high sleeper bed

[harryj]

Hello

Could anyone suggest appropriate size of timber for building a bed?

I have plans for one of those beds (it'll be a single bed) where you are about six feet off the ground and have room underneath for a desk and so on.

The plans suggest using 8" x 2" timber for the sides and ends. But this seems a bit chunky to put it mildly. Do you think 170mm x 45mm would do? Or even 145mm x 33mm? These sizes are available at my local timber merchant.

As an aside, I am planning to use planed redwood. It's in about 4m lengths at the timber merchant and over such a length there is a bit of warping, but I am taking the view that once cut into the sizes I need the warping won't be so noticeable. Am I buying the right stuff? - when I look at the bought wooden beds I have at the moment, for instance, the wood is perfect! Is there such a thing as furniture grade wood that I can buy?

Thanks

Harry

 

[xerxes]

Planed timber is sold in the nominal size of the sawn wood from which it has been prepared. So for example, sawn timber 2 inches wide (50.8mm) will be finished to approximately 45mm wide.

For furniture quality timber, you need to ask for unsorted redwood; this sounds contradictory, but it means the best grades, unsorted. If your merchant can't supply unsorted redwood in the sizes you need, they may still be able to find reasonably good pieces from the stock they do have. They may even allow you to pick through and select the pieces you want, but don't count on it.

You may also need to buy more than you need for the project to allow for wastage and for defects you discover after you've got the timber home. In any case, don't expect perfection.

Don't ever buy softwood from DIY sheds, unless you have a dire emergency and don't mind risking getting rubbish.

 

[r896neo]

that's not fair B&Q's bannana pine is top notch!

 

[Jasonb]

Without seeing the design its hard to say if your timber sizes will be thick enough, if there is one post then obviously they won't, if there are two posts each corner then even the fattest kid will not break the bed. Although I have made several beds only one was a bunk bed and I used 4no posts which were 75x75 PAR (69x69 finish size) and have not had problems.

As said above if using softwood get best prepared or unsorted redwood.

 

[big-all]

like jason i have made several [but no where as intricate as jasons ]

first thing you do is source a mattress as they all vary by up to 6 inches make your base 25mm bigger than the matress

i use 2x2" for the legs sides are 6x1" planed timber
the sides extend beyond the ends by 45mm each end you screw the frame together as an oblong with 3 10x 2.5 " screws with the 2x 45mm horns sticking out each end

the ends are matress size plus 25mm
the sides are matress size plus 25+21+21+45+45
this assumes your timber is 21mm thick

attach a batton off 22mm square 25mm up from the bottom edge[2x1" ripped down the middle ]or 2x1"par flush with the bottom edge screwed and glued every 6 inches
cut your bed slats from 4x1 par [4mm shorter than the gap] space between 60 and 75mm apart use 6x1.5" screws at an angle countersunk
temporeraly fix the central slat with a 4mm gap

attach the legs on the end in the corner left by the horns 3 screws through the horns into the leg and 2 through the end of the bed midway between the 3 screws holding the frame together
attach a 4x1" planed handrail 5" above the bed frame again with horns to accomodate the legs
wherever you choose to put your ladder use 2x2"par on the outside of the frame with champered top and bottom half depth at 45 deg to connect the handrail to the base install another support every 2ft or so for strength

this design needs to be secured to a wall at atleast 3 points [battoned away from the wall by 20mm for the skirting]

if there is no structure attached to the bottom 2ft off the legs they will need screwing to the wall or floor unless the carpet has a firm hold on the legs

make shure you round or chamfer all exposed edges before assrmbly espesialy the slats as they can wear the mattress

 

[harryj]

Thanks for the replies.

The 8"x2" is for the sides and ends of the beds, not the legs. The bed is only going to have one leg as the head end and one side are going to be bolted to the walls. So just a leg (4"x4" or something) at the floating corner if you see where I am coming from.

Is buying from a timber merchant shed any better than buying from a B&Q shed? (apart from the merchant having a wider choice). Do we generally trust timber merchants to have better quality timber than B&Q?

Thanks

 

[xerxes]

The advantage of buying from B&Q is that you have almost as long as you want to sort through the timber they have for sale in the racks. The disadvantage is that much of it could be stuff you wouldn't pick up from the side of the road. Probably none of it will be fit for making your bed.

(Is this defamatory? Could I be sued?)

If you go to a bona fide timber merchant you should get a much better selection of different grades of timber, and knowledgeable (even helpful) staff to help you find what you need.

Big-all makes a valuable point about getting the mattress first and making the bed to fit it. I once bought two mattresses from the same shop, measured one and made two beds. Only when I'd finished did I discover that the mattresses were of different sizes.