Loft bed plans

[Bill Dunn jr]

Does anyone have a source for good quality loft bed plans?

I have a client who wants me to give her a price for a loft bed. She has a picture from a catalogue and wants something similar to it and the only plans I have found do not come close to what she wants. I figured I would check with everyone here before going through the process of drawing one myself.

I have attached the picture for reference.

Thanks,
Bill

[Mark Hulette]

PlansNow.com has one... these are mostly from Woodsmith Magazine.

[Bill Dunn jr]

Thanks for the response Mark. I went there and did not find anything close. Just as well the client decided the cost for a custom piece was too high.

Bill

[Mike OMelia]

I know how you feel Bill, I have been looking also. Not much out there except the old cheapies for college. If you find something, let me know.

Mike

[John Daugherty]

I've been looking too because my daughter has been on me about building one for her. All that I have seen have not been very inspiring.

[Mike OMelia]

John, tell me about it.

I have a wonderful pic of a loft I would love to build. Be great if someone knew how to "reverse engineer it" from a pic.

Mike

[Marty Paulus]

Mike,

Post the pic. I am sure there are lots of us out there who could take a swing at the reverse engineering. I have done exactly that with a few pieces that I have on the list of projects. Once I get some time and money I have a lot of sawdust to make!

[Lee Schierer]

John, tell me about it.

I have a wonderful pic of a loft I would love to build. Be great if someone knew how to "reverse engineer it" from a pic.

Mike

Reverse engineering from a photo is fairly simple if you have a photo that is clear and if you can work with ratios. You also need to know the length width and height of the item you are trying to copy. I've done this many times and it is amazing how close you can get to the actual item.

The process is simple. Take the photo, the larger the better, and measure one overall dimension with a scale (ruler for those not engineering inclined). Write that measurement down (lets call it "A"). Then measure a feature you want to know the dimension of that runs the same direction in the photo as the overall dimension you just took and write that measurement down (lets call it "B"). Then write an equation (yes math does have a purpose) that looks like: X = B * C / A, where "C" is the given over all dimension that corresponds to the direction in the photo you measured to find "A". Repeat this process for each part using the corresponding overall dimensions given for the oject and the measured overall dimension you obtained with the scale for that direction. Then round the decimal dimension you calculated to the nearest 1/8 inch and you have your dimension for that part. It is a bit tedious but it works.

You can then figure out how to build the various joints for strength and function.

[Tom Mitz]

I built a loft bed years ago - Ill look for pics and my plans...

[Angie Orfanedes]

Count me in. My grandson needs a loft bed, too - so that is likely my next project. I am researching available pictures and plans...but so far, nothing strikes me as "right". I am also concerned that mortise and tenon joinery doesn't intuitively look strong enough in shear strength for a bed nearly six feet off the ground, especially if the joints are a bit less than perfect.

[Mike OMelia]

I forgot all about this. Sorry. I do have a pic and will search for the size. It is pretty much standard for a double sized bed. This would be a great project and I hope we really can all work together on this!! Website: http://www.whalenfurniture.com/products/illb.html

Dimensions w x h x dLoft Bed with Ladder
80.875" x 82.25" x 83.5"
(205.4cm x 208.9cm x 212.1cm)Storage Cube
12.625" x 21.125" x 28.625"
(32.1cm x 53.7cm x 72.7cm)

[Mike OMelia]

One reason I posted this is because I was having trouble figuring out how to use Sketch Up on the photo. I would appreciate tips here.

Mike

[Andy Pedler]

Here's a Sketchup model I used for our kids bunk beds. You could play with it and remove the lower bed and add a desk or whatever goes under the loft bed. It is dimensioned for a twin mattress.

You could also simplify the paneling on the head/footboards and just make a ladder on one end or the other rather than on the side, as I show.

Andy - Newark, CA

KidsBunkBeds1.jpg
KidsBunkBeds1.zip

[Jerome Hanby]

Take a look at Tanglewood designs. I built the Maryville for my little girl.

[Marty Paulus]

Mike,

OK now that I see what you are looking for here I will take a crack at it. I am not sure I am going to go into great detail on all the joints and such as I would normally do. I think I can get you a model that, with a little work on your end playing with SU, can help you build the loft. Give me a little time as I have a busy weekend and will try to work on it during the week at home. I am usually pretty good at getting this stuff close.

By the way I don't normally try to load a picture into SU (nor am I sure you can work that way) like is sound like you are trying to do. I just start into it. Of course I have some experince in working in high end CAD programs from work that helps.

Marty