 |
|
| UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
| Reply |
|
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#1
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
Making a bed - sensible project?
We need a new double bed for a spare room and having looked at what
one can buy I'm wondering if making it myself would be sensible and/or practical. We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? -- Chris Green |
|
#2
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
On Aug 12, 11:48*am, wrote:
.. *The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? A friend turned a wooden bed frame into a four poster, simply by attaching newel posts to the tops of the legs. Regards Richard |
|
#3
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
|
|
#4
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
|
|
#5
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
In article ,
TheOldFellow writes: I was about to embark on this when I visited Ikea. I don't think I could get the wood for the price of their beds. It's also a good place IKEA say 10% of Europeans are now conceived on an Ikea bed. I haven't found out which store has got this bed though. to go to look at simple designs, structure sizes etc.. Take ear defenders - they strangle cats in front of a mic instead of using Musak. Ah, perhaps you found the right store? -- Andrew Gabriel [email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup] |
|
#6
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
In article ,
wrote: We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? Unless you already have the materials it will likely cost you more just for them than buying a like for like ready made one. The same applies to kitchen unit carcasses etc. -- *I get enough exercise just pushing my luck. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
|
#7
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article , TheOldFellow writes: I was about to embark on this when I visited Ikea. I don't think I could get the wood for the price of their beds. It's also a good place IKEA say 10% of Europeans are now conceived on an Ikea bed. I haven't found out which store has got this bed though. It must be getting soggy by now... -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
|
#8
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message ... In article , wrote: We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? Unless you already have the materials it will likely cost you more just for them than buying a like for like ready made one. The same applies to kitchen unit carcasses etc. -- *I get enough exercise just pushing my luck. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. I made one in 1975 - it is still in use and had been upgraded from double to Queen size. The base is contiboard on its edge - 9" high (x 6 foot long). The sides and ends are halved / slotted into each other to create a plinth that is smaller than the mattress size. Dropped into this is a wooden frame to which the slats are screwed. The frame lifts so that the base can be used for storage (thinking of fitting a gas strut) |
|
#9
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
|
|
#10
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
On 12 Aug 2009 10:48:18 GMT, wrote: snip I'd suggest you find a mattress you like first. Buy that, then build the bed around it. Easier than making the frame to an arbitrary size, then trying to find one that'll fit. (plus, visitors can sleep on the mattress while the bedframe is being built. if you're anything like me, that could take ahem a while) You could ask the visitors if they would mind making their own bed. IGMC |
|
#11
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
I made one in 1975 - it is still in use and had been upgraded from double to Queen size. The base is contiboard on its edge - 9" high (x 6 foot long). The sides and ends are halved / slotted into each other to create a plinth that is smaller than the mattress size. Dropped into this is a wooden frame to which the slats are screwed. The frame lifts so that the base can be used for storage (thinking of fitting a gas strut) Meant to say - the slats overhang the plinth by about 10 inches. The plinth is hardly seen. |
|
#13
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:
In article , wrote: We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? Unless you already have the materials it will likely cost you more just for them than buying a like for like ready made one. The same applies to kitchen unit carcasses etc. I probablyu have some materials. However I certainly didn't find that when I did some kitchen refurbishing a few years ago, it amazed me how much one was charged for what was essentially a few sheets of veneered chipboard and some connecting hardware. -- Chris Green |
|
#14
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
pete wrote:
On 12 Aug 2009 10:48:18 GMT, wrote: We need a new double bed for a spare room and having looked at what one can buy I'm wondering if making it myself would be sensible and/or practical. We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? I'd suggest you find a mattress you like first. Buy that, then build the bed around it. Easier than making the frame to an arbitrary size, then trying to find one that'll fit. Oh definitely, make a frame to fit a standard mattress. (plus, visitors can sleep on the mattress while the bedframe is being built. if you're anything like me, that could take ahem a while) -- Chris Green |
|
#15
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
TheOldFellow wibbled:
I was about to embark on this when I visited Ikea. I don't think I could get the wood for the price of their beds. It's also a good place to go to look at simple designs, structure sizes etc.. Take ear defenders - they strangle cats in front of a mic instead of using Musak. R. Ikea can so easily go either way... I've got a TV stand which is made of inch thick balsa wood. no, that's not fair. Balsa is stronger. It's solid enough when glued together, but the "wood" is component wise extremely weak - I broke a bit assembling it and had to do a repair. OTOH, I have a fantastic pair of rectangular dining tabled that are solid edge glued strip wood tops (pine or similar) with a very solid frame and legs. Those are end to end in my "lab" and make excellent benches for 90 quid each. Some think Ikea is fancy because it's Scandinavian and scandinavians are civilised folk with good engineering skills and nice birds. But if you ask a swede what they think of Ikea, it's considered their version of MFI. Cheers Tim |
|
#16
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
Tim S wrote:
TheOldFellow wibbled: I was about to embark on this when I visited Ikea. I don't think I could get the wood for the price of their beds. It's also a good place to go to look at simple designs, structure sizes etc.. Take ear defenders - they strangle cats in front of a mic instead of using Musak. R. Ikea can so easily go either way... I've got a TV stand which is made of inch thick balsa wood. no, that's not fair. Balsa is stronger. It's solid enough when glued together, but the "wood" is component wise extremely weak - I broke a bit assembling it and had to do a repair. OTOH, I have a fantastic pair of rectangular dining tabled that are solid edge glued strip wood tops (pine or similar) with a very solid frame and legs. Those are end to end in my "lab" and make excellent benches for 90 quid each. Some think Ikea is fancy because it's Scandinavian and scandinavians are civilised folk with good engineering skills and nice birds. But if you ask a swede what they think of Ikea, it's considered their version of MFI. Cheers Tim If you're interested, have a read of the 'potted' history of IKEA he http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_i...ory/index.html |
|
#17
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
In article ,
wrote: Unless you already have the materials it will likely cost you more just for them than buying a like for like ready made one. The same applies to kitchen unit carcasses etc. I probablyu have some materials. However I certainly didn't find that when I did some kitchen refurbishing a few years ago, it amazed me how much one was charged for what was essentially a few sheets of veneered chipboard and some connecting hardware. Dunno where you looked, but Wicks basic stuff matches my argument - against materials bought from them. Plus the fact that it's quite a bit of work to make them as well. Unless you want a custom size. -- *A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.* Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
|
#18
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
On 12 Aug 2009 10:48:18 GMT wrote :
We need a new double bed for a spare room and having looked at what one can buy I'm wondering if making it myself would be sensible and/or practical. IKEA sell slatted mattress supports in various qualities - buying one and building your frame around it might be a good compromise. Except for my desk all the furniture in my new home here in Melbourne is from IKEA - am very happy with it. Pity though about their poor stock control (waited weeks for my bed and dining chairs to come in) and although it's only five miles from here the drive can take 30 minutes. -- Tony Bryer, 'Software to build on' from Greentram www.superbeam.co.uk www.superbeam.com www.greentram.com |
|
#19
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
Ikea can so easily go either way...
Ironically, I was in Lakeside Ikea for about 3 hours this afternoon trying to buy a double bed frame which had been discontinued and reduced to £25, but their computer screen showed 14 in stock. Long story short, I was fobbed off by 3 workers saying that it was impossible/computer error and that it was all sold out. It was only talking to someone else who gave a damn that they actually got a forklift, found item and got it down off the higher shelves. Laziness or conspiracy to keep the bargains for themselves? Moral is if you don't get the answer you want, keep talking to someone until you do or seek out a supervisor! Oh and Ikea is a much saner place if you go during the week :-) Anyway, back on topic, the OP might like to know they have the birch laminated(solid wood) latts for a bed reduced down to £2 from £19 each. 80cm wide so for kingsize bed or 3ft6, but you can trim them with a chop saw if its a BYO bed. Dave |
|
#20
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
wrote in message .. . We need a new double bed for a spare room and having looked at what one can buy I'm wondering if making it myself would be sensible and/or practical. We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? -- Chris Green Adding to the other recommendations for Ikea - I built a single bed into a small bedroom with one end fixed to the wall and the other to the slope over the stairs (which intruded into the bedroom). The basic structure was straightforward (just a couple of big bits of wood) which required a base and matress. I found that Ikea do very nice sprung bases (a bit like the old leaf springs on cars, but across the bed all the way down) and matresses to fit. I went to the local Ikea, tried out various combinations of base and matress (all nicely laid out on display, with sections also fixed to the wall so you could see what you were buying) and chose a base and matress. I then built the bed to fit the base and matress. This gives you a bed with the comfort level you like, and takes away most of the fiddly stuff and leaves you just with the big wood bits to do. Cheers Dave R |
|
#21
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
David WE Roberts wrote:
wrote in message .. . We need a new double bed for a spare room and having looked at what one can buy I'm wondering if making it myself would be sensible and/or practical. We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? -- Chris Green Adding to the other recommendations for Ikea - I built a single bed into a small bedroom with one end fixed to the wall and the other to the slope over the stairs (which intruded into the bedroom). The basic structure was straightforward (just a couple of big bits of wood) which required a base and matress. I found that Ikea do very nice sprung bases (a bit like the old leaf springs on cars, but across the bed all the way down) and matresses to fit. I went to the local Ikea, tried out various combinations of base and matress (all nicely laid out on display, with sections also fixed to the wall so you could see what you were buying) and chose a base and matress. I then built the bed to fit the base and matress. This gives you a bed with the comfort level you like, and takes away most of the fiddly stuff and leaves you just with the big wood bits to do. Thanks for this and all the other ideas everyone. -- Chris Green |
|
#22
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like: Thanks for this and all the other ideas everyone. What's wrong with two pallets? Very retro chic squat. |
|
#23
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
wrote:
Any other comments/ideas? I made the bed this morning. It took about five minutes. |
|
#24
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
|
|
#25
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
wrote in message
.. . We need a new double bed for a spare room and having looked at what one can buy I'm wondering if making it myself would be sensible and/or practical. We want a 'pine' bed frame anyway so I don't need to use any strange materials. From what I have seen of an existing pine double bed frame we already have (and which is fairly close to what we want) construction is pretty simple. I have a router (two actually) and other basic woodworking tools and am not too bad at basic joinery. So, are there any pitfalls? I guess if I 'over engineer' it a bit compared with the bought one then it should be strong enough. The only difficult bit as far as I can see is if I want round/turned posts at the corners, is it possible to buy such things ready made? Any other comments/ideas? I don't really consider myself a woodworker but I've made four wooden beds over the years. Three are still going strong in regular use and one is currently not required so is in storage but will be fine when it's next needed. It's fairly straightforward but don't expect to save any money over buying a cheap bed. The real advantages come in pride and satisfaction, quality and the ability to make it just how you want it - one of mine is a high bed with a desk underneath and some very stylish steps going up, all fitted into a difficult corner space. A couple of things to look out for: Corner joints - make them nice and tight as any rocking here will quickly get annoying and damaging Mattress size - they're not all standard, or rather they are but there are lots of standards to choose from. Mattress construction - higher quality "pocket sprung" mattresses apparently don't like slats, I had to adapt one of my beds by adding a thin sheet of MDF over the slats. A simple bed my way is just two ends constructed from two legs and a couple of rails each, tenon joints glued and pinned and held together with a spanish windlass while the glue sets. The head end is taller than the foot. The two long rails which support the slats are each made from an outer plank and an inner supporting bar (about 2x1"), glued and screwed together. Tenons where the rails meet the legs and screws through from the ends. Slats across and you're done. Add a middle long rail for a double bed. All of that can be done with basic tools, saw, chisels etc, I can't remember reaching for my router. As someone else has mentioned, round the edges or learn to swear quietly so as not to disturb your partner when you bash your leg. |
|
#26
Posted to uk.d-i-y
|
|||
|
|||
|
Making a bed - sensible project?
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Owain saying something like: On 16 Aug, 12:36, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote: What's wrong with two pallets? Very retro chic squat. The gap in the middle, and splinters. Use a better class of pallet, like GKN, and unless you're doing a lot of heavy duty humping, the gap isn't really a problem. |
| Reply |
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Forum | |||
| Pipe vise -- a project for making jaws | Metalworking | |||
| Making project wood from tree limbs | Woodworking | |||
| Making project wood from tree limbs | Woodworking | |||
| making project food safe | Woodworking | |||
| CNC Project: Making a routed sign | Woodworking | |||
Linear Mode
