Replies

1. 
   ring | Feb 03, 2010 08:16am | #1

   You can do that, BUT...

   Obviously in one direction only. You're still gonna have to deal with the others that are 90° to them. You're going to need to get comfortable with M&T joints sooner or later. This might be a good place to start...

   BTW, on most larger beds I will mortise the headboard and footboard to their posts, and make the side rails with knock-down joints to the posts.

2. 
   joinerswork | Feb 03, 2010 10:29am | #2

   zacek,

   Like David said, go ahead and do your glue up, then cut all the mortises. Queen sized poster beds can be a challenge to get upstairs if the head and foot are glued up as a unit. It is safer to use bedbolts all four ways for the rail to post joints, and let the head and foot boards float in dry mortises. In older homes with narrow, closed staircases, it can be pain enough to get a 7' post up and around a corner.

   Ray

1. 
   zacek57170 | Feb 04, 2010 05:21pm | #3

   First, thank you for your comments.

   David: I'm going to do exactly that, I already got 4 bed bolts from Rockler to join the side rails to the posts (with a shallow mortise) and glue up the head and foot rail to the posts.

   Ray: For $everal reasons I'm building only the frame of the bed (without a proper headboard or a footboard) so the glue up with the post isn't cumbersome at all.

   So, question number two: all four rails are 1 1/2 in. thick and 7 in. wide. Can I add stability and/or strenght to the frame if I cut the headrail and the footrail in half and glue them up to the posts with...let's say...5 in. in between them?