Twin size bed for my son

[Jeff Hallam]

It's been a while since I last posted, shop time has been limited lately. Anyway, I am in the process of designing and building a twin size bed for my son. SWMBO has approved the design as is, so aesthetically I am happy if she is happy. However, I'm not sure of typical methods used to attach the head and foot board caps (the long piece laid horizontally). I was thinking of making the through tenons fake but even if they were legit, I don't think they would be enough to hold the top board on.

I'm assuming that when the bed is moved people will naturally lift it by the board in question. The plan is solid wood throughout with ply or MDF panels, as the entire bed will be painted a dark brown (see earlier comment re: SWMBO). By solid wood, I mean the spruce / pine / fur that I needed to use up, so it's a bit of a mix. Slats will be hardwood 3/4"t x 3.5"w spaced 2.5" apart.

I appreciate any input you folks can offer,

Jeff

Twin Size Bed.jpgTwin Size Bed mono.jpg

[Jamie Buxton]

Those caps can be glued to the top rail of the frame-and-panel structure. That's a facegrain-facegrain joint with plenty of glue surface. You'll never rip it apart. That top rail mortises into the post, and it too will not come apart. The 4-5" of the cap that projects over the top of the post doesn't really need to fasten to the post at all. It won't move. You can have real tenons in the tops of the posts, or fake tenons, but it is more an esthetic decision than a structural one.