The bed platform provides the storage and raises the mattress to normal bed height. There is no box spring used.
The platform is made up of:
- Toe kick / base support
- Right and left drawer boxes
- 4 drawers
- 2 mattress support boards
The drawer boxes are quite large and are made of 3/4″ MDF core plywood. Previously, for Olivia’s bed I had used veneer core plywood. However, lumber prices had remained very high, so I decided to give the MDF core a try. Given that very little of the veneered surface is actually visible in the completed bed, this was an opportunity to try “rustic” veneered sheets which have wild grain and filled knots. The veneer defects required some planning for the placement of the cuts to minimize their visibility. The goal was to place as many of the defects either inside the drawer boxes or on the hidden ends and back of each box. The MDF core sheets are very heavy, weighing about 90lbs each. So it took a bit of wrestling with David’s help to get them positioned to cut. The first cross cuts were done with a “clamp and guide” and my new Makita 36v circular saw (which is awesome – no more cord hang-ups mid cut). Once the pieces were a more manageable size, they were ripped on the table saw to width.
The boxes are made of a base sheet, back, 2 ends and 2 dividers as well as 3 strips across the top. Unlike Olivia’s bed, the back is placed on top of the base and between the end panels, rather than abutted on the back. The advantage is that it is easier to assemble and glue up. The disadvantage is there are now more dimensions and offsets to deal with (and opportunities for error). The boxes are joined with dozens of #20 biscuits. Layout and consistency of orientation of the biscuit joiner is paramount or the slots will not line up for assembly. All of the edge slots, which use the biscuit joiner internal fence are made first.
For the back, bottom and top strips, many of the slots must be made into the faces with the fence removed from the biscuit joiner. The Clamp-n-guide is used to align the biscuit joiner to make the rows of slots in each piece. When laying out the position of the fence, there is an offset of ~3/8″ to place the slot so it aligns with those in the center of the vertical pieces (ends, dividers and back).
The front edge veneer banding is applied prior to assembly. This is far easier than applying it to the assembled case (as I did for Olivia’s bed). Once the slots are cut, it is time for the dry assembly to test the fits (and recut some slots). The boxes are large, so both the bench and table saw are used as assembly tables. Once everything fits, the glue is applied and the boxes are clamped up. The K-body clamps are useful for the vertical pieces as they can hold them in vertical alignment as well as provide clamping pressure.
Pipe clamps are needed to to the lengthwise clamping as well as on the diagonal for squaring. Note that the pipes are joined with couplers. I prefer 4-5′ long pipes for the clamps and use the couplers when I need really long clamps for beds and dressers.
For the glue up, only the front top strap is applied on each box. The other 2 will be applied after finishing. They are not visible on the completed bed and having them out when applying the finish makes things go much easier, whether wiping stain or spraying on the mulitple coats of dye, shellac and lacquer.
The drawer boxes are made from 1/2″ birch plywood with 1/4″ bottoms and have a separate front panel that is applied after assembly. The drawers are mounted on Blum 563 full extension undermount slides. Once installed the slides are invisible and are very strong. However, they require careful sizing of the drawer box to ensure that the rear pins and latching mechanism engage properly. Misalignment makes it very hard to engage the drawer to the slides when installing them. The slide mechanisms are screwed into the boxes with just the slotted holes initially. I want the drawer fronts to be about 1/8″ back from the front edge of the boxes to provide a slight reveal. #6 x 3/4″ flat head screws are used for mounting. Make sure to offset the screw placement slightly for slides that are adjacent on the dividers.
With the slides mounted, final width measurements can be taken for the drawers. The drawer joints are simple “drawer lock” joints, basically a rabbet on the ends of the front and back with dados on the sides. This joint is plenty strong for these large drawers. The lower back edge of the drawer backs needs to be notched to allow clearance for the slide.
The drawer fronts have matching grain for each pair (right and left). The slightly recessed / flush drawer fronts need to be carefully trimmed to fit the boxes and provide for about a 1/16″ to 3/32″ gap all around. There will inevitably be some slight adjustment made for proper fit. With the drawer front temporarily placed and resting on shims (hotel entry key cards), the edges are scribed with a pencil. Typically, just the ends need trimming. These cuts are most easily done on the radial arm saw with a wedge used to adjust the angle of the board to match the scribed line.
On top of each box is a piece of 1/2″ birch plywood with a 1.25x 0.75″ wood band applied to the edge. The band has a dado cut 1/4″ deep to engage the plywood. These bands trim out the board and also help prevent the mattress from sliding off. They are 1/2″ high above the plywood on the top.
Finishing
The finishing schedule is as follows:
2 coats Transtint Medium Brown dye. Lightly sprayed on using a 1.2mm nozzle HVLP gun
2 coats ~1 lb cut shellac sprayed as above. Very light coats are used to avoid lifting the dye.
1 coat General Finishes Nutmeg gel stain (Brushed on with a Jen Poly Brush and wiped off
3 coats Sherwin Williams Hi-Bild satin lacquer. Sprayed with 1.4mm nozzle HVLP gun. I had to wait a couple of weeks for an early spring day where was warm enough (>50F) and not windy to do this.
For the drawer boxes and top boards 3 coats of shellac were bushed on.
Assembly and Delivery
The toe kick is assembled and laid in place first. The boxes are then set on top of the toe kick and the boxes are screwed to the head and footboard. Once this is done, the support boards for the mattress are placed on top.
I think the girls like the new bed (although Olivia says the one I made for her is better). Amelia likes climbing up over the low foot board to get on the bed.