Design for headboard for a bed

[FrenchIan]

Gents, you've given me good advice in the past, let me ask you another question.

I'm going to make a headboard for our bed, and I want to use some reclaimed oak boards I have - they're about 100mm x 20mm, and about 1200mm long, nice graining.

I'm not confident of my ability to edge joint them well enough to make a big, stable and attractive board, so I'm thinking of cheating and just gluing them onto a backing sheet of (say) 15mm plywood.

This would be the width of the bed, and reach from the bottom of the bed base to the top of the headboard (about 950mm). The oak boards would be glued horizontally to the top 650mm or so of the board (ie, just clearing the top surface of the bed base) with a nice strip of oak round the edge to finish off.

The whole board would be fitted to the bed, by screwing through the bottom section into the bed base.

I'm open to any comments, advice, etc

thanks

 

[cambournepete]

Have you considered making the headboard slatted rather than solid?
You could screw into the oak boards from the back so there are no screws visible.

Just a thought...

 

[FrenchIan]

Have you considered making the headboard slatted rather than solid?
You could screw into the oak boards from the back so there are no screws visible.

Just a thought...

It's an interesting idea, but SWMBO wishes to stick with the original plan - she likes the idea of a very plain piece, made out of well-figured wood.

Fine by me.

Cheers

 

[Racers]

Hi, Ian

You say you aren't confident in edge joining them, it this because you haven't had enough practice?
If it is then this is an ideal chance to improve your skills, or you could find some one who will do it for you.

I would be worried about two things if you glued then to a piece of ply, the first one is if the boards expand it will warp your ply and it they shrink they will crack.
Breadboard ends are put on wide boards to allow for expansion and contraction.

And the second one is one that happened to my headboard you might find it bangs against the wall at certain times :wink:
I overcame this by fixing it to the wall not the bed with slotted plates and screws.

Pete

 

[FrenchIan]

Hi, Ian

You say you aren't confident in edge joining them, it this because you haven't had enough practice?
If it is then this is an ideal chance to improve your skills, or you could find some one who will do it for you.

I would be worried about two things if you glued then to a piece of ply, the first one is if the boards expand it will warp your ply and it they shrink they will crack.
Breadboard ends are put on wide boards to allow for expansion and contraction.

And the second one is one that happened to my headboard you might find it bangs against the wall at certain times :wink:
I overcame this by fixing it to the wall not the bed with slotted plates and screws.

Pete

Pete, many thanks for the response.

I have edge-jointed boards in the past, but nothing wider than 200-250mm - bookshelves and the like. I worried that a board 2-3 times that width, only 20mm or so thick, wouldn't be stable, so I came up with this design.

I was hoping that fixing the boards to a ply backing would reduce/remove the problem of expansion/contraction. Especially since fitting them horizontally should minimise the effect. (I know that if I fitted the boards as short lengths, vertically, I would have a problem.)

I suppose I could increase the backing board to, say, 18mm, and reduce the oak to, say, 10mm. That should be more stable.

Cheers

Ian

(PS, I'm not bothered about the second problem. Not at my age.....)

 

[FrenchIan]

Well, I finished it.

15mm plywood backing, faced with 10mm x 110mm x 900mm oak planks, edged all round with a 10mm oak strip. It looks beautiful, and SWMBO is very happy.

Mind, it's warped a bit, longways - about 20mm over 1800mm width. I guess something wasn't acclimatised properly.

It doesn't bother me, though, and if anyone else notices, I just tell them it's 100 years old, what do they expect?

Cheers

 

[Grahamshed]

It doesn't bother me, though, and if anyone else notices, I just tell them it's 100 years old, what do they expect?

Cheers

The tree it came from possibly was

 

[FrenchIan]

It doesn't bother me, though, and if anyone else notices, I just tell them it's 100 years old, what do they expect?

Cheers

The tree it came from possibly was

I like your thinking.

 

[Togalosh]

Any pictures FI ?

 

[FrenchIan]

Let's hope this works....

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qezd350ls7g6a4b/IMG_0127.JPG

(Close. I guess there's another way than Dropbox, that will place the image permanently in the post?)

EDIT. I stumbled across the post that told me how to include a photo, so here it is.

 

[Togalosh]

Yep - that looks good.

What finish did you use?

 

[FrenchIan]

Yep - that looks good.

What finish did you use?

Thank you, Togalosh, you're very kind.

Finish was 5 or 6 coats of wiping varnish, sanding in between with 180/240g, then finished off with a 360g Webrax pad. It's taken on a nice lustre, but that's probably due to the quality of the wood.

Cheers

 

[Togalosh]

Finish was 5 or 6 coats of wiping varnish, sanding in between with 180/240g, then finished off with a 360g Webrax pad. It's taken on a nice lustre, but that's probably due to the quality of the wood.

Cheers

Blimey - that is thorough. Very good.

I might do 2 or 3 applications of Danish Oil (which is really quick n easy to do).

 

[FrenchIan]

Finish was 5 or 6 coats of wiping varnish, sanding in between with 180/240g, then finished off with a 360g Webrax pad. It's taken on a nice lustre, but that's probably due to the quality of the wood.

Cheers

Blimey - that is thorough. Very good.

I might do 2 or 3 applications of Danish Oil (which is really quick n easy to do).

I only sanded every couple of coats! Besides, that quality of wood deserved it.

Cheers