Hi there–
I told a friend I’d help her make some bunk beds for her girls. Right now, we’re still in the planning and design stage. Borrowing from plans from various library books, I think I’m getting close to a doable design in SketchUp.
Here’s my question: a website selling bunk bed kits and plans (looks like they’re made mostly from 2x6s bolted and screwed together) says they use Pine #1 or Pine #2, but a book full of various “nice” bed plans (use mortise & tenon joints, milling, etc) says to use hardwood. We’re trying to do this as inexpensively as possible, yet also long-lasting and above all, SAFE! It doesn’t have to have beautiful grain because it will be painted. So would we be OK using pine? Or what would be the other reasons for using hardwood? And what would be some inexpensive options there?
By the way, maybe I should mention: I’ve been reading Fine Woodworking for years, but any woodworking I’ve actually done is far from anything “fine”. My skills are more on par with picnic tables and simple shelving. : )
Thanks for any advice,
Karin
Replies
My Son didn't want to wait for me to build a set for the Grandchildren so he went out and bought a set that was made of pine. They are holding up well.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I made some for my kids years ago. 4x4 each corner, 2x6 sides, 2x4 everywhere else. Used Fir. Dark stain. Worked fine.
Not “Fine Woodworking” but kids liked them. They held up for years and were still solid when I sold them.
I used big wood, big bolts and big screws. I also made them as two separate beds that would stack and then bolt together. (Think I used a ¾” dowel to align them.) Ben and his buddies liked bunk beds. Cara and her friends liked two separate beds.
My kids were good kids but still kids so I made them solid. It didn’t seem fair to any of us to spend a lot of time and money on something they would have to treat carefully.
Tom
Bruce, Tom, thanks so much for the quick reply! Very helpful! I feel better about moving ahead with pine or fir!
It’ll be fun. If the kids are big enough let them help. They can put bolts in holes and start them.
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Just do what the old Norskies out here tell you and “Build ‘er hell for stout”.<!----><!---->
just remeber houses are built out of construction lumber...pine
I did mine out of VGF, birch plywood, and hemlock. Hemlock is inexpensive but reasonably strong. VGF for the 2x structure.
see attached pic ... L shaped for interest.
I just built some bunk beds out of douglas fir 4x4 and spruce 2 x 6's. I couldn't find anything else in Las Vegas anywhere for a reasonable price and acceptable quality. Got everyting for less than $200.00. Treated the wood then stained with light mahogany, turned out nice. Mortise and tennon joints for the headboards and brackets from Rockler for the side rails. I dont know how well they will hold up in the long run, but two 250lb adults climbing all over them to test them and not a squeek.
Tony
Karin,
You might want to consider poplar.
It is a very affordable hardwood that works well. It's only drawback is in it's natural color and grain (from white to tan to brown to green - and sometimes on the same board!) However, it sands and paints very well.
Frank
Thanks for all the replies. I would certainly love to use poplar, but since people have had success with various softwoods, I think we'll go with that since it will fits better in my friend's budget.
That being said, I've been reading all sorts of (horror) stories on the boards here about warping, drying times, etc. If we just go to one of the big home improvement stores and get some 2x4, 4x4 and 2x6 pine/fir, can we bring the stuff home and start right in? Or should we do something else first? I'm thinking that stacking and drying stuff is just for "fancier" pieces...
-Karin
Karin,
Not sure about your location, but here poplar is less costly than pine (clear or knotty)
http://www.willardbrothers.net/ORDER%20FORM.htm
If you are talking about construction grade lumber form the home center, it's probably not going to be of sufficient grade or moisture content for furniture (in my opinion.) Certainly the green stuff they are selling (hem fir or SPF) isn't usable for this. If you have no choice but to go with construction grade, try to look for KD Doug Fir which, again in my opinion, is the more stable and straight of the construction grade stuff. KD = Kiln Dried
If you are looking at s4s pine from the home center (s4s= surfaced on four sides) you will probably find that it is priced at or higher than the s4s poplar and the poplar will usually be cleaner and straighter.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.
First, the home centers have mostly very inferior lumber, regardless of how it is graded. For example, if the end of a board contains the pith or heart of the tree that board is VERY likely to warp and is only about half the strength of a good 2x4. The big boxes seem to have high percentages of wood containing the pith. If you have to use framing lumber, then get it at the best lumberyard in your area--where lumber for the million dollar custom homes comes from--even if you have to get there before noon on Saturday. It will cost only a small amount more. Hardwood lumber from the big box stores is no bargain either, it often has unseen drying defects hat can lead to warping and other problems.
Even good quality construction lumber will have too much moisture content to use immediately for furniture. Standard dry lumber will be close to 19% moisture. (Hardwood lumber, or even softwood furniture grade lumber from a hardward distributor would be about 8% which is close to ready to use.) Wood in your house will dry to about 7% moisture content by the end of the winter. This means a lot of shrinkage and potential to warp. Stacking, weighting, and drying is pretty necessary I'd think.
Two 2x4's won't be as strong as a 4x4 unless they are jointed flat and glued together with heavy clamping. Then they would be quite close.
Karin,
Aside from the wood selection, I think a major consideration is safety of the kids, especially the occupant of the top bed. Several years ago I was approached by a local furniture shop about turning out bunk beds. I researched and quickly found out that OSHA has gotten involved in the design, because of accidents (some fatal) of the kid on top.
Specifically, "Bratly" on the bottom can kick the upper bunk and throw out "Topsy" if there are no rail assemblies on the room side of the upper bed. Topsy also needs a rail on the wall side because she can squirm between the wall and mattress and suffocate (the bed will actually be pushed away from the wall).
Another concern is the method used to attach the top and bottom beds-the common design back then was one or two dowels, which again Bratly can disengage when she practices her Kwando Kung Fuey, or will break just from climbing in and out of the top.
If you are studying new plans/designs, I'm sure these safety concerns (and others) have been considered.
Pete
thanks Pete, those are some great points. we're planning on putting guard rails along both sides of the top bunk, with a small opening on one side for the ladder (unless we get really good and make stairs for the end and skip the ladder altogether).
To connect upper and lower bunks, rather than dowels my book suggests 3/8"x4" metal rods. But here's another question then about the posts/legs...
Would two 2x4s stuck together be as strong as a 4x4? It might make it a bit easier for us to make a groove (dado?) to hold the end panel plus then I could embed a nut in between and use a hidden bolt joint to join the side rail to the post.
Karin,
If you go to "General Discussion", ask the posters to look at "new to Woodworking, 42706, you probably get a better response re. construction methods for your bunkbed project. I think I understand your question re. 4 x 4 vs 2-2 x 4's, but there are other folks who are a lot better qualified than me.
Pete
Comment about using softwoods for this project -
I'd study Steve's comments closely. This is not a project to cut corners on.
If you make it out of softwood, be aware that there is an enormous difference in strength and the ability to hold fasteners in the various softwoods. Knot-free southern yellow pine is more than strong enough, but I'd think twice about building such a project out of "white wood" or, especially, eastern white pine.
While it's doubtful that a framing member made of eastern white pine would actually break in two, the grain is so soft that it's really easy to work fasteners loose in this wood, which potentially might result in catastrophic failure (and injuries).
It's for this last reason that I'd consider using an inexpensive hardwood such as poplar. Moreover, if you use softwoods from the pine group and there are knots present, they will ooze sap that will interfere with paint adhesion. Even after sealing off those knots, I've found that the sap always returns to the surface and peels off the covering paint.
And finally, this is one project where I would not consider "traditional" woodworking construction that relies on glue for strength - particularly un-reinforced mortise and tenon joints. Were I making it, I would pin all of the M&T by draw-boring them.
I used doug fir for my kids bunk beds and this worked well. For the posts I used 4x4s that I milled down to 3". For the panels in the head board I had some leftover 4x6 stock that I re-sawed to 3/4 thick in a direction that the wood had a vertical grain. For the rails I glued up two 1x6s so they were 1.75 inches thick I figured this would be stronger than 2x6 stock just in case some kids jumped on the bed. Anyway the wife was happy as well as the kids. When my kids outgrew the beds I gave them to some friends. Anyway doug fir worked well and it was inexpensive.
Troy
Hi Karin,
Here's one I made for my parents in their summer cottage. It's really sturdy and relatively simple to make - I made it so it must be!
As I recall it took 2 sheets of ¾" plywood (good on one side), some 1" x 4" for the door frames, couple of leftover pieces of ½" plywood for the door panels and some 2X stock that I ripped into 2" x 2" to make the bed frames and cabinet, all pine. There is a drawer in the lower bunk and in the bottom of the cabinet.
The objective(s) were something simple, sturdy, as much storage as possible and big enough for adults when necessary. 'Course the top bunk is Raggedy Annes and Andys favorite hideout.
View Image
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
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