Replies

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 07, 2002 07:44am | #1

   Yes. Presumably you mean the long side rails? More than strong enough, and it'll be just fine, just so long as you make them 150- 170 mm (~6"-7") wide. Now, if you make them out of any timber, even a renowned springy, shock resistant one like ash, at only 50 mm (2") or so wide, you'll be in trouble, unless you add intermediary legs or something along the length. Slainte.

   Some stuff I've made.
1. 
   user-212595 | Nov 07, 2002 09:03pm | #15

   Beautiful work.  The finish on the Table and Chair 31 is fantastic.  I am currently building my first piece of furniture out of cherry and that is the look I am after.  It says it was finished in Tung oil w/ poly added, did you have to add any colorant or stain to get it to that color?  Very rich.  Thanks.

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 08, 2002 01:31am | #16

   The cherry was naturally rather dark. The table top has particularly strikingly interlocked and twisted grain, hence the small size because the material was very warped, bowed and cast-- I couldn't get long solid planks of useable thickness.

   I didn't do anything to stain or dye the piece. If I recall correctly, the first coat was a quick wipe on of pure tung oil, which I let dry for about 24hrs. The next coat was about 33% tung oil varnish, 33% mineral spirits, and 33% gloss polyurethane varnish. The third coat was about 30% mineral spirits, 10- 15% tung oil varnish, and the balance polyurethane. The final coats were perhaps 5% tung oil varnish, ~30%+ mineral spirits, and the balance of the varnish.

   I probably wiped on 7 to 9 coats, and I can often get two or three coats on a day using what I call a 'wet on wet' technique. A new wet layer seems to bond successfully (and even seems to chemically combine-- I have no actual proof of this) into an older layer that has not fully cured, but that has cured hard enough to not reactivate. Slainte, RJ.Some stuff I've made.

1. 
   questionma1 | Nov 08, 2002 02:09am | #17

   Hey Sgian and all!  I haven't stopped by to say hi for awhile..so hi!

   Mahogany is ok for bed's. Try to get some old growth lumber for your future project if this is your choice of wood. Current day Mahogany- hmmm need I say more. Their are some good measurements concerning size's and proportions so I will print this out for future ideas. One thing to keep in mind about Federal Period designs is that the people were smaller and weighed a lot less back then. Good luck!

2. 
   user-212595 | Nov 08, 2002 03:41pm | #20

   Thanks for the reply.

2. 
   forestgirl | Nov 07, 2002 07:50am | #2

   I'm not sure if this is a general construction technique for bed rails, but many older ones that I have seen had a 2x2 (nominal) board that runs inside the big wide rail.  This 2x2 is used to place the cross-slats on, but I would think it also serves to reinforce the strength of the wide rails.  Don't know if this could apply to queen-size, as there weren't really queen-sized beds back in the 1940's and earlier.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 07, 2002 08:01am | #3

   Yes there were, forest girl. They just weren't commonly known by that term. the Great Bed of Ware for example, was massive, and built out of oak in the 1600's, if my memory serves me correctly. The 2X2's you refered to would primarily resist twisting of the wide rail due to sustained loading, thus their reinforcing usefulness. Slainte.Some stuff I've made.

1. 
   forestgirl | Nov 07, 2002 08:08am | #4

   Sorry Sgian, my memory doesn't go back quite as far as yours (HaHa).  I was speaking primarily of American furniture from early to mid-1900's.  forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 07, 2002 08:13am | #6

   Ha, ha, f-g. I'm not that old. I guess I've just studied furniture in a lot of detail, including its history-- it was all part of my training. Slainte.Some stuff I've made.

2. 
   noone51 | Nov 07, 2002 08:10am | #5

   I believe that the boards you are referring to are simple ledger boards used to support the cross members (slats) that the box springs or matress would rest upon. These are quasi structural since the grain of the wood is longitudinal just as the side rails. Mahogany is fine as well as many other woods since the weight is being distributed fairly evenly along the length of the board. I think its the cross members (slats) that need to be made of strong lumber.

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 07, 2002 08:16am | #7

   Here's a link to a wee online mention of The Great Bed of Ware. A very elaborate and famous piece. Slainte.

   http://www.open2.net/openminds/GRAPHIC/wk10/detail/history.htmSome stuff I've made.

1. 
   noone51 | Nov 07, 2002 08:28am | #9

   Whoa..... now thats a bed! I marvel at the time that was taken to create such a magnificent piece of work. I wonder though if the inkeeper ever had a chance to enjoy it.

2. 
   Marcello | Nov 08, 2002 05:49pm | #21

   The Ware bed, that is a hell of a bed!!!  It is the type you see in scarry movies, where the butler has sawed off the posts and the top of the bed unsuspectingly flattens the sleeping guest.

   Edited 11/8/2002 9:50:36 AM ET by TMARCELLO

2. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 07, 2002 08:27am | #8

   The slats don't need to be particularly strong. They can be made out of anything that's not especailly stringy, such as poplar, a nominal 75 X 25 mm  (3" X 1") will do if there's enough of them. A central longtidudinal tie bar from head to foot will add strength-- two long tie bars might be used in a wide bed, and if really needed a leg in the middle of the bed adds support-- see image for an example. Slainte.Some stuff I've made.

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 07, 2002 08:31am | #10

   For some reason the image didn't get attached. I don't think I gave it enough time to upload from my hard drive. Sorry. This should be it. Slainte.Some stuff I've made.

   
2. 
   noone51 | Nov 07, 2002 08:33am | #11

   Sgian, in response to your reply concerning the slats. I agree. Seems to me that when I was a child jumping on the beds at home the only thing that ever broke was the slats. My dad would scold me solidly and then replace them and make everything right again. I doubt that my dad had any specific wood that he used so yes, you are again most likely correct. Seems to me they did have a certain burning charateristic when struck accross ones bottom.

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 07, 2002 08:42am | #12

   Vigorous sex in a bed is one thing, no-one, but abusive childish gymnastics is another. The latter I suspect could be cured by banishing the child to a sleeping bag and a damp concrete floor for a few nights. There is no known cure for the former that I know of except for advancing years-- and being married, which soon puts a stop to all that nonsense, so I hear. Slainte. Some stuff I've made.

2. 
   noone51 | Nov 07, 2002 08:51am | #13

   LOL... got me again... good one. Gotta retire for the night. Rain tomorrow... I've got the day off finally.

3. 
   dy4309 | Nov 07, 2002 04:34pm | #14

   Thanks all, for the enlightening tidbits on bed construction, childrearing, history, etc!  I feel enboldened to go ahead with the mahogany bed.

   David

3. 
   JMcIntee | Nov 08, 2002 05:30am | #18

   I have built a bed using walnut and pear. The rails are 2 x 5 with the reinforcing rail. For the cross slats I used full 2x4 fir with loose fitting dovetails let into the reinforcing rail. This prevents the rails from spreading and adds an easy knock down feature. My bed is now about 4 years old and not even a squeek (very often!).

4. 
   Splintie | Nov 08, 2002 06:01am | #19

   Here's another way to treat the bed rails without having a monolithic sort of slab the length of the bed. This was a king size bed with a latex mattress--HEAVY. I used a center post to support the whole she-bang.

   Sorry, that just slipped out.