Expert: Kirk Ryan - 3/17/2008

Question
QUESTION: Dear Kirk

I recently bought a bed frame from an independent local business, which required a certain amount of assembly when it arrived.  The wooden frame arrived partially constructed in that the very simple "bed head" and "bed foot" were already assembled and I had to just put these together with the length ways running boards and the width ways slats.

During the course of assembling the bed, I discovered that the legs on either side of the plank making up the foot of the bed are simply attached to the plank by 2 pieces of doweling and some glue - nothing more.  It appears that an insufficient amount of glue was used to fix the foot of the bed in place, along with the doweling, and keep it permanently attached to the legs of the bed.  As there is nothing more than two pieces of doweling and some glue keeping the frame together the legs have started to come away at either side of the footer plank and if nothing is done to fix this the bed will obviously collapse.

Upon discovering the problem I halted construction of the bed and decided to call the seller ASAP on Monday morning to discuss, the bed having arrived over the weekend.  My thinking was that this problem could be fixed in some way by the insertion of an appropriate bolt or the use of an equally sturdy fixture of some description to avoid this problem happening again.  

However, when I contacted the seller he was adamant that all that was required was a bit of glue and will not entertain any other suggestions.  Apart from the fact that I'm starting to think this guy is basically just really dodgy, I feel like he is probably trying to take me for a ride because I am a woman and he thinks that I don't know any better.  However, I feel like I know enough to be correct in thinking that a couple of pieces of doweling and some glue are fairly inadequate as a structurally sound fixture - do any of you have any idea what would be more appropriate so I can make a better case with this guy?

Cheers

REbecca

ANSWER: Sorry to hear of your trouble, hopefully I can help.

Well I can be honest and say that not a single bed here at my store is simply held with just dowels. You are correct that there should be a support bolt with a nut and bushing. I have other beds that use brackets instead of bushings and bolts.

If there is not a bushing in place already, it is not easy to add one yourself. The best thing a can recommend is to use brackets. You would have to screw them on the outside of the part though. This may not be the most attractive option, but it would support well. (brackets can come in L shape for different types of attachment)

Another option may be to go with a better glue. Wood glue tends to dry and crack. I have been using this new "gorilla" glue religiously now. It dries very hard and won't let you down. The gorilla glue with the support of the dowels should be good.

In conclusion, these beds usually have the bushings planted into the parts by machines. The bushings go in very tight, and usually don't come out. If I were to put a bushing in myself, I'd drill a hole, and use a bushing that screws into the wood reverse the thread of the bolt.(so when the bolts turns in, it won't strip it out)

Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hey thanks for sending such a quick response Kirk - just to clarify what exactly is a "bushing" in lay persons terms? and also why would it not be ok to place a bracket on the inside of the join rather than the outside to avoid it looking so ugly? - I had been thinking that if i inserted a small metal right angled bracket (ie something like this: http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9281770&fh_v)  on the inside corner of the join along with the glue it might assist in making a more sturdy join?

Answer
A bushing is something that is set into the wood that a bolt would connect to. It would be metal and have thread. Its sort of like a bolt and nut. A nut has thread and spins around a bolt. A bushing can be any size, and usually is fixed so that it doesn't move.

Here is a picture of a bushing. (best I could find)   http://www.milmar.com/images/Sch 40 Reducing Bushing (SxFPT).JPG

My bushings don't look like that, but its a basic idea of what it is. You don't usually see much of it, as it is really set in the wood well.

As for the brackets. If you can conceal them, then I would say that is your best bet. Those will work great. I'm surprised that the bed didn't come with either brackets or a type of bolt connection/bushings.

When installing the brackets, if you don't pre-drill holes for the screws, I recommend using a "punch" to create a starting hole, and use a hand screw driver as it will be safer. Sometimes power drills can be dangerous with sensitive wood and cause a crack or split.

Hope this wasn't too long!   :-)    Good luck to you. Please let me know if you need more help.

~Kirk