Expert: Jamie Yocono - 10/28/2004

Question
I would like to know how to build a king size platform bed. I also need a shopping list.

THANK YOU!

Answer
Hi Kasey,

When I read your question, the first thing that came to mind is the great book about bed building -- it's called "Beds" by Jeff Miller. Your local Border's or Barnes and Noble bookstore probably has a copy, so maybe you can visit a store and check out that specific book. It covers most of the basics about bed design, discusses the various hardware that you can use, and gives you photos of bed construction techniques that you will need. It's the best place for you to start. I really like his designs, and his plans are fairly simple.

The hard part (I think) is locating the hardware you need to go along with the designs. So the next place I would visit is Rockler.com, which is a woodworking company that not only sells plans, but a complete line of supplies like bed fasteners, drawer glides, hinges, knobs and pulls, screws, etc. It's a retail site best known for it's "one stop" shopping. If you live near a decent sized city, there is probably a Rockler store near you.

I don't have any idea if you have tools or not, or better yet, access to a woodshop. I am assuming you have at least the basic capabilities, like cutting boards, sanding, and assembling them. Some bed plans require a pretty good arsenal of tools, and other simple beds might only require a saw and a screwdriver. Depends on how complicated you want the bed to be.

For plans, I would look into the sites of the various woodworking magazines. My favorites are: Taunton.com (home of Fine Woodworking magazine), WoodSmith.com and Wood.com.

I just searched 2 places where I often find plans, and both have some bed plans. I am not sure if you'll like them, but at least you can take a look at them and perhaps adapt them to something that you might like. Try copying and pasting in these two places in your web browser window:

http://www.woodzone.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=WOS&Categor...

http://popularmechanics.com/home_improvement/furniture/1999/11/kids_furniture/

Most of the plans available will give you a shopping list, as well as a cutting list.

Something else that came to mind is a series of books about building furniture from 2 x 4's. I think there are 3-4 books in this series....so I did a search on Amazon.com to see if the book included plans for a bed. Unfortunately, it's hard to say, since the description of the book really doesn't mention bed plans specifically. The name of the book is: Terrific 2 X 4 Furniture by Stevie Henderson, Mark Baldwin.  The good part is that their plans are really simple.

Last thing...as a custom furniture maker, I am often asked to build pieces for which there are no plans available.  This takes experience and an understanding of joinery, but it's possible to simplify your task by using some stock components. For example, I am currently working on a design for a local veterinarian who wants storage under her platform bed. We are planning on using Rubbermaid rolling storage boxes that are designed to roll under beds. It's a simple, effective and decent solution for her needs and budget.  So you might want to come up with some sort of sketch of your bed, and then adapt the plans to fit it, maybe using some nice touches (like the storage boxes) to customize it. The most important thing is that you need to design the bed around the dimensions of the mattress, so that is the place to start.

Hope this helps...I find so much free information on the web- you should be able to, as well.  Feel free to write again if you have any other questions.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV