Shopsmith Forums

Suggestions requested. My daughter asked me to make a bed frame for a friend who has her son sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I have the rails and stiles cut out and will use 3/4" plywood for the inside rail platform for the mattress. MI used this thick of ply since the boy is pretty active. My question is the head and foot 1x6 is to be joined to legs would dowels or biscuits be better and stronger. I am using bed frame hardware for joining rails to head and foot boards.

I consider biscuits to be for alignment. I no not rely on them for strength. Therefore, if I was faced with this decision, I would use dowels.

However, your explanation and question confuse me. If you are using bed frame hardware, what would ther dowels be used for?

we used biscuits and dowels on the bed we are building , made our own 1/4" walnut dowels for the sides of the head board .

Like Dusty said you leave room for discussion in your questionn, any pictures ?

Here we go, I will try and explain better. This is a bastardized platform/bed framed bed. It will have a VERY basic small foot board (1x6) and same for quasi head board (1x6) per the request made of me. It has to fit under a 20" window sill without blocking window. I didn't make the guidelines but this is what was given to me. I used 1x6 select pine for strength. I am awaiting the hardware from Rockler. Although I wanted to make a platform bed I was told it would have to be able to be broken down for movement. I have enclosed some photos of the foot board and small leg the will be joined to it, not in finish location. The plywood platform is being used because the mattress I'm being told will be used is approximately a 4" foam mattress. As you can see this is not the way we would normally do things (slats) but is what was requested.

Please excuse shop mess.

I now think I understand. The task in question is the process for attaching the rails to the side boards. I was thinking the task was to attach the head board and foot board to the side boards but you said you had ordered standard bed hardware. My confusion.

With that understanding, I think either will suffice so long as the rail is glued to the side board the full length. Dowels or biscuits will work but I would still use dowels for this application (especially in a youngsters room.

The confusion, I think, comes from the guidelines and my lack of description. I was thinking dowels and am pretty sure, I think, that's the way I'm going.

I would opt for mortise and tenon if possible.
Bill V

You can probably do it either way and both methods will probably exceed the strength of the wood. You state it is 1X6 but is it actually 3/4" thick ? In the picture it looks more like 1" stock. You can stack the biscuits and get at least 4 #20 bicuits so strength will not be an issue. Doweling you could get 4 or more 3/8 dowels or maybe 7/16 dowels.
Paul

Double 3/8 dowels ?