Woodworking Patterns Plan - An attractive bedstead

Or bird's-eye maple, with light pearl stain, would be quite pleasing and would be out of the ordinary effects. The head and foot boards are alike with the exception that the headboard is 6 inch higher that the footboard. The corner posts are 2 1/4 inch square and are 3 ft 10 inch and 3 ft 4 inch long, respectively for head and foot boards.

The bottom ends of this woodworking patterns plan are tapered down to 1 3/4 inch square, the taper beginning 10 inch from the ends. They are 4 ft 6 inch apart, and allowing 1 1/2 inch on each end for tenons the top rail is 4 ft 9 inch long, 1 3/4 inch wide and 1 1/2 inch thick. The curve in these pieces reduces the lineal length by 2/3 inch so the mortises in the posts are only 1 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch wide. It will be best to have the rails steam bent, as otherwise the assembling will be a vexatious matter.

If steam bending cannot conveniently be done, the rails can be clamped down to a piece of rough timber, blocking up the center 3 inch, and the mortises for the spindles cut to the proper angles.

The spindles, 30 in number, are spaced 1 inch apart, and require 30 pieces 3/4 inch square and 38 inch long; these being cut to give the long and short pieces for head and foot boards. The pieces at the bottom of the spindles are 4 ft 7 1/2 inch long, allowing 3/4 inch tenons on the ends, 1 3/4 inch wide and 1 1/4 inch thick of this woodworking patterns plan.

In additiona to the mortises for the spindles cut in the top sides, grooves 3/8 inch wide and deep for the panel board are cut on the under side. This can be best done with a 3/8 inch grooving plane, a wooden one costing but little and is always a handy tool for cabinet work. The pieces under the panel boards are the same length and width as the pieces above, but are only 1 inch thick. Grooves are cut on the upper sides of these pieces.

The tenons on the ends are 1 inch wide and 3/4 inch long. The panel board is 4 ft 7 inch long, 10.5 inch wide and 3/8 inch thick, grooves 3/8 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep being cut in the posts between the mortises for the pieces above and below it. All grooves and mortises are centered in the pieces in which they are cut.

The sideboards are 6 ft 2.5 inch long, and require two pieces 10 inch wide and 7/8 inch thick; four pieces of moulding 1 inch wide along the top and bottom outside edges, and two strips 1.5 inch wide and 3/4 or 7/8 inch thick, on the lower inside edge in which are cut slots for the bed slats of this woodworking patterns plan.

By inspecting any wooden bed, the spacing and dimensions of the slats may be obtained; the slats may be purchased of any furniture dealer. The moulding mentioned should be a plain pattern without sharp edges, which would splinter or break off with wear, and is fastened on with glue and wire brads.

It would also be advisable to bore holes and drive wire nails through the tops and bottoms of a few of the spindles, to hold the top rails from lifting away from teh spindles. By cutting off the heads of the nails only small holes will be needed, which can be fitted with stained putty, using an oil stain. The tenons on the rails and pieces above and below the panel board should also be similarly pined with larger nails or wooden pins.

The tops of the posts are covered with caps cut from pieces 3.5 inch square and 3/4 inch thick; the edges being beveled off to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Shallow mortises fitting the tops of the posts are cut on the under sides of these caps, which are fastened in place with glue and a few long wire nails of small gauge of this woodworking patterns plan.

The hangers for the sideboards should be a kind which can be attached with long screws, as it is a difficult matter to put in the kind commonly used on wooden beds, unless one has a small circular saw with which to cut the slots. The castors most appropriate are those having square ferules covering the ends of the posts, but whatever castor is used should have a screw plate large enough to prevent undue strain on the post, else it might be split when moving the bed about.

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