Bed time
I found this picture of the bed frame we made, inspired by a similar construction by my dad (Big Fig). Want to make one?
It was super easy to make, staining it ebony was the hard part to be honest. I kind of never want to stain wood again. Oh well, that was a long time ago; water under the bed so to speak.
Get it together
If you haven’t downloaded Google’s acquired & improved SketchUp, do so. Especially if you:
- have never tried making anything in 3D
- always wanted to
- and like to doodle
Afterward, click here ( minim_bed_frame ) to download a 3D model of this bed frame. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to use this program. Then send me cool designs I can take credit for!
As you can see, it’s a fairly minimal constuction. Two 3″ posts (laid horizontally) give enough support, though If I were to build this again, I would add a third. This would allow the outer posts to live closer to the edge without worrying about what will happen if you fall onto your new bed in a swoon from how good it looks. As built, one could break a plank by putting all their weight on the extremity.
I can’t recall what wood was used, though I’m pretty sure it was poplar. I’m no expert on wood qualities, so I just went to Lowes & grabbed whatever was sized right. You’ll want to do more research than that before you make one.
The planks are 9.25″x6′, 3/4″ thick. I spaced them five inches apart. Worked out great.
To assemble
- bring the pieces into the target room,
- Lay the posts the correct distance apart. (Do your math)
- My planks were 6 feet (72″), & I decided to have the ends hang protrude past the support beams by 15″. Therefore,
- 72” total - (15” overhang x 2 sides) - (3” beam width x 2 beams) = 36″ or three feet between support beams.
- Position the planks on top of the posts/beams.
- Drive screws through planks into support beams.
- I used two 1.5″ wood screws per side of each post. (24 total).
- I recommend using a drill-bit that is slightly about 1/2 the size of your wood screws with your hand drill to create a guide hole / discourage wood splitting for each screw point.
- Also, I did the first & last planks, then did the inside 4. You do as you please, of course.
How would I improve this?
Everything is fine and dandy until you have to move it. Some may find it difficult to reassemble by lining the holes in the planks with the beams, especially if you stained you wood ebony, and especially if your planks get “out of order”. If you’re like me, you just threw this thing together & your screw holes will not be uniformily placed, making it a royal pain to put this humpty-dumpty back together again. (A few of my planks have more than 4 holes in them).
Next time, I move it, and before dissambling it, I will drill dowel-holes making screws desirable (but optional) and allowing it to be pieced together before with relative precision before you bring out your Zelda Delta hand drill.
Also, I’ll mark each part with a number corresponding to a drawing that will be stored in the parts bag during transit.
July 16th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
What size bed did you use with this? It looks fantastic for the cost and amount of work involved!
July 26th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Howdy, Clove!
The mattress is a queen. Believe it or not the hardest part was staining the wood, since it required multiple coats and rub-downs. Wombat & I definitely feel it was worth the effort. We’ve recently re-painted some wood furniture and, while they look good, stained wood just has a touch of class. You can still see the natural wood-grain, etc.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am
great simple design…so many people make the diy platform bed overly complicated.
January 6th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
How long where the beams?
For a queen bed, does the frame extend further out than the bed itself?
November 28th, 2012 at 8:31 pm
This is great!
This is what DIY should be. It should be “ghetto.” It should be low tech and easy to just cobble up and slap together. It should not require “precision craftsmanship.”
Ingenious design, in advance, should design out the need for precision craftsmanship during the construction and assembly stage.
DIY for the common man must be fast and dirty. Just get it done so you can use it. In this context, the need for precision craftsmanship is not a virtue. It is a defect. A design defect.