Bed construction Begins!!!!

[Mark Singer]

Well after a very successful and truly team effort on design, with lots of helpful input...I am ready to start building. Yesterday I went to Austin and ended up buying 4./4 instead of 8/4 as I set out to. I will need to laminate them to atain the 8/4 thickness. That does insure straight rails if I do it correctly. The reason i went with 4/4 was price...about half and figure...very nice curly maple. I just cleaned up the worksop I have about a dozen chisels and 5 plane irons to sharpen...I will do that first...
Here are so pics ....take it easy Tyler

[Ted Shrader]

Mark -

Some very pretty wood. The bed will be great!

Do you have a composite sketch?

Regards,
Ted

[Jim Becker]

Ted (and anyone else who may not have seen it), there is a thread in the Design Forum complete with some super renderings by Dave R.

Mark..awesome maple! Beautiful.

[Greg Heppeard]

Good looking stuff...can't wait to see the finished product

[Tyler Howell]

Here are so pics ....take it easy Tyler

Mark With this bunch I have to take it any way it comes.

Nice looking stuff. Let the lesson begin.

[Mark Singer]

Well between going to a wedding today...Tuxedo and all (can't be a woodworker!) I got some work done. I glued up the curly maple to the plain hard maple for the rails. Here is where a entire project can start off real bad! If you face laminate them and they are not straight...you might as well go sking...cause thats all they will be good for. To insure a straight glue up I keep a couple of aluminium storefront extrustions around. This is much better than checking it with a straight edge...it becomes part of the clamping package and forces the wood flat. Face gluing requires a lot of clamps because of the large surface area. The picture where they are shown on the jointer is after gluing...clamps off...dead flat 2 sets laying one on the other. The only other decent way to do it is use the edge of your glue up table and clamp it with the boards. It must be flat! There are only 3 of these sets required...I got a piece of 8/4 non currly for the back since it will not show.

[Norman Hitt]

Good start Mark, and from looking at the first pic, I can see this project will really go FAST, because besides having nice grain pattern, that wood has other "Unique Qualities". It will Float in the air, so you won't need to make any Legs for the Bed. Ha! (It should really be comfortable to sleep on too, like a flying Carpet) Maybe the reason they wanted so much for the 8/4 was it's increased lift coeficient.

Cheers Norm

[Jim Becker]

The "Laguna Beach Workshop" is looking a bit...umm....clean, there, Mark!! Nice start and the extrusions are a nice "tool" to have around for this kind of thing.

[Mark Singer]

Jim,

I cleaned up! Yeah can you believe it. In the middle of the bath cabinet , I cleaned up once , but by the end it was like a battle ground. I sharpened a bunch of chisels and planes...I was almost late for the wedding yesterday...but, I made it. I am off to a good start...the rails are dead flat! I will try to profile them and make the caps...maybe a sample corner joint today...I need to get the stainless parts ordered...I called Frank and he has the material in stock...but he will have to order the cap screws. I am thinking 1 1/4 " dia for the legs...solid stock.

[Dan Mages]

That is quite an inginious(sp?) solution to making sure the wood is straight while gluing! Those first two pictures you posted look a little funny. The shadows look upside down and both photos have a board floating in mid air! It appears you have a couple of upsidedown photos. I can't wait to see the final project.

Dan

[Jim Becker]

I am thinking 1 1/4 " dia for the legs...solid stock.

This makes sense. Like chairs, beds are interesting projects because you need to accomodate more than just "weight"...their "versatility" can result in all kinds of stresses that can challenge joinery and support structures to the max. Especially in an un-attached guest suite.

[Mark Singer]

Dan,

Your right I must have rotated wrong....if the bed comes out upside down, I will be sleeping on the floor! Why even make I can do that now

Jim,
Take it easy...LOML is traveling don't get the old man too excited!

That is quite an inginious(sp?) solution to making sure the wood is straight while gluing! Those first two pictures you posted look a little funny. The shadows look upside down and both photos have a board floating in mid air! It appears you have a couple of upsidedown photos. I can't wait to see the final project.

Dan

[Corvin Alstot]

To insure a straight glue up I keep a couple of aluminium storefront extrustions around. This is much better than checking it with a straight edge...it becomes part of the clamping package and forces the wood flat. Face gluing requires a lot of clamps because of the large surface area. The picture where they are shown on the jointer is after gluing...clamps off...dead flat 2 sets laying one on the other.

Mark /
Pretty clever idea using the storefront extrusions. I probably will steal this idea, truly a flat and lightweight reference material.

I missed out on the design and planning but I feel that the final design has evolved to a more powerful solution, and speaks more to the original nightstands. Of course its hard to go wrong with curly maple, its a great looking wood.
Of course now that you are working with the real material you will have a lot of smaller decisions to make (grain direction, finish color, reveals, connections, etc.) You are sure moving quickly in the shop, I guess I better go there now to make some head way too. Keep up the good work.

Corvin

[Mark Singer]

Some progress pics. I ripped the rails to size . I went a little over the planned dimension of 4" since it will help hide the mattress. I Straightlined the rails with the Festool and made the second cut on the tablesaw. I mocked up acorner bridal joint . I cut it the bandsaw using a stop block, then flipping the piece over for symetry and sawing the second cut. The mortise is cut first...the tenon is scribed from the mortise using a knife. The waste is remove with a chisel as in dovetails ,,,flipped and second side removed, I mocked it up with the top cap and a piece of 1/2" EMT for the leg ,which was all I had. I am questioning the topcap . I am considering a hybrid using the uncapped rails in my first sketch and rectangular stainless legs..(first sketch) but keeping the same Back is in Dave final sketch...maybe I will may a drawing... The joinery techniques may be of interest.

[Mark Singer]

Here is the hybrid I am thinking about...Opinions???