Best bed connectors

[bsr]

Hello

I would like to build a super king bed (6' wide by 6'3" long) from oak. I was thinking of buying 3x3 PAR oak corner posts and 8x1 PAR oak rails, joined using bed connectors. Headboard will be separate (fabric covered and wall mounted). Making the bed 6'3" long means I can use two zip& link single mattresses which will fit up the stairs.

Any suggestions on the best bed connectors? I would like to avoid (ahem) squeaking which I have experienced on previous beds that used connectors rather than bolted joints. Hafele have some and they are usually a good bet for connectors - has anyone used them?

I don't have a pillar drill so I think I would struggle to accurately make the holes for half-moon bed bolts (especially the large hole which I think would need a Forstner bit)?

I was thinking that, for simplicity and strength, I would use two centre supports at 1/3 and 2/3 spacing, 3x2 C16 timber on mini joist hangars. I would use 1/2" ply instead of slats. I can buy 6x2 ply sheets locally which means I will have less cutting as three of these should cover the base.

Doing this seems vastly cheaper than buying a comparable frame from the internet, means I can get the height exactly to our requirements and can finish it in Danish oil (our preference).

Any advice please? Picture attached.

bsr

 

[bsr]

Here they are. I was thinking that the second option looks sturdier. I was also thinking that I could add some pocket screws to keep the joint tight.
http://files.hafele.co.uk/catalogfiles/www/14CFC379.pdf

 

[foxhole]

With 8x1 rails 3x3 legs may look a bit undersize.
Have replaced normal bed bolts with reinforcing right angle brackets (16 screws per bracket) which does a far better job of avoiding squeak .Also told the Mrs to loose two stone ( but that can be more dangerous option if you get it wrong).

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Surely the best "conventional" joiner for rigidity has to be the Scan dowel and bolt system. Of course a good mortise and tenon joint would be better, if non-removeable. I'm also of the opinion that your timber sizes are a bit wimpy - remember they'll be carrying about 200 to 250 kg before you start moving about on them (or two adults, lattice frame and sprung or foam mattress plus bedding). My own bed frame is 220 x 45 on 90 x 90 legs with an additional central rail supported on two vertical feet

 

[bsr]

Thanks for your thoughts. I was looking at getlaidbeds.co.uk who use 6x1 rails and 3x3 posts in both softwood and hardwood. That makes me think they are sized appropriately. I will investigate 4x4 posts for a better look.

Centre legs are a good idea so I will have one or two per centre rail.

I thought about scan dowels but I don't want visible screw heads in the posts, and I think I would need a jig to hand drill the long holes accurately enough. Are the blind versions strong enough and is there a cheap jig available?

Maybe one of these for the cross dowels and a forster bit to make holes for the nuts? Again I thought a pillar drill would be required.
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p2...MIjKiE24a93AIVA4fVCh1E1ghXEAQYAiABEgIKCvD_BwE

With these
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/253196627190

 

[bsr]

No thoughts on drilling long accurate holes into end grain?

I've looked at the cheaper dowel jigs available. They are only marketed to work on board up to 25mm, so not much use for the corner posts.

I thought about making a custom jig. If I got a small piece of 50mm by 50mm PAR and asked someone with a pillar drill to make appropriately spaced 8mm holes, then hammered in brass/steel bushes from Ebay. Would that be a good idea to ensure that my dowels line up, and the long holes for the Scan dowels went in straight?

 

[JP_]

Just keep some lube handy to stop the squeaking.

 

[Tigercubrider]

When I needed to drill into the end grain of a bit of timber, I clamped a drill to a table top horizontally and made a simple jig that used a bit of 2x2 screwed to a bit of ply. That was screwed to the table, packed with washers, so I could run the drill and slide the timber towards the drill.

It took a while to line it up to hit the crossed lines for centre but worked quite well and was consistent

 

[bsr]

Great, thank you. I was thinking of doing something like that with my DIY jig but was concerned about the holes getting bigger if I didn't line them with some sort of metal.