Floating bed project

[CowboyBeBop]

Me and my wife are looking to build our own bed in the same style as the picture below. We are kind of beginners, and we are aware that quality timber is expensive, but so it is design furniture. In the end, if we manage to save a bit of money and spend a few hours doing something we like, it will be worth it.

We are looking to buy some decent timber and it would be great to hear your thoughts. Oak or beech, fingerjointed or sawn boards? I even thought about making it out of solid oak fingerjointed worktops as they are ready available, but I'm not sure this is a good idea. Is it worth buying timber it online from places like S L Hardwoods?

The design doesn't seem to be over complicated. 3 main planks to make the "box", 2 planks to make the legs, 1 plank to make the headboard and 2 planks to make the drawer fronts. There's also some internal structure to support the planks, but I guess that can be done with an inferior quality timber like pine.

We want the legs to be a bit thicker (around 40mm) than the rest (between 25 and 30mm). To make it easier we are planning to use metal brackets to keep it all together. Happy to hear your thoughts on this, as well.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Initially though that looks a good design - then thought a little further:

• the perimeter boards work if the duvet/blanket is tucked in, but most duvets tend to "hang" rather than be tucked in. Won't look quite so neat.
• a hard perimeter with sharp corners could be hazardous to overhanging legs

I know the compromise of aesthetics, design and function are a personal thing - the above is just a personal observation.

As an aside - if using finger jointed kitchen worktop you need to be careful to ensure any exposed edges don't go through the fingers - it looks untidy at best.

 

[clogs]

sounds and looks great to me........
not keen on the angle iron type brackets tho....they tend to work loose......
prefer the type with nuts in a hole........
good idea is to look in showrooms and see what fittings looks strong enough.....
I think there are some self locking sort now that works like industrial Dexion racking.......
the more you wriggle the tighter the lock........
we bought a stunner not so long ago in solid English Oak.....quite modern....pretty sure the sides are 50mm thick....
PS, it was a steal at £50.....they are about if u look....our's was on F.Book......cost nearly 500 for the mattress........
Mind it won't end there.....bedside cabinets and wardrobes etc come closely after the bed.....
nice idea.....

 

[Tris]

I think there are some self locking sort now that works like industrial Dexion racking.......
the more you wriggle the tighter the lock....

https://bedslats.co.uk/collections/bed-corner-brackets

 

[CowboyBeBop]

Initially though that looks a good design - then thought a little further:

• the perimeter boards work if the duvet/blanket is tucked in, but most duvets tend to "hang" rather than be tucked in. Won't look quite so neat.
• a hard perimeter with sharp corners could be hazardous to overhanging legs

I know the compromise of aesthetics, design and function are a personal thing - the above is just a personal observation.

As an aside - if using finger jointed kitchen worktop you need to be careful to ensure any exposed edges don't go through the fingers - it looks untidy at best.

Very fair points. I will definitely take those into consideration. Thanks.

sounds and looks great to me........
not keen on the angle iron type brackets tho....they tend to work loose......
prefer the type with nuts in a hole........
good idea is to look in showrooms and see what fittings looks strong enough.....
I think there are some self locking sort now that works like industrial Dexion racking.......
the more you wriggle the tighter the lock........
we bought a stunner not so long ago in solid English Oak.....quite modern....pretty sure the sides are 50mm thick....
PS, it was a steal at £50.....they are about if u look....our's was on F.Book......cost nearly 500 for the mattress........
Mind it won't end there.....bedside cabinets and wardrobes etc come closely after the bed.....
nice idea.....

I will have a look into those mechanisms. We do have the mattress already, but currently on the floor!

Thanks

 

[Jameshow]

How about getting a couple of scaffold boards and some pallets and mocking it up?

It would allow you to check if you like it or not? The slats could be used on the final design and the scaffolding boards in the garden!

 

[CowboyBeBop]

It's not a bad idea, but I don't have a garden and I feel that I would just be adding more money to a design we feel pretty happy about. My main question now is where to source the timber, and what would be a good option for a job like this.

 

[Jameshow]

First decide what wood you want and how much... either rough or PAR..

The find a local good timber merchant. Not a DIY shed.

 

[Doug71]

My main question now is where to source the timber, and what would be a good option for a job like this.

The bed in the photo looks like it's just made out of worktops which is probably the easiest option.

I've had a few Oak worktops from here and always been happy with them.

https://www.worktop-express.co.uk/

 

[Iestynd]

I'ved used: M L Panels in the past for worktops for inbuilt furniture. Very nice people to deal with and deliver UK wide.

Very pleased with the quality of their furniture boards.

Good luck if you decide to do it, and please post pictures

 

[Agent_zed]

As above you will at somepoint walk into the corner and it will hurt. If it were me, I'd raise the mattress and make it inline with the outer edge, but leave a 3/4inch drop so the mattress sits down just slightly to stop it moving about.

I built my bed and is basically a copy of Derbyshire Handmade Solid Plank Four Poster Bed by Incite but mine is solid oak, except for the centre support and slats where I used pine. I did the same as mentioned above and my mattress doesn't move at all.

If you go the blockboard route then you'll have to plan the sizes based on the joints in the blockboard, as it would probably look wrong if you have a cut through half a row. Plywood is another option and can look quite good if the edges become part of the feature, but not to everyones taste.

Obviously up to you but you should also consider the bed height as that looks quite low. Personally I like a higher bed as it makes it easier for me to roll out in the morning.

 

[CowboyBeBop]

The bed in the photo looks like it's just made out of worktops which is probably the easiest option.

I've had a few Oak worktops from here and always been happy with them.

I'ved used: M L Panels in the past for worktops for inbuilt furniture. Very nice people to deal with and deliver UK wide.

Yes, I did wonder if worktops could work. After all they have 27mm, which could be used all around and 40mm for the legs. Thanks for both links, I guess it will also come down to price. I'm planning a visit to the local timber merchant this Saturday to see what's available.

As above you will at somepoint walk into the corner and it will hurt. If it were me, I'd raise the mattress and make it inline with the outer edge, but leave a 3/4inch drop so the mattress sits down just slightly to stop it moving about.

I built my bed and is basically a copy of Derbyshire Handmade Solid Plank Four Poster Bed by Incite but mine is solid oak, except for the centre support and slats where I used pine. I did the same as mentioned above and my mattress doesn't move at all.

If you go the blockboard route then you'll have to plan the sizes based on the joints in the blockboard, as it would probably look wrong if you have a cut through half a row. Plywood is another option and can look quite good if the edges become part of the feature, but not to everyones taste.

Obviously up to you but you should also consider the bed height as that looks quite low. Personally I like a higher bed as it makes it easier for me to roll out in the morning.

Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely take them into consideration.

 

[Sean33]

Me and my wife are looking to build our own bed in the same style as the picture below. We are kind of beginners, and we are aware that quality timber is expensive, but so it is design furniture. In the end, if we manage to save a bit of money and spend a few hours doing something we like, it will be worth it.

We are looking to buy some decent timber and it would be great to hear your thoughts. Oak or beech, fingerjointed or sawn boards? I even thought about making it out of solid oak fingerjointed worktops as they are ready available, but I'm not sure this is a good idea. Is it worth buying timber it online from places like S L Hardwoods?

The design doesn't seem to be over complicated. 3 main planks to make the "box", 2 planks to make the legs, 1 plank to make the headboard and 2 planks to make the drawer fronts. There's also some internal structure to support the planks, but I guess that can be done with an inferior quality timber like pine.

We want the legs to be a bit thicker (around 40mm) than the rest (between 25 and 30mm). To make it easier we are planning to use metal brackets to keep it all together. Happy to hear your thoughts on this, as well.

View attachment 167442

How deep is your mattress ? Reason I ask is I made something similar some years ago at the bequest of the boss and the mattress sat inside by 100mm,
think it lasted 6 months before I had to take it apart and have a re jig as changing the sheets was a nightmare especially if the mattress is heavy!
From experience and with the few beds I have made for clients I always try and recommend it being flush or a small inset.
As for timber Ash, Oak always aesthetically look good but can't see any reason why Beech wouldn't work, just personal preference, plenty of people make them in pine, and even MDF.
I usually plane it all up myself but when I do need it PAR and cut to size I use EO Burton, pricing is very good but more importantly the quality of the finish is always great and I'm sure they deliver to London

 

[CowboyBeBop]

Mattress is 25cms deep and the idea is to have most of it outside the box. I have drafted some measures, but I'll reviewing them accounting for that, thanks.

 

[CowboyBeBop]

Update:
We have gone for beech worktops and we have cut them to size.

2x 2m x 200 x 27mm - side boards
1x 1.554m x 200 x 27mm - front board
1x 1.7m x 200 x 27mm - headboard
2x 1.5m x 300 x 40mm - legs

We want to build two drawers and have ordered a 1.5m x 620 x 27mm worktop for the drawers fronts (1.5m x 20cm). We are now realising that 27mm for a drawer is very bulky and heavy. We are considering keeping the worktop for other project and maybe order something thiner that can keep the same aesthetic. Unfortunately, we cannot find 20mm beech wortops. They only do 20mm plinths, which are 150mm high and we need 200mm

We have also ordered brackets:
- These for the frame - Attaching the two sideboards to the front board seem fine, but will these hold a quite heavy headboard? Perhaps we need to get some screws behind the headboard to attach it to the two side boards.

- And these for the attach the legs to the sideboards - They are normally used for the support rails, but we thought that if we put them upside down they could connect the frame to the legs. We've realised that they are made of thin metal and it will probably not work. We need to find a sturdier option.

We are going to order this IKEA bed slat base. Our plan is to attach the frame to the bed and use it as a support as well.

For the finish, we have some Osmo polyx oil.

 

[flying haggis]

To fix the legs to the sides you could use these
https://www.toolstation.com/mini-timber-to-timber-joist-hanger/p36705the bits that fix to the sides are nearly twice as long as the ones you linked to. Ok they are not great to look at but they will be hidden.
To fix the headboard to the frame those brackets will be fine, after all you are fixing heavier side rails with them.

 

[Agent_zed]

Might be worth grinding the ends of the screws off, that way you'll get a few more mm of thread holding rather than the point that isn't doing much. Just run a normal one into the pilot hole to get it started and then they should go in without a problem.

 

[CowboyBeBop]

UPDATE: Bed is finished

It took a while, but we finally made it. In terms of fixings, we changed our mind and decided to go with cam lock fixings and some dowels.

 

[MF1000]

The 1st image shows the bed supported on two cross boards ….are there sides fitted to make a rectangle? otherwise it will eventually collapse

 

[CowboyBeBop]

The 1st image shows the bed supported on two cross boards ….are there sides fitted to make a rectangle? otherwise it will eventually collapse

I'm not entirely sure if I understand your question. The legs are attached to the side boards using a total of 8 dowels. Additionally, there are two battens screwed to the side boards, resting on the legs. These battens support the slats along with a middle rail, although it's not visible in the picture.