Building a Pedestal Bed

[OldRelayer]

Hello Guys,

We are making a guest room in a very small space and want to convert a double bed with a frame and box spring to something we saw in the Pottery Barn catalog.

Here is a picture of the bed, it is $1000, I am thinking, you should be able to make something decent for a whole lot less.
http://www.priceoffuel.com/barrym/bed.jpg

I don't have a lot of experience with this kind of thing and don't have much for tools, just a skill saw and a sabre saw, no exotic tools. It doesn't have to be an exact replica, this one has panel inserts which I would never be able to do. My thought is to frame it with 1 X4" pine boards, although not sure how to do it and make it look right, will finish nails do the trick, although it sure would be easier with screws. I assume in order for it to look right, you would have to miter the boards, I think you can pick up a simple hand miter box for little money.

Any idea on how to do this, what techniques, what materials or any other help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Barry

Barry,

I think your going to have a rough go of it without the presision of at least a table saw. Finish nails are not going to cut it and 1x4's are going to also cause you some hate and discontent. Number one, the 1x4's are not going to be sturdy enough without adding so much cross member and joist support, that your storage space is all used up. I'm assuming you were planning to put a sheet of plywood on top of the frame for the box spring to rest on. and you would probably want another one on the bottom for your storage containers. You could come up woth a descent enough frame set up with 2x4's and ply, your biggest problem is going to be appearance. With some very careful planning you could come up with something servicable, but you'd make life much easier with a table saw. Don't mean to sound negative about the project, but with limited tools, this will be a tough one.

[OldRelayer]

Thanks for the reply. I was already thinking that 1X4" wasn't going to hack it, so you have confirmed that for me. I think the one at the pottery Barn doesn't use a box spring at all, and I think I know why, it would make the bed way to high. My thought was to have three "Boxes" and when complete it would make up the entire surface for the matress to sit on. I am thinking 2X6's or even 2X10's depending on how the spacing works out, would be strong enough and 2 2X10's would make it easier to seam. I might be able to get use of a table saw and I am thinking that it would look a lot nicer if the edges were routered. I read somewhere that using car body filler (bondo) works better than wood putty for seaming, any thought on that? I am going to think about this a couple of days before I actually do anything, so let me know if you have any other ideas.

Thanks again
Barry

[mitch17]

In order to have something you will like down the road, I see two options:

1 Buy the tools mentioned if you're going to make it
2 Buy the product from the store

Trying to make a project without the proper tools is an exercise in frustration.

[OldRelayer]

Thanks for the reply. I can see how you are right, with the right tools everything will be straight and align properly. Since my original post, I remembered where I can use the tools required to do a good job and will do so.

Even if I bought a table saw and router and the materials to make this project, I would still save more than $500. If I had a place to keep and use the items, I would seriously consider buying them, I am sure you can find plenty to do with such things when you have them. I am not trying to replicate the store item, it is just the idea that we like, storage under the bed helps us to provide storage space for guests without taking up the space of a dresser.

At the moment I am using my original plans, but have upgraded to 2" planks instead of 1", this should provide the kind of support needed, I think. Originally I didn't want to deal with the fasteners showing, but now I am thinking if I use screws from the bottom and the top, they will never show. The boxes are going to be painted not stained, so I am thinking, if the edges are sanded well and the seam filled, primed and painted, it should look pretty good. I am not looking for a piece of fine furniture, but rather something respectable.

The design is really simple, basically just 3 boxes that on top are the same size as the mattress, leaving plenty of space for storage.

Thanks for the advise and if you think of anything else, please let me know.

Thanks
Barry

[IBM5081]

I sleep in a king-size waterbed with a captain's pedestal base. There is no 2x material use in its construction. A waterbed distributes its weight across the base using the deck boards (plywood) that lie on top of the base. Typically, 1/2" plywood is sufficient.
The difference between a captain's base and a double set of drawers are a cabinet with a door on each corner. The whole base is made in 3 parts, two of which are mirror-image. The 3rd part is a door in a frame that covers the gap between the backs of each side unit, allowing long items to be stored up the middle for the full length of the bed. Each side unit contains:
cabinet with door
stacked drawers
stacked drawers
cabinet with door
The cabinet doors and the drawer faces are all oriented in the same direction. The full configuration yields 8 drawers, 4 corner cabinets, 1 long space up the middle. The side units are very light and can easily be moved by two people due to their bulk. I recommend that you visit a waterbed store and ask to see the double-drawer units and captain's pedestal units to see how they are constructed. The exterior is just stained and sealed knotty pine.
Google for 'waterbed pedestal' to see some pictures of how these units are designed.
The tolerances on the drawers and doors are quite generous which might allow you to build them with a few good tools.