Shopsmith Forums

dlbristol wrote:This is the bed I started on last January! Progress has been slow, but I have learned a lot. I really had to feel my way through a lot of this, so I ended up doing lots of things two or three times,or taking things in small bites that could have been done in bigger ones. I'm sure the head board will go quicker now that I have the slat assembly issues figured out. Figuring out how to assemble it may take a while as it has three spreaders, not two. The rails require a 3/4 in dowel in the ends for the hardware screws to grab. Lots of clamping and a longer bit are going to be needed.

The chair is a project I did earlier this year for my wife. The chair was in pieces and had been for 35 years. It is at least 80 years old. ( man is the wood in it hard!) I had to rebuild some parts and then figure out how it all went together. I also did a trial run on the finishing for the bed. My grand daughter likes it . #2 daughter is looking for "just the right color" for the bed. Hope you enjoy this, I can say for sure I would not have gotten this far with out your help. Thanks
I neglected to explain the 3rd photo. I used a slot in the spreaders rather than mortising the slats in. This is a shot of the filled slot.

Seems like I remember you asked about the sequence of assembly for that bed? How DID you assemble it in the end?

All Right! D.L.! Footboard is coming right along! Nice Work!!

Both your rocker and granddaughter are also lookin' good!

a1gutterman wrote:Seems like I remember you asked about the sequence of assembly for that bed? How DID you assemble it in the end?

I did ask, and after trying several dry fit ideas, I settled on this one.
First the cap rail and top spreader were put together. The dowels were placed in both of the spreaders and glued in. Then that sub assembly was glued and just snugged up to the posts. (not tight, just to hold the dowels in place). The lower spreader was glued and set in on left side end post and then the slats went in starting on left. As each one went in the bottom spreader was pushed toward the top on the right side enough to hold the slat and still allow the next one to go in. Once all were in, I glued up the right side and clamped and squared up the frame. The slats were sanded to the point that they would move in the slots with a bit of hand tapping. After the frame was set and unclamped, I set the fillers in between the slats. Starting from the center, I glued the filler strip in at the top and bottom of each slat and worked out to the posts. (1 left, 1 right and repeat) I left the wide center slat pretty tight and then pushed each new slat and filler back to the center, checking the center marks each time. I made sure the fillers were snug, but not to tight, they had to move a bit when the next slat was push against them. I then cut the last filler to fit the space left. All were with in 1/32 or so. (To avoid any surprise variations in the slot width, I numbered the slats and fillers so that I got them into the same spot after dry fitting.)
Plans called for a blind dowel in the top of the posts and into the cap rails. I never could get them to go together that way. There just was not enough room to get the horizontal dowels and the vertical one together. I finally just drilled through the cap and put the dowel through from the top. The key to the whole thing is having everything snug, but not so tight that you can't move the slats. Dry fitting (4-5 times) was an absolute requirement here. My method was essentially what several of you suggested was the way to go. Some one told me that the slats did not need to be , nor should they be real tight. That turned out to be very important.
Now I'll see if the process works on the head board. It is the same as the footboard except it has a third spreader under the one holding the slats.
I also had some very good help from my bride in the process. The process would really push the glue open time with out help.
All in all, I am pleased with the result. There are a few "boggers" but nothing to bad!:D

Glad to hear that it went well!

I have finished the major assembly on the head board. The first photo is of the entire assembly. The upper part is identical to the footboard, and the lower rail matches the side rails.

The second and third are details of the slats.

Assembly went much easier despite the additional rail. I think partly due to the extra length of the legs, things were a bit more forgiving as we put in the slats.

Thought I put the pix in the text, Guess not!

I really like the shape of the headboard. The slight peak in the top outline adds a lot of character. Way to go!

Thanks, The slight crown really does make it look nice. BUT,!!! That little bevel on the ends of the caps boards was very difficult fro me to get right. All four cap boards are a bit shorter than the plans called for because I had to redo that bevel several times. I still had some "slop" it the joints.

Here are the final assembly pics of the bed. I have not put finish on it yet because it is pretty cold and #2 daughter has not decided on a color. This was a fun project, but I am going to do some little stuff for a while!

A color??

a color of stain! and she still needed to let me know whether she wants a satin or gloss finish. If she asked for paint, it would be instantly " re-purposed" as a Christmas gift for my lovely bride.