Lots Of Work But Tremendous Progress

This past couple of weeks here at the Tinker's Workshop have been hectic to put it simply.  I have my new bed room painted and prepped for new carpeting that will be installed in a couple days and the pieces of the new bed project are starting to fall into place.  Lots of hours work but I still have a smile on my face while building the new platform bed so it's not all bad.  Here is the latest news with the platform bed project. 

This little jig comes from a company named Kreg.  Without this great little tool this project would be near impossible to build. At least without going into spending a lot more cash for a more elaborate setup to do the same amount of work.  The jig clamps to the end of the board you want to mount so that holes can be drilled into the end of the board at the correct angle and depth for mounting screws.

The kit that Kreg put together has everything you need to make the holes including clamps and a special drill bit with adjustable collar so that you cannot drill the hole to deep or to shallow. Simplicity to say the least.

In this shot you can see both a front and back face of the headboard riser that is a key piece to the construction of the platform bed.  The boards were first drilled out using the Kreg jig and then clamped together and screwed together.  No glue is needed.  Simple and fast to assemble.  Notice that the front and back of the riser is exactly the same.  Remember this as farther in the assembly this will change.

Next the first mounting boards are added to the first part of the assembly.  I used a couple of clamps and a piece of scrap wood to keep everything in correct position while mounting screws were installed.

Here the small mounting boards have been installed and ready for the next big piece.

The bottom board that will actually rest on the platform is mounted to the front face of the assembly and the two vertical mounting boards. All the mounting holes for the screws were drilled before the new board was installed.  Makes it a lot simpler to build this assembly.

Now two end plate boards for the assembly are added with screws going into the bottom mounting board and the front facing board. The wood frames that is shown in the upper portion of this photo were made the same way but to my surprise were not needed in the assembly.  The structure at this point was so strong the additional inner frames were not needed.  They only added more complexity to the assembly and worse yet more weight. The blue tape shown on several of the pieces of the assembly was just a simple way for me to write a note about what part was what while I put it together. 

In this photo the assembly is nearly complete and VERY strong.   The screw holes are six inches apart and being as I put double screws in this made for a little more work but it is now strong enough to stand on.  Not that I need to but it's nice to know I could if I had to.

This is an interesting shot of the riser on the inside with mounting holes running along the outer perimeter of the assembly. 

This is a shot of the back of the now completed headboard riser.  In the first portion of this post I mentioned that the front and back of the riser was exactly the same.  This is where it changed.  I figured out that because the riser was so strong at this point and that there was no need for any internal framework the center 3/4 inch middle board only added more weight to the assembly and served to real purpose.  Once the riser is placed on the platform for the bed and the headboard is stacked on top of it you will never see that there is not back board.  It simply is not needed.  

This is a good shot of the headboard riser ready for sanding, staining, and varnish. it is 75 and 1/4 inches long, 13 inches tall and 7 inches wide.  It's heavy but not so heavy that I can't pick it up easily and move it around. 

   I tracked  down the  stain that I needed at the Sherwin-Williams paint store for the riser and a couple of other pieces that will be made in the next day or so for the platform bed. They said it would be no problem.  I went to Lowes to find the stain and they did not even want to attempt to even try and match a stain with the headboard and said it could not be done.  Wrong!  The stain I was shown at the paint store looks to be a perfect match.  Helps to keep hunting when you are told something can't be done.  Something that applies to my blog here too.  When I build something new that has never been done and am told it can't be done I find a way to make it happen.  Just have to keep plugging along until it works.  Like this project it is worth the effort to keep at it until it works.  With the mounting screws all inside the headboard rise the outside is smooth, clean and really professional looking. Another good day at the Tinker's Workshop!

  For more info about the Kreg jig setup that I used on this project see the link below that will tell you a lot more about their products and what can be done with this fine piece of equipment. 

http://www.kregtool.com/