going to be all solid lumber? That is, not veneered plywood? That's a lot of shedua.

What does the mattress rest on? Box spring? Slats? Plywood?

When you remove the guard boards, what will be left -- visible holes on top of the bed rails? Instead, could you somehow fasten the guard boards to the inside faces of the bed rails?

Thanks.

Yup, solid lumber all of it and yes it's a lot - also a lot of $... oh well

Sorry - should've mentioned that.
It will be a box spring, so it's resting on a "shelf" all the way around the inside of the bed. I figure 30mm (about 1.2") of "depth" is enough. I will probably rout a shallow groove on the bedrails to mount this "shelf" in. It will be mounted with glue and screws (or dominos).

I thought a lot about how I could fasten the guard boards so it would leave no trace when they are removed, but couldn't come up with a decent solution.
I don't want anything to stick out from the bed rails that my daughter could hurt her hands or similar on, so the best solution so far are the stainless rods.
I also think they will add to the overall design and help keep it sleek and modern - which is my style.

[Niels J. Larsen]

A bit off topic: What are you drawing that with, some kind of cad tool?

It's Sketchup and you can download a completely free version from Google.

Just type "Sketchup" in google and you'll find the download page.

There's also a very useful beginners guide, with various videos covering all the tools and the basics.

I can only recommend it - so far I haven't found any shortcomings or flaws with it, but I'm also at the VERY basic level.

[Niels J. Larsen]

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...842,41269&ap=1

Hi Niels, your design looks very similar to the bed I made for my daughter 21 years ago.

I used the larger bed rail fasteners shown in the link above, and the bed remains solid to this day.

Your drawing shows that the mattress is a few cm above the bed rail which is good, on the bed I made it's 10cm which worked well to avoid hitting the rail when getting on the mattress.

Regards, Rod.

Great minds think alike

I've read about those fasteners - and similar ones - but found that I would like to avoid anything sticking out on the inside of the bed rails.
The solution I've described was also found here on SMC and I think it'll work well.

Thanks for your comments!

[Lee Schierer]

A couple of ideas:

1. Make a couple of drawers under the bed for storage. Girls never have enough room for clothes.

Or
2. Make the frame so you can roll a trundle under it then you have two beds for sleep overs.

[Ken Higginbotham]

It's Sketchup and you can download a completely free version from Google.

Just type "Sketchup" in google and you'll find the download page.

There's also a very useful beginners guide, with various videos covering all the tools and the basics.

I can only recommend it - so far I haven't found any shortcomings or flaws with it, but I'm also at the VERY basic level.

Thanks -

As far as the bed, I'd make sure the safety rails are well secured as I can see kids climbing all over them. Shame to get hurt because a safety device broke

[Niels J. Larsen]

Thanks -

As far as the bed, I'd make sure the safety rails are well secured as I can see kids climbing all over them. Shame to get hurt because a safety device broke

I think they'll be pretty secure. They'll be fastened with 150mm long 20mm thick stainless steel rods that will be epoxied into the safety rail and either screwed or secured otherwise in the bed rail.

[Chris Padilla]

A couple of ideas:

1. Make a couple of drawers under the bed for storage. Girls never have enough room for clothes.

Or
2. Make the frame so you can roll a trundle under it then you have two beds for sleep overs.

I made some drawers that are independent of the bed frame that are basically boxes on wheels. It works well on carpet but might need some guidance on smoother floors.

[Jamie Buxton]

...I thought a lot about how I could fasten the guard boards so it would leave no trace when they are removed, but couldn't come up with a decent solution. I don't want anything to stick out from the bed rails that my daughter could hurt her hands or similar on....

Okay, how 'bout this? Instead of round stainless rods, use bar stock with perhaps 1/4"x1" cross section. On the bed rail, the bars fit flat on the inside surface. There are flat-head screws to fasten them to the bed rail. The screws and the lower end of the bars are all well below the top of the mattress, so they should be out of reach of little hands. On the guard rail, the bar stock fits in a dado on the inner face of the rail, again with flat head screws. The inside face of the bar stock is flush with the inside face of the guard rail. There is no edge for little fingers to hit. The inside face of the guard rail is 1/4" more toward the mattress than the inside face of the bed rail, but there's enough compression in bedding that you'll never notice.

[Niels J. Larsen]

Okay, how 'bout this? Instead of round stainless rods, use bar stock with perhaps 1/4"x1" cross section. On the bed rail, the bars fit flat on the inside surface. There are flat-head screws to fasten them to the bed rail. The screws and the lower end of the bars are all well below the top of the mattress, so they should be out of reach of little hands. On the guard rail, the bar stock fits in a dado on the inner face of the rail, again with flat head screws. The inside face of the bar stock is flush with the inside face of the guard rail. There is no edge for little fingers to hit. The inside face of the guard rail is 1/4" more toward the mattress than the inside face of the bed rail, but there's enough compression in bedding that you'll never notice.

Jamie, thanks for the idea, but that has already been tried in my head - and dropped.

I like the clean look of no visible screws and I'm also afraid that I won't be able to cut a dado clean enough to satisfy the perfectionist in me.

I know it could be done with router templates, but still - it would be visible and I don't want that...

What will probably happen, is I will make a threaded hole in the lower end face of the stainless rod, and fasten it to the bed rail with a screw from below. I'll have to make a trial run to see if it's doable.

[Frank Hagan]

The box springs may need more support than just around the perimeter of them (if I understood your description correctly). At least in the box springs here in the States, the frame is typically 1" x 2" material laid flat, and even in a regular sized bed (called a "single" here), you need cross members to prevent the box springs from sagging.

[John Sanford]

Perhaps I'm not sensing the proportions correctly, but it strikes me that you're sacrificing a tremendous amount of usable storage area for nothing? Especially if you use a box spring. If the box spring in question is actually nothing more than a upholstered box, i.e., no springs, then dont' even both with it. Modern mattresses don't need support like that. The primary purpose of a modern box spring is simply to bring the mattress up to a comfortable level for folks, especially for folks who don't use anything more than a metal frame, without even a headboard, for a bed, if that!

Install a simple flat platform at the height where the "box spring top" would be, and then figure some way that all the open space under the bed can be accessible.

Mind you, my son's bed is a maple platform bed with simple "planks" of poplar providing the foundation for the mattress. He's 6'5, 200+ lbs, and it's plenty stout. No complaints at all.