The Bed Frame pt. 6

Progress. This last weekend turned out nice enough that I was able to get the posts for the head board cleaned up and managed to get the first coat of stain on.

Sanding down the remaining swirls and odd marks on both posts

Success. The first coat of stain went on rather easily and while there are a few touch up spots I'm fairly pleased the the overall results.

In the process of applying the stain I did manage to stain part of my foot. The shoes were old but I really liked them plus the stain turned my foot a nice shade of mahogany. The important thing though is that the posts are almost done. The head board should be completed soon and then we can move to the frame.

The Bed Frame pt. 5

No news on the bed frame project other than I haven't had time to work on it. Between starting fall season and the weather changing toward northwest fall - love this time of the year - I haven't had the time or energy needed to finish off the project. I'm hoping that this weekend will allow me to get more of it done.

A quick recap for those who don't want to go back through the previous four posts.

1. I couldn't find a bed frame that I liked so inspired by my friends Sonja and Chris I decided to build my own.

2. After sorting through antique malls for a door to use as the head board, I decided on old window shutters. Since the window shutters cost so much money and required a ton of prep work I decided to build my own.

3. Designed and built my own window shutters then with my stepfather's help we designed and built the frame.

4. Everything was framed up and nailed into place so we started on building the posts that will hold it in place.

5. The posts were build, cut down leaving sanding and staining.

And that's where we stand right now. The bed posts need a little more sanding to remove the last swirl marks and then the head board needs to be lightly sanded. Then comes staining and it's looking like two coats will probably be needed. Finally will be the remaining frame which is still in the design phase. The important thing is to make sure that it's sturdy yet easy to disassemble for ease of moving. It's always nice having an engineer in the family.

Anyhow that's where things are right now. Zero forward progress but we're almost there.

The Bed Frame pt. 4

When we last left our hero he'd just completed assembly of the head board and was now moving into darker - literally - dangerous waters. Sanding and staining. Proper sanding and staining are critical and can be time consuming. This is not where you want to start cutting corners. It'd be a damn shame to have put this much time and money - albeit little money - into your bed just to ruin it because you get impatient. Take the time and you will be rewarded.The stain otherwise known as "Bombay Mahogany." Fancy name for dark red I suppose. This is the test piece sanded and prepped. Not a bad color but a second coat will definitely help.


This is one of the two posts that will support the head board. They're made from four boards glued together then cut down.

Sanding is definitely not one of my favorite things in the world. Thankfully I found this little gadget that I bought for the renovation project I did at my dad's place in California. The good news is that it cuts sanding time by half. The bad news is that it creates a ton of sawdust that gets everywhere
. Like I said, everywhere. The result of sanding one half - yes half - of a bed post. The pile was a lot bigger once I was done with a single post but cameras and sawdust don't mix. I managed to get both posts nearly done although there are some swirl spots from the bench saw that will have to be worked on. Next up, the head board.

The Bed Frame pt. 3

It's Labor Day weekend and I've definitely lived up to the name. Taking advantage of one of my few remaining free weekends - fall season starts Tuesday - I got the rest of the bed frame sketched out and put together the head board.

The cap and bottom piece for the head board on the left and center of the picture. I wasn't sure what to do about the posts so my step-dad suggested that we build our own so they match the rest of the frame. That's the pile on the right.

Life is so much easier when you've got the right tools.


The nearly finished product. The posts will go on either side of the outer shutters. All that's left is to fill in any flaws, sanding then stain. Next up is the frame.