“I just finished a tiger maple pencil post bed. I made the posts by first laying out the four tapers from the straight part of the post to where I wanted them to finish at the top. Then bandsawed off the waste, ran them over the jointer, took a 45 degree champer bit and ran it down the 4 tapers to make the post 8 sided. Worked like a charm. The hard part is finding 12/4 curly maple. Good luck”
This was from a past post on WoodWeb, since I just made a PP Bed (that sounds funny doesn’t it?) I am throwing out this question for discussion:
If you simply use a champher bit on the corners after tapering then it won’t be a true Pencil Post will it? I think historically and aesthetically the posts should be a true octagon along the entire length of the taper. In other words, if you take a cross section anywhere along the length you will get an octagon, not a square with the corners off. If you simply champher the corners I think it looks cheap, like you were lazy and using a short cut…….. I don’t know, are there any good bed historians out there? (Sorry my pictures aren’t the best.)
SEE “American Country Furniture” by Nick Engler & Mary Jane Favorite; “Beds” my Jeff Miller: “Traditional Furniture Projects”, Taunton Press, Pencil Post Bed Jigs by Christian H. Becksvoort: and Woodsmith vol.26, #153
Edited 7/8/2005 10:28 pm ET by jbj
Replies
When doing design research for a trundle bed, I found many examples of 14th, 15th and 16th century trundles that were also canopied beds. In fact, most were canopied. Some had tapers and some didn't. Some tapers were octagonal and some weren't. I think our modern view of pencil posts beds of the "colonial" period is a style wherein the posts are slender, tapered and octagonal for the length of the post past the foot board or stretcher.
On the other hand, have you every seen a tapered pencil :-)
Edited 7/9/2005 9:52 am ET by Doug
Nice bed. I don't know what you are asking exactly but I think if you took a non tapered post and ran a 45* chamfer bit along the 4 corners you would have a true octagon. [assuming that the face was the same width as the chamfer] oh ........wait, hold the phone, I just got it. Ummmmm now let me think. Peter
jbj,
You are correct, it will look better if the posts are octagonal for the whole length of their taper.
Regards,
Ray
I'd think, if you had a large enough bit (might need a shaper) and jigged it up right, you could get the true octagon from one chamfer pass on each corner.
Jig the bottom-center and the top-center of the tapered-square post respectively at their two different distances from the bit center, and the depth of the bite would change proportionally all the way along the cut.
Would require some offcuts taped back on for support ...
Or ... am I still missing it?
Clay
Sorry for the late post... I was going to respond before but I forgot...
Nice Bed.. And that Jack!.. (Looks like a Jack) I got one.....
Hole diggin' rat killers... He is something...
thnaks for the compliment! And yes that is our little Jack Russell terrorist. She thinks I made the bed for her!
Gee.. I called my VET.. Asked how do I keep this pup from digging..??
Vet said cement yard????
Our Jack Russel has never had a problem digging.... our last house had a fenced in back yard with two dogs on the other side and she never tried to dig under the fence. The house we are in now has a big open area down to a creek with squirrels in the big maple trees, she is ALWAYS trying to get those squirrels.... and the neighbors cat. She has tried to dig out a few moles though......
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