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Thread: New Guy Here Looking For Some Design Help

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Southeastern CT
    Posts
    141

    New Guy Here Looking For Some Design Help

    Hello all, I am Mike from Southern New England. For a little intro I would say my WW skills are average, I have built mission style end tables and a sofa table, a cedar lined blanket chest (now being used to store pellets for the stove), bakers racks, among other things.

    The wife has decreed that I get back into woodworking to build her some new furniture (sold everything I had 8 years ago when her friends wanted me to start building them things for money). I just purchased a SS contractors model yesterday with the 52" fence. I would have liked to go with the PCS but this one fit my budget and should handle at least 90% of the cutting I will need to do.

    Anyhow, she told me she wants a headboard similar to this one:


    She also wants wainscoting on the rest of the wall similar to the picture. So I am thinking about using a couple of 8-panel doors as the headboard and footboard. We have a split king bed so I need to add side rails to keep the mattresses from separating.

    So I am looking at 8 panel doors similar to these for the headboard/footboard:



    She wants the wainscoting white similar to the picture, but we are thinking about some kind of stained hardwood for the bed itself.

    I am looking for a little help on the posts in the 4 corners, design of the side rails, also some help on the finishing details (i.e.: maybe crown molding at the top of the headboard, any kind of design for the post of just leave them squared off, etc).

    Thanks all for the help, I really appreciate it.

  2. #2
    Interesting idea to use a door as a headboard and footboard. I suppose you can trim the bottom so the bottom rail is the same as the top. For the posts, I would think you could use something about 3-1/2 or 4 in. square. If you use that door in the picture, maybe run stopped bevels on the edges of the posts. Put a 4 or 4-1/2 in. square piece on top as a cap and put a shallow bevel on all four sides to make it a pyramid.

    To finish the top edge, I think I would put a simple rail with bevels on the top edges. Again, maybe stopped an inch or so from the posts. Make the rail 2-1/2 or 2-3/4 in. wide. I could do a sketch of that if it would help. How wide is the door?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Southeastern CT
    Posts
    141
    Dave,

    I appreciate the quick reply. That headboard in the photo is a 4 panel door, that is where I got the idea. I am looking at using a 3' 0 door for the headboard, and maybe a 2' 6 for the footboard. A sketch would definitely be helpful, I need to learn how to use sketch up (if it is Mac compatible).

  4. #4
    SketchUp is Mac compatible. In fact if I have time to make the sketch soon, it'll be on Mac. Let me see what I can do for you.

    And if you want to learn SketchUp, I can help with that.

  5. #5
    What are you thinking for the height to the top of the headboard?

  6. #6
    This was just quick and dirty. I expect there should be some changes.




  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Southeastern CT
    Posts
    141
    Dave,

    I really appreciate the help. The post cap detail looks great, really makes it easy to visualize what you were talking about. As far as the cap rail on the door, the bevels make it look somewhat like a deck handrail cap (no offense). It will need to coordinate with the panel and rail wainscoting that will finish off the rest of the wall. As far as the height of the headboard, the height to the top of the mattress is 26" and I would want the lower row of panels to be visible, so say maybe the bottom edge of the door is 24" off the floor? Sound reasonable?

  8. #8
    No offense taken. I agree the detailing on the rail should be similar to the raisings on the door panels. Actually, based on the photo, what I drew isn't far off. You could add to it with a slightly narrower piece between that rail and the door. Just for proportions, the bottom of the door is currently drawn at 11-1/4 in. from the floor. Making it taller is trivial. Well, at least in SketchUp with the special Board Stretcher tool.

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