The Bed Project

I'm building the bed frame for the main bedroom, and we want storage underneath, so I had to think about drawers and all that. Also, we're coming to the end of our nice long redwood lumber, so I decided to take on the challenge of only using scrap pieces (and some plywood) for the whole thing.

First, I went scrounging through our piles and came up with a batch of ends and bits:

After planing and cutting to size, I started putting them together, leaving holes for the future drawers (I'll build those later). In this photo, you can see I've used plywood as structural support between the drawers. These pieces hold up the platform piece as well.

We had planned to have electricity coming out the ends, so those had to be figured in as well. (Melissa had long ago figured out the wiring needs)

Here's an early shot of how the bed is actually made two platforms - one that the drawers will sit on, and one that the mattress will sit on.

Electricity for the other side... and notice that I had to build the sides different from one another because the wall curve isn't 'square' with the room.

I wasn't sure what to do with the end, since the drawers couldn't go all the way (because of the needed corner support) but we decided that a bookcase would be nice, and I think it turned out well. The two long horizontal pieces are the longest redwood boards in the bed. the floor of the shelf is a think scrap supported from underneath.

Then it was time to scrounge for the 'headboard' pieces. Here they are, laying out to dry, as they were out in the rain, some of them even buried in duff and dirt.

Once planed up and cut, I had to figure out how to fit the wood to the wall. Notice I decided to go grain-edge to the wall, the only way to use scraps instead of a couple of good pieces.

Here they are cut to fit the wall curve, with the future light switch junction box:

and then the linseed oil goes on!

First coat, done!