Mid Century Modern

I had no prior experience in building furniture. I had my husband help me build this bed and it took us two days to build it, excluding the drying time for the stain. The bed is a queen size measuring 64” W x 82” L. It is pretty sturdy and has no problem (so far) supporting two adults, two dogs, and two cats at the same time (total weight of 400 pounds). It cost us about $350 (as of August, 2009) to build this bed.

Some people had asked me to post more detailed instructions, so here it is – I did my best. This is not a carpentry blog, so please forgive me if the instructions are somewhat vague…

Caution before you tackle this project:

• If you have a question, please feel free to contact me. However, I am not a professional furniture builder – I may not be able to answer questions that are too technical.
• I am not sure how strong this bed will be in the long run.
• If you don’t have basic carpentry skills, find someone who does to help you.
• I cannot be responsible if the bed doesn’t turn out right for you.

Instructions:

1. Build a support (bottom) frame – this part will not show once the bed is complete

a. Lay four (4) 2 x 6 pieces flat and attach (screw) them together with wood glue and four (4) metal braces.

b. Attach (screw) three (3) 2 x 4 pieces inside of the 2 x 6 frame with wood glue and five (5) metal braces for additional support.

c. Attach all eight (8) legs.

d. Attache two (2) L-shaped metal braces for a headboard. Attach while the bottom frame is still upside down. You will need to prop the bottom frame up to do this. Leave an enough space for the headboard to slide in (between the support frame and corner of the braces).

e. Flip the bottom frame once the glue is dry.

2. Attach (glue and screw) the top frame to the support (bottom) frame – the top frame is the visible part of the bed. The side and foot pieces overhangs by 2″ – be sure to screw where the mattress covers the screw holes. Use clamps!

3. Attach (glue and screw) slats to the support (bottom) frame.

4. Fill the screw holes with wood filler, sand and stain the top frame. Follow manufacturer’s instruction.

5. Headboard

a. I used iron-on oak veneer edge banding for edges. I then sanded and stained before attaching it to the body.

b. Attach the headboard. Be sure to use the short screws for the upper part of the L-shaped braces (so they don’t go through to the other side). Screw (with longer screws) into the support (bottom) frame as well.

6. Finished product.

Material List:
This material list is to make a queen size bed that measures 64” W x 82” L. You may need to make adjustments according to your needs and the size of your mattress.

You should be able to obtain all the materials locally except the hairpin legs. You will need to order the legs from hairpinlegs.com. These legs are made to order, so I recommend ordering them ahead of a time.

You will need a lot of different kind/size screws. I cannot remember exactly what kind/size of screws I used. All I can say is that you would want to use the strongest/longest screws possible for maximum support. If you are not sure what kind/size of screws you need, please consult with a store associate (good luck!) where you are purchasing your materials.

For the Support (bottom) Frame:
The support (bottom) frames measures 58” W x 79” L. The top frame will over hang the bottom frame by 2” on each side and foot of the bed.

* 2 – 79” 2 x 6
* 2 – 47” 2 x 6
* 1 – 68” 2 x 4
* 2 – 22″ 2 x 4
* 9 – 10” metal braces
* Screws to attach the metal braces
* 6 to 8 – 8” Hairpin legs (only four legs are visible from outside – I used four hairpin legs and four wooden legs, but I recommend using the same type of legs because it can be hard to match the height of the two different kind of legs)
* Screws to attach the hairpin legs
* 2 – 10” L-shaped metal braces to attach a headboard
* Screws to attach the L-shaped braces to the support frame

L Shape Brace

For the Top Frame:
* 1 – 64” 1 x 6 red oak board
* 2 – 76 ½” 1 x 6 red oak board
* 1 – 52 ½” 1 X 3 red oak board
* Screws

For the Slats:
* 11 – 52.5” 1 x 4 (you may need more/less 1 x 4s depending on your spacing between slats)
* Screws

For the Headboard:
* 1 – 22” x 64” Furniture grade oak plywood – I cut a notch on each side (bottom)
* Screws to attach the headboard to the L-shaped metal braces which are already attached to the support frame
* Iron-on oak veneer edge banding

Tools:
*Drill
*Saw
*Clamps
*Wood glue
*Tape measure
*Pencil
*Carpenter’s square
*Sanding block or paper (150 grit)
*Wood filler
*Safety glasses
*Wood stain of your choice and tools recommended for applying the stain

Tags: DIY Project

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