Replies

1. 
   terrylee86 | Apr 17, 2006 03:48pm | #1

   Paul,

   It sounds like you are making a variation of a Shaker panel headboard.  The Amish use a lot of maple and walnut or maple and cherry for those style of headboards.  Obviously you can use hundreds of combinations,  but those woods are readily available and quite stable  to work with and machine easily.  I have seen these combinations in many of the northern Indianna amish shops and they look very nice.

   Terry  

2. 
   DougF | Apr 17, 2006 05:34pm | #2

   Maple with Cherry panels is a beautiful combination.  I made a bed for my granddaughter using birds eye maple for the head and foot board rails and styles with 3/8 flat solid cherry panels.  The maple posts were selected to incorporate small streaks of  minerals stains similar to the pitch streaks in the cherry and to blend with the slightly darker tone of the birds eye.  The bed rails is white hard maple.  I used exposed cherry pins to for the M&T joints on the panel assembly and the posts.

3. 
   Garry | Apr 17, 2006 06:28pm | #3

   Hello Paul,

   Here's one I just made out of Cherry and Curly Yellow Birch (or flame Birch)
   This is a link on my site that shows photos of the process to construct the bed if you are interested.
   Garry
   http://www.superwoodworks.com/Projects/ArchedBed.htm

   View Image

   http://www.superwoodworks.com

4. 
   sapwood | Apr 17, 2006 07:42pm | #4

   Visit the website http://www.certainlywood.com/. Not that you want to work with veneer, which is all that they sell, but they have an online wood menu that has good photos of different wood species. I'm sure that there are other online sources for the same.

   Also at certainly wood, you can purchase a box of veneer samples for a reasonable amount. These are invaluable for wood selection for yourself and with others. Even though they are veneer, they are still real wood. They come unfinished but it's easy to apply a coat of whatever you'd like to bring out the color.

5. 
   WillGeorge | Apr 18, 2006 08:48pm | #5

   Did 'ya' ask the the Lady what she REALLY wanted.. j€ust a thought!

1. 
   GotAll10 | Apr 19, 2006 05:13am | #9

   Yeah I did.  She REALLY wants a king sized bed.  Something about not getting kicked or elbowed in the middle of the night, more room for the kids and cats, ...... 

   Also, since I am going to build a bed, I should probably build a matching dresser, 2 night stands, and a blanket chest to put at the end of the bed.

   And then there is the coffee table for the den, the built in bookcase for the living room ......

   Anyone else with lists like this??

1. 
   DougF | Apr 19, 2006 03:49pm | #10

   Not at all - mine read: TV cabinet dresser combo, night stands and prairie style-style lamps.  She like the bed so I was spared that little project although it would have been the easiest piece to build - go figure.

6. 
   Lataxe | Apr 18, 2006 09:51pm | #6

   Paul,

   If you want nice looking woods that are easy to work and have some contrast (but not too much) try making the frame from yellow pine (old pitch pine, for preference, rather than newer plantation timber) and the panels from plane (otherwise known as lacewood).

   Pitch pine, especially the old growth stuff, is very strong and ideal for a load bearer such as a king size bed.  The late/early wood striping also emphasises long sections such as rails and stiles.

   Lacewood has similar tones to pitch pine but is less orangey and more yellow/tan, with very flecky grain.  There is also a distinct contrat between sapwood and heartwood, but both are usable. If you bookmatch a resawn plank as the panel, you can create some nice patterns.

   I'll post a picture in due course of a frame and panel cupboard door I made some years ago with these woods.

   Lataxe

7. 
   Lataxe | Apr 18, 2006 10:40pm | #7

   Paul,

   A pic as promised.  Apologies for the bad angle and poor focus - the thing is buried in a corner. 

   Please also ignore the poor design and execution - it was only the 3rd thing I made, some 8 years ago now. :-)

   Lataxe

   
1. 
   pcooper | Apr 19, 2006 03:19am | #8

   That looks good to me, I have plenty of things that I learned on, still making them too. I tried all kinds of things and some of them are not my best pieces, but if you like it, and you learned how to do something new, or improved a skill, then by all means don't be ashamed of it or sorry for it. Be proud of it and say (like you did) that it was early in your work, and we will all remember the same ones we did back then. Hey, I even learn things from those pics too, I see methods or assemblies that I might want to try. Thanks for the pic!!!