Making A Modern Bed with Traditional Joinery
I made the bed mostly from solid ash hardwood that I bought rough sawn. The rough lumber needs to be cut and planed down to make the smooth parts used to make the bed, starting with the rails.
The panels of the headboard and footboard are joined to the legs with sliding dovetails. The dovetails mechanically hold the joint together, while also allowing the panels to expand and contract with seasonal moisture changes.
I used traditional joinery rather than metal hardware to put the bed together. The rails have tenons on each end that goes through the legs, and a walnut wedge locks the parts together.
The slats that support the mattress are 1/2" thick and 4" wide strips of solid hickory and these rest on cleats fastened to the rails. I cut spacer blocks to fit between each slat to keep them separated.
The bowties were added to the headboard as a decorative element.
I used water-based polyurethane to finish the wood, spraying on three coats with a light sanding between coats.
This bed was designed to match the night tables I made a few months ago:
• Modern Design Night Ta...
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I made the bed mostly from solid ash hardwood that I bought rough sawn. The rough lumber needs to be cut and planed down to make the smooth parts used to make the bed, starting with the rails. The panels of the headboard and footboard are joined to the legs with sliding dovetails. The dovetails mechanically hold the joint together, while also allowing the panels to expand and contract with seasonal moisture changes. I used traditional joinery rather than metal hardware to put the bed together. The rails have tenons on each end that goes through the legs, and a walnut wedge locks the parts together. The slats that support the mattress are 1/2" thick and 4" wide strips of solid hickory and these rest on cleats fastened to the rails. I cut spacer blocks to fit between each slat to keep them separated. The bowties were added to the headboard as a decorative element. I used water-based polyurethane to finish the wood, spraying on three coats with a light sanding between coats. This bed was designed to match the night tables I made a few months ago: kzhead.info/sun/g91pmL6sn2KXdp8/bejne.html
Great video. Build videos are the best. Voice over would be nice too.
Saya fans anda.saya juga pengarajin kayu tapi dengan segala keterbatasan alat.di Indonesia alat alat mahal tidak sebanding dengan harga jual hasil karya
John - that bed is strong enough for Hagrid.
Price?
Are you selling the plans?
I am sure I am just one of thousands to say this but don't we all appreciate no click bait thumb nail, no intro, no sponsor talk, and straight to the point video? Everything about his video is perfect and so soothing... very informational and honest video which is extremely rare nowadays. I am actually over joyed finding this channel. John, Thank you.
Couldn't agree more, and believe you me, I've watched several hundred to say the least. Some of the Japanese videos are superb as well. But this John is simply great. I love his workshop- EVERY machine is rebuilt entirely in wood by his good self. He is something of a wood genius. Great channel- no fuss, no mess, no ads.
I would like to hear him talk and explain things instead of listening to machines running
The shop vac funnel to the custom lid trash can. Subbed 45 seconds in.
7,952 ideas, tips and tricks packed in one 11 minute video! It’s like reading 17,348 woodworking periodicals in 11:19 minutes.
I've had a few close calls in the past, and I've learned the importance of wearing Softgle.
Beautiful work John. Thank you for sharing it with us!
This is the sort of work I aspire to be doing sometime soon. Thank you for showing us!
It's so cool to see you using all those tools and tables and jigs you've made over the years. And working so well!
You're amazing John. I'm so thankful that you share your process and creations and ideas with the world.
I have been waiting for this build for months, not disappointed. Great work as always John.
Beautiful work John. I'm never disappointed by your content.
Fantastic job with the bed build John and its great to see you making something 👍
Love your work John. Your an inspiration, appreciate what you do 👌🏼
Excellent video John. Great to see so many of your shop tool & projects being used to make the bed frame.
Beautiful. Looks so good next to the night stands you made before. The sliding dovetail construction is a great idea that I am going to borrow. Love it!
Stunning build John. And perfect editing thanks
Awesome as always! Thank you for doing what you do!
There is still nothing better than watching a well made joint going together ... and the final result, simply stunning!
What a gorgeous bed. John, you never cease to impress. Thank you much for the inspiration and technique.
Amazing job John!
All that can be said is Beautiful John!
That ash grain looks great. I like the simple router jigs to make those sliding dovetails. Simple jigs to make complex cuts and joinery.
Beautiful bed John, amazing work! 😍👍🏻👊🏻
Very impressive work John! Love the looks and the joinery that you used. I would call that an heirloom piece! 👍👍👏👏
Wow. I really appreciate this one. The craftsmanship, the design and the editing. Great job!
Next level stuff here. Looks sturdy, durable and beautiful John.
I've made a few beds, mortised and tenon, and pretty happy with them. But I must admit, this was well done. I'd rather Bed Bolts than the tenon and wedges, but that is just me. Great video and I love the little things that you've made. Great filming too!
I really like the way this bed looks like. Maybe a source of inspiration for a further project. You did a very good job John. Thank you so much for sharing the whole process.
John, I love the bed! Love the video showing how you made it; how you utilize the handmade tools you created to build it. Very well done!
Very elegant. The curves give lightness to what would have been a heavy-looking frame. And the walnut wedges and butterflies are a great touch.
There’s a lot of nice bed designs on KZhead but this is definitely one of my favorites! Really nice work
Awesome. Just awesome bedroom set. The bed works perfectly with the side tables. Almost like you planned it that way. I really love the style here. Quite subtle, yet very beautiful details. Very nice. Very nice.
Beautiful. I learnt a lot watching you make the relief cuts on the tablesaw before routing out the dovetail slot - couldn't have expected the dovetail bit to hog out that much by itself, nice work. Oh, and sleep tight John.
Amazing work John!
John! Still doing the great stuff, after all these years. Beautiful... Thank you. 🖐🏻
Outstanding craftsmanship John! Your attention to detail and creativity is un-matched. The small details that you have included set this project on another level, just beautiful all round! Thank you for sharing!!
Wow, that came out beautiful! Love the details.
Beautiful. Nice job, John.
Beautiful hand crafted traditional bed. Great work
Such a beautifully designed and built bed. Fascinating how such fine, intricate joinery can be made to look so simple. Thank you for sharing this.
Nice to see a build video again. Thank you very much.
What a nice project. Always a pleasure to see a master at work!
this was the PERFECT video for a quiet Sunday afternoon... great job & awesome build!
Great job John!
That headboard is never coming apart! Love the use of traditional joinery instead of metal hardware. My challenge would be in getting the sliding dovetail centered it the posts, with matching pieces... Love the relief cuts on the ts before routing. Brilliant.
Absolutely loved this one .. great work … and make more !!
So simple yet quite beautiful. Humble but with noticable precense. Damnit John the more you do and the more i watch your output the more it is noticable that your design talent is getting more and more exquisite.
Beautiful John 👌👍
Beautiful and elegant as always, John.
Hey John, this video suddenly popped up in my feed. Wow great video and the end result looks fantastic! Congrats! The sliding dovetails are superb.
Great job!! you have a very well-equipped shop there, and good skills, too.
What a crafstman, beautiful to watch. Thanks for sharing with us.
So many great tips and tricks in this video that can be used in any project. But also, what a great looking island!
Very elegant bed frame, right along with the night stands!
What a lovely job you made of the bed. Great to see a mix of hand tools and power tools. Excellent video.
Really enjoyed this on Mr. Heisz
Really great work John, more like this please.
Really nice! Love to see the joinery.
I really liked that sliding dovetail technique of using the table saw first to not kill the router bit (our yourself!)
Absolutely beautiful bed. Great skills making that. Live it!
Gorgeous bed, John. Enjoyed the style of this video also. Very well done.
Nicely done John.
WOW - was a Pleasure to see it all !! 💕😍
Absolutely beautiful! Well done 👏
That was beautiful. No narration, just ambiental sound. It almost looked like a tribute to Ishitani Furniture. Bravo!
what a masterpiece! I'm so happy to see you finally made something from the solid wood, and with the sliding dovetails + wedges joinery. I never use plywood, even if it would be never to be seen carcass, I am "allergic" to plywood furniture with edge banding and so on. I couldn't sleep on a bed, thinking there was MDF or melamine board or particle board in it.
Loved the trick of using the step drill to widen the hole for the spade bit. Very smart.
Nicely done. The design is timeless and the execution is brilliant.
Beautiful work!!! I really enjoyed watching it!
Beautiful craftsmanship, and I love the video without music, just peaceful shop noises!
Super build John. You are a guru to me. Both with your build quality and also your videography quality. Another fantastic build 😎🥰
Nicely done John.👍👍
Beautiful looking bed and I love the construction techniques.
Great looking bed John.. 👍
This turned out amazing, an heirloom piece
Nice build, John!
I love the joinery John! The sliding dovetails got me right in the feels!
Thanks :)
Masterpiece 👍👍👍
Fantastic build John
I always learn something watching your channel John, Thanks!
I know I don't always take the time to comment on your videos, but your work is always beautiful. This bed is no exception. Thank you for sharing your craft.
Awesome project and video. Thanks for sharing your craft. I had forgotten about your homemade wood floor. Seems to be holding up well. Love your content!
Looks GREAT.
That is one of the best looking designs I've ever seen. The quality of work is excellent, but that elegant simplicity of the design style is next level.
The walnut wedges won me over
Damn. That's just incredible. Gorgeous.
So so beautiful! I love the attachments and the inlay. I'm so jealous. 😅
Thank you for the wonderful presentation, especially without the techno music. You did a fantastic job and I learned a couple of new ways of making the jointery
I like the bed design and enjoyed the vid….I always enjoy a good “trad build”, thanks.
your workmanship is amazing
Great craftmanship, John! Beautiful work!
Wow it was great to watch!! TY
Really nice build John! I love the design!
Bed looks great, I like the way you made the angled wedges at the tablesaw, I hadn't seen that before
Verrrrry nice bed project. Simple, clean lines, traditional joinery, nice light woods, clean lines of design. Simply a lot of great ingredients to make a lovely lasting project. Mr Heisz must have a very happy wife! I love the workshop; the way it exudes wood from start to finish. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and ideas. This is a great channel indeed. God bless. Greetings from France.
Nice job John! That really turned out nice :) Thanks for always sharing with us!💖👍😎JP
I loved every inch of this build! I 'm still trying to process your hand clamps. Quite remarkable sir. Keep these builds coming and I will carefully watch. I like the design with the arch at the footbaord and the Black Walnut accent shims and inlays. Gorgeous dude!
beautiful build love your work
Beautiful work!
Great design and execution! Thanks for the video.