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Bunk
Beds in Ash (page 1)
Request
for bunk bed plans are among the most frequent "request"
type posts on the rec.woodworking newsgroup. I built a set
of bunks in 1993 which have held up nicely to the abuses from
my kids. Here's what I made and the critical measurements
needed to recreate a set.
Here (31,302 bytes) is an image my bunk beds. Refer to
it if the description below is unclear. The design is inspired
by an article in Today's Woodworker magazine (issue
18, November/December 1991, Rockler Press, 21801 Industrial
Blvd., Rogers, MN 55374-0044; available at The
Woodworkers' Store 1-800-279-4441). The wood used
is ash, mostly 6/4 stock (1.25 inch thick) which I purchased
in bulk form.
The beds
consist of six basic parts : headboard, footboard, side rails,
ladder, guard, and drawers
The finish
is Danish Oil (natural) and wax. Total cost was about $200
for the pair (I bought the ash at $1.40/bd ft) and unlike
so many commercial bunk beds, it is rock solid.
Headboard
There is
one headboard per bed. When stacked, both headboards are used
on the lower bed. The height of the headboards must therefore
be high enough for lower bunk use while retaining enough headroom
for the upper bunk.
The main
posts are 2.5 inches square, made of glued 1.25 inch stock,
and 37 inches tall. They are rounded over with a quarter inch
rounderover router bit. The posts are seperated by top, middle
and lower rails, each 39 inches long. At the top of each post
is a 1 inch diameter hole about 1 inch deep. This is used
to hold a dowel that connect the upper and lower bunk posts
when they are stacked. An ornamental piece can be made to
fit into this hole if the beds are not stacked. I made a simple
set with 2 inch wood balls and a short 1 inch dowel connector.
Each post also holds the female half of metal bed rail fasteners
(available at many woodworking stores and mail order firms),
one per post. These fasteners are mortised such that they
sit flush to the post. Take your time on this part. Additional
mortises must also be cut into these mortises to allow the
the male fastener hooks room to sit. See the actual fastener
is this doesn't make any sense ! Placement of the fasteners
is such that when assembled, the side rails will sit 9 inches
above ground.
All rails
are 1.25 inches thick. The bottom rail is 6.25 inches high.
It is fastened to the post with a 3 inch tall tenon, 1 inch
deep and pinned by a 0.25 inch dowel. The tenon is located
at the top end of the rail to limit wood movement to the bottom,
away from the rest of the headboard. The bottom of the rail
is located 9 inches from the bottom of the posts.
The middle
rail is 2 inched high. It uses a 0.75 inch tenon, also 1 inch
deep. This is not pinned. The bottom of this rail is located
19.25 inches from the bottom thus leaving 4 inches between
the middle and bottom rail.
The top
rail is curved and reaches a maximum height of about 7 inches
and a minimum of 4.75 inches on each end. It uses a 2 inch
tall tenon also 1 inch deep and is pinned. This tenon is located
near the bottom of the rail to allow movement above it. The
curve is circular but can be anything desired. The space between
the top and middle rail is 10 inches.
The space
between the bottom and middle rail is filled with two 3/8
inch thick solid flat panels. Their space is defined by three
3x4 inch blocks. Blocks and panels are all held in place by
tongues and grooves cut into the middle and lower rails. The
blocks are glued in place while the panels are free floating.
Finally,
the space between the top and middle rail holds 11 slats.
Each slat is 1.25x0.75 and rounded over. Slats are space evenly
across the 39 inch span. Each slat is held in place by mortise
and tenons to the middle and top rails. Avoid using round
tenons (such as dowels) as kids will inevitably spin them
!
28-September-2000
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Here (31,302 bytes