Arts and Crafts Wedge and Strap Bed #1: Laminated Posts

This is the queen size bed that I am building. Material is quartersawn red oak.

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I started with some veneers for the legs. I resawed some 3/4” stock at the bandsaw, and planed them to thickness. Then I wrapped them with some shrink wrap to keep them flat.

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- The veneers are slightly oversized, and 1/4” thick. Although the finished veneers will be only 3/32” thick, I leave them thicker because 1) they are easier to glue up, and 2) they come out of the planer looking better than thin strips.

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I have a bunch of solid red and white oak posts, however once milled up I realized they were all too small for the 4×4” posts called for in the plan.

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Next I glued up rough leg blanks. They consist of two 8/4 boards, and two 3/4” boards.

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Rough thickness is 4-1/8” x 4-1/2” at this stage.

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Here is the rough glueup. The thickness here is 4-1/2”.

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At this point I realized that the moisture content of the 8/4 boards was too high. I was getting 12% readings, with one individual board measuring 14%. So, I stacked the rough blanks in a small room with a dehumidifier and fans for a week or so. This dried them to 6-8% core moisture content.

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Next I mill the rough blanks straight and square, and glue on the 1/4” veneers. Notice the large clamping cauls on both sides.

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Here the leg blanks are coming together, and are ready for veneer trimming at the router table.

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With the veneers trimmed, and the legs planed to final dimensions of 4×4”, I laid out and cut some mortises. The large oversquare mortises will receive the bed side rails.

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The rectangular mortises will receive tenons from the headboard / footboard panels.

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The horizontal mortise is for the lower shelf.

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Here you see the lower headboard shelf, and some details of the plan. The slat detail above the upper shelf is inspired by Kevin Rodel’s arts and crafts dining chair, which was featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine.

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Spent yesterday afternoon unloading my new toy, a DJ-20. What a beast!

Next up will be the footboard panels.
Cheers!

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush