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Other topics for members => General Woodworking => Topic started by: Dan_Shade on January 09, 2011, 07:09:20 PM

Title: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 09, 2011, 07:09:20 PM
I got the headboard and footboard put together today.  I need to sand the panels, and get a coat of finish on them prior to glueing it all up.  This is the first time I've done panels.

I guess this is "arts and crafts" influenced?  if not, I'll go with "an original by Dan"  :-D

I need to get the rails installed, that's the next step.  I want to do blind bolts, with 3/8" brass inserts in the head/foot board, and allthread in a hole drilled along the axis of the rail, with an access hole from the inside.  I'll post pics of that after I figure out how I want to do it.

(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12217/232/quaretersawn_red_oak_bed_1.jpg)



(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12217/232/quaretersawn_red_oak_bed_2.jpg)

Need to turn some feet and make finials for the top as well.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 09, 2011, 07:46:22 PM
Looks great Dan, nice wood and design.  8) Will be following right along.  :)

I've used rail fasteners. It's hidden in the inside corner of rail and head board. Just a matter of sliding one half down over the second half, they interlock for a strong square fit.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 09, 2011, 08:24:03 PM
i'm afraid that they won't hold up to the abuse a bed can receive   ;D
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: WDH on January 09, 2011, 08:31:15 PM
Dan,

That is well done.  The oaks looks really good! 
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: fishpharmer on January 09, 2011, 08:42:24 PM
Can't wait to see the finished product.  nice.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Magicman on January 09, 2011, 09:14:08 PM
Very nice.  There's just nothing like raised panels.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: pigman on January 09, 2011, 10:13:37 PM
Looking good. 8)  Is that a matching night stand on the right in the last picture?
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 09, 2011, 10:40:00 PM
nah, it's a sewing station that a friend of mine is building for his wife.  we share equipment in his shop, works out well for the both of us.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: metalspinner on January 10, 2011, 10:47:27 AM
Dan,

Using bed bolts is the way I've put a few beds together.  I use 1/2"  x 7" hex head bolts.  The joints I used are actually mortice and tenon, but they are held together with bed bolts.  Bed bolt covers conceal the bolt head.

QuoteI want to do blind bolts, with 3/8" brass inserts in the head/foot board, and allthread in a hole drilled along the axis of the rail, with an access hole from the inside

So, you do not want to pass the bolt through from the outside of the leg?

These beds were built for the kids, so they get the rough and tumble treatment, too.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 10, 2011, 06:58:24 PM
No, I don't want to put the bolts in from the outside of the leg.

Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 16, 2011, 06:17:05 PM
I got it all together, need to fine tune one of the rails, screw on angle iron to hold the box spring, sand, and finish


I was able to make the blind connections like I wanted to, I put 3/8 brass inserts in the legs (didn't get a picture of that), and recessed the nut end:


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12217/232/quartersawn_red_oak_bed_3.jpg)

assembled, it's very stiff even without being glued up:


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12217/232/quartersawn_red_oak_bed_4.jpg)

another angle to show the rail:



(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12217/232/quartersawn_red_oak_bed_5.jpg)

I put about an 1/8" quartersawn veneer (resawn in the shop) on the outside of the rail.  I didn't put one on the inside, I may be rolling the dice, I don't know....  Time will tell!

I now need to make some bun feet and cap the tops of the posts. 
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 16, 2011, 07:05:43 PM
Looks like a good solid joint there Dan, lots of meat to hold strong.

As to the veneer face on the rail, did you contact cement it? It will have some give or flotation between surfaces with moisture movement, white glue will go solid. Looks like the rail was flat sawed, that's why I ask. And is that why you faced it? It may not even be a big deal, all depends on how dry it was and environment of the new home it will sit. I know little about veneering, so take it as an inquiry more than anything. I have faced plywood edge with thin quartered material instead of buying the roll of fake stuff (I guess rolls of real thin and narrow veneer can also be purchased). So grain direction is the same.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 16, 2011, 07:09:32 PM
i used titebond 3 (I think), I did not use contact cement.

I faced it to get a quartersawn face.  if it busts, I guess I'll have to fix it   ::)  My original plan was to get 4 slices from the 1/4sawn board, but I didn't have enough pressure against the fence, and the first slice ended up too thin
 
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: WDH on January 16, 2011, 07:11:52 PM
I am very impressed with your bed!  That clear oak is gorgeous.  You have to feel very satisfied with the outcome.  Several years later you will look at it and think, "DanG, I can't believe that I built that!"
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 16, 2011, 07:16:30 PM
Or, I"ll be looking at a busted rail, and go "i shoulda known better"

:-)

I made very shallow tennons for the bed rails as well, I probably should have made them 3/4" deep, but I figure this way, it would be easier to get it together.  I try to build my peices so that the mechanical joints give it strength, and not have to rely on glue or fasteners.  I think I am going to dowel the tennons when I put it together for additional strength.
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 16, 2011, 07:35:10 PM
You'll be surprised sometimes what dense wood will hold for weight and strength against it. I made a queen sized cherry bed with hard maple rails and I used the slip bed joints I posted about in an earlier post. The head and foot board posts are only 1-3/4 or 2" and it's never racked loose in 20 years. It's so easy to take apart and put back together. Of course I never had too much rough stuff or kids playing trampoline.  :D :D At first I was worrying the cherry could split, then that soon subsided. ;)

As kids we had pine twin beds, well they split the posts. :D
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Magicman on January 16, 2011, 08:28:10 PM
That is very nice craftsmanship.  You are not going to break or shear any of those joints.   smiley_thumbsup
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: jamesamd on January 16, 2011, 09:43:29 PM
Well done,that is one sweet bed frame.
Jim
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Burlkraft on January 18, 2011, 09:35:07 AM
The bed looks great Dan  8)  8)  8)

Danny's right....You'll be proud of that project for years to come.  ;)
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dodgy Loner on January 25, 2011, 06:43:00 PM
Quote from: Dan_Shade on January 09, 2011, 07:09:20 PM
*SNIP*
I guess this is "arts and crafts" influenced?  if not, I'll go with "an original by Dan"  :-D
*SNIP*

*SNIP*
Need to turn some feet and make finials for the top as well.
*SNIP*

You can definitely see some Arts and Crafts details in the piece. Massive, square posts? Check. Quartersawn oak (albeit not white oak)? Check. But the raised panels, the subtle arch atop the headboard, and the turned feet and finials that you refer to will make it all your own. Maybe you can call it "An Arts and Crafts-inspired Original by Dan". I'll just call it a beauty. Nice work! :)
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 25, 2011, 08:06:20 PM
incorporating the turnings into the peice is proving to be challenging, I turned some bun feet, they didn't fit the style, so I quickly did a cove, it looked better, i'll hopefully have more time this weekend....

so arts and crafts design doesn't incorporate raised panels?
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 25, 2011, 08:27:37 PM
I've been having a time of it with mortises. I can't get the chisels sharp enough. It's good steel and I even both honed it and tried it right off the stone. Just crushes the end grain in cherry if you try to square the hole. So now I have a mortising chisel, a coping saw, and a fine Japanese Dozuki saw on the way from Lee Valley. I'm not ready to invest in a mortise attachment and drill press. Maybe when the tax refund comes. ;D
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 25, 2011, 08:34:59 PM
I have two fixes

one, hit the chisel harder with the hammer

two, take off your glasses

:-)
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 25, 2011, 08:50:30 PM
 :D :D :D :D
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dan_Shade on January 25, 2011, 09:11:16 PM
check this out, SD:  http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/Main/Articles/Skill_Builder_Hand_Cutting_Mortise_and_Tenons_8080.aspx
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 25, 2011, 10:11:42 PM
Dan, Looks like a good article. I'm snagging the PDF file now.  :)
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Dodgy Loner on January 26, 2011, 06:56:58 AM
Quote from: Dan_Shade on January 25, 2011, 08:06:20 PM
so arts and crafts design doesn't incorporate raised panels?

I can't say that there wasn't any Arts and Crafts furniture built with raised panels, but certainly the furniture that came to define the style was built with flat panels - usually just a 1/4" thick board in a 1/4" groove. A lot of Shaker furniture is built the same way. I am partial to that technique, because it allows me to resaw a 4/4 board into two bookmatched panels. A thicker panel in a bed is probably a good idea, given the abuse that it's liable to receive ;)
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: isawlogs on January 26, 2011, 07:54:42 AM
Have you looked at BusyBee Tools  SD , they have a mortise attachment and drill press for those of us that are fanancialy at times chalenged  ;D
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: Wrangler55 on January 26, 2011, 08:19:00 AM
Quote from: isawlogs on January 26, 2011, 07:54:42 AM
Have you looked at BusyBee Tools  SD , they have a mortise attachment and drill press for those of us that are fanancialy at times chalenged  ;D

I make a jig to match the tenion I'm making a mortise for, then drill out most of the waste with a forsner bit, then I use a pattern bit in my plunge router to follow the template and a chisel to square up the corners.  Last I split the tenion on a table saw, and use a wedge to assemble the joint. After sanding flush, they look and feel perfect without a lot of effort.

Hal
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 26, 2011, 11:38:21 AM
Marcel, they are not very expensive to begin with. Around $110 from Lee's and Canadian Tire sells a Master Craft that would be warranted if it broke, probably cheaper. I have heard various reports using these things, many are not really satisfied especially with the harder woods. They say not to force the work, sounds like it can be slow, but probably no slower than hand chiseled. You just have to watch what brand of press you get to be sure it can be attached. I would much prefer a mortising machine. ;D
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on January 27, 2011, 10:46:23 AM
http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuideProduct.aspx?id=5730

http://www.thetoolstore.ca/view.asp?General-1in-Hollow-Chisel-Mortiser_5243


;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: quartersawn red oak bed project
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 01, 2011, 10:54:56 AM
I've moved this post over to my cabinetry thread. ;)