Replies

1. 
   bones | Sep 16, 2010 04:23pm | #1

   Charles Neil has a great vid

   One bolt will do it.  I highly reccomend this dvd set from charles Neil.  He details making a bed goes into queen .vs. king and he uses bed bolts talks of 6" .vs. 7" bolts when to use each.  He has a great design for bed rails as well. 

   http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/ProductPage.aspx?prodid=22715

2. 
   DonStephan | Sep 17, 2010 08:17pm | #2

   If the posts were 3" wide or

   If the posts were 3" wide or less, my inclination would be to split each rail tenon into two long ends with a shorter middle section (like a haunch) to limit weakening of the post.  Is that overkill?  Like the others, I would use four rails and 8 bed bolts.

1. 
   jeffbonta | Sep 20, 2010 11:00pm | #4

   Please clarify

   Don,

   I am not sure I understand what you are saying. Do you mean 2 tenons per side rail with a bolt through each tenon? Did you mean to say "Unlike the others...". Finally, I don't know what you mean by four rails.

   Regards,

    Jeff 

3. 
   jeffbonta | Sep 20, 2010 10:51pm | #3

   Bed Rail Fastener for attaching headboard panels

   For attaching the headboard frame and panels to the headboard posts (question 2 of my original posting), do you think that two-part bed rail fasteners would work just as well as bed bolts? I got to thinking that maybe the fasteners would be a cleaner look (i.e. no bolt heads to cover on the sides of the headboard posts). However the downside to this is that since the headboard frame and panels just sit between the headboard posts, there would be no downward weight to force the fasteners to be engaged (except the weight of the headboard frame and panels). Probably not an issue, but just throwing that thought out there.

1. 
   DonStephan | Sep 22, 2010 08:59pm | #5

   My expectation is that the two part fasteners would rely on the weight of the mattress and springs to hold them together.  Might be worthwhile to pose your question to tech dept at the sellers.

4. 
   joinerswork | Sep 23, 2010 10:19pm | #6

   Don,

   For a mortise and tenon joint held together by a bolt rather than glue, long tenons aren't needed.  1/2" long tenons are adequate, tho I usually use 3/4' long ones, just because they look "stronger".  You don't need the surface area of a long tenon for glue strength- there's no glue- and a 1/4" long tenon won't be any more likely to shear off under load than a 1 1/2" long one..

   Ray

1. 
   RalphBarker | Sep 24, 2010 10:11am | #7

   forces courses

   Interesting thought, Ray. While I'd agree about the lack of need for glue surface, doesn't the size of the joint members depend on the nature of the forces one is trying to design around? A stubby tenon would be fine for a shearing force (e.g. that created by an over-sized sleeper), but a longer tenon might resist racking forces better. Yes? No?

1. 
   joinerswork | Sep 24, 2010 08:41pm | #8

   Don,

   I see the racking forces as being resisted by the tension exerted  by the tightened bolt against the tenon shoulder/ bedpost interface.  That is, bigger shoulders good for resisting racking, thicker (not necessarily longer) tenons good for resisting shear.

   Handcuffs and/or riding crops may cause your mileage to vary, of course...

   Ray

   Edit:

   One of my former bosses decided that the  "store bought" bed irons ("L" shaped pieces of steel, attached to the side rails, for support of box springs) were too expensive, and had some made up by a local machine shop.  The first set we installed, resulted in a call-back by the customer, a few weeks after delivery of the bed.  The irons had straightened out, dropping the mattress and its occupants to the floor.  "Can't believe those 1/4" steel suports would bend that easily," the boss said to the client.  "What were you doing when they let go?"

   Customer refused to tell him.

1. 
   DonStephan | Sep 26, 2010 12:52pm | #9

   Ray and Ralph:

   Thanks for some very helpful and interesting discussion.  Leads me to wonder if a wider shoulder would be helpful, even if just from 1/4" to 1/2", and that very narrow shoulders (1/8" and such) would be a mistake.  If nothing else, little surface area to resist crushing force on the surface of the post as the bed bolts are tightened.  Thoughts?

1. 
   RalphBarker | Sep 27, 2010 10:41am | #10

   give and take

   I've always been of the mind that the dimensions within a joint need to be balanced with the forces that are expected, with some allowance for the unexpected. Unless you increase the thickness of the rail, increasing the size of the shoulder means decreasing the size of the tenon. So, in my mind the old 1/3-1/3-1/3 rule of thumb seems a reasonable place to start. If more, let's say, energetic activity is anticipated, perhaps moving from 4/4 to 8/4 stock might be a consideration.  ;-)

5. 
   jeffbonta | Oct 02, 2010 12:25pm | #11

   Bed bolts vs. Bed Rail Connection System

   I was about to purchase bed bolts, but then came across these bed rail connectors from Rockler. Has anybody had experience with these (shown in the attachment or in the following link:   http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25449&filter=bed%20connector  )?

   If not, do you think they would work just as well. The advantage is that they don't require a through hole in the bed posts, thus avoiding the need for bed bolt covers.

   Thanks,

   Jeff