Looking For A Better Corner Joint

[Julie Moriarty]

Before we move, I'm planning on replacing the old waterbed frame we have with something nicer. I know, I'm probably the last person in America with a waterbed. The one we have now I made in 1970, when I lived in an apartment and had few tools. The corners are held together with right angle brackets and screwed into the inside of the frame. It's kind of crude.

My plans are to start with 8/4 African mahogany and rip it to 9-1/2" wide boards. For the corner joint all I can think of is making a finger joint and drilling down through that to insert a pin to hold it together so it can be easily taken apart when needed. There's a lot of outward pressure on the frame but I don't want to go back to the steel angle brackets. I wanted something a little less crude.

Besides the finger joint, is there another corner joint that could be used for this application? My brain can't come up with anything else.

[Fred Heenie]

The ugly brackets of 40 years ago are still ugly and still available if that's an option. At the bottom of this page http://www.usifaz.com/brackets1.html most common was the bracket with keyholes in one leg

A more expensive KD bracket is available from Rockler http://www.rockler.com/no-mortise-bed-rail-brackets or Woodworkers Supply http://woodworker.com/surface-bed-ra...su-953-817.asp


Google this patent to see your concept. U.S. 4,125,912

[Dave Zellers]

Hard for me to imagine a better solution than you have come up with.

It would be plenty strong and I love the ease of assembly and disassembly. You could also make a decorative thing-a-ma-bob that the pin would screw into for the top of each corner.

[David Hawxhurst]

you could do a sliding dovetail, or a dovetail joint and drill down and pin it like you suggested w/the finger joint.

[Mel Fulks]

Well, they still make traditional bed bolts ,and I don't think there is anything stronger. Easy to take apart,too.

[Mike Heidrick]

Why not look into lee valleys bed bolts and covers and do those with floating tenonos above and below the bolts. Pretty much all large bed frame designs are not permanent and mde to break down.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware...842,43730&ap=1

[Jamie Buxton]

You can also do the bed bolt approach, but without the head of the bolt visible from the outside. The bolt inserts into a groove on the inside face of the rail. It screws into a metal threaded insert embedded in the post or footboard.

[John Coloccia]

Before we move, I'm planning on replacing the old waterbed frame we have with something nicer. I know, I'm probably the last person in America with a waterbed. The one we have now I made in 1970, when I lived in an apartment and had few tools. The corners are held together with right angle brackets and screwed into the inside of the frame. It's kind of crude.

But aren't the brackets hidden once you apply the traditional leatherette upholstery with fuzzy zebra trim?

edit:
Forgot to mention something. Of the handful of waterbeds I've seen, I think they were pretty much all just slabs of wood/plywood/whatever held together with angle brackets.

[Keith Hankins]

I had a water bed back in the day. I recently did a cali king 8 sided pencil post bed. Using bedbolts and it's strong as an ox! It was a laminated bedrail from Charles Neil's plans. It's a great plan and easy to take back down.

[Julie Moriarty]

Thanks for the suggestions. I hadn't considered traditional bed hardware because I wasn't sure it would hold. I also wanted to do a roundover on the corners and I was thinking traditional bed hardware wouldn't work. But you've given me some things to think about.

John, you are obviously clueless as to waterbed fashion today. Fuzzy zebra trim and leatherette and leatherette upholstery went out in the 80's. Today we use faux leopard trim and purple velvet upholstery.

[Jack Wilson50]

This is a link to the hidden bed bolt hardware.

http://www.rockler.com/bed-rail-connection-system

[pat warner]

"Besides the finger joint, is there another corner joint that could be used for this application?"
************************************************
Joint connector bolts.

[Ted Calver]

I had to get rid of my water bed after I saw Jaws

[Kenneth Walton]

I used these: http://www.rockler.com/heavy-duty-universal-connector

With loose tenons above and below(unglued on one side). That bed could survive an earthquake.

[Julie Moriarty]

This is a pretty interesting corner joint. It looks simple to assemble and strong enough to do the job. I'm just not sure if those protrusions at the corners would be knee bangers.