Hybrid Bed Build

[Axehandle]

I Had been pondering this idea over in my head for better than a decade now so it was time to move on it.  I was sick of beds that always moved when you moved.  Cheap beds joints always seemed to loosen up.  My brother bought a $2000 dollar Ashley bed and he said it started acting up after less than a year.  Basically, it started racking at the stretcher to leg connections as beds nearly always do (as well as workbenches). 

I have always been a metalworker first and when structural problems arise, I generally use steel to solve them first.  I figured a steel bed would never move.  However, steel is not the most aesthetically pleasing material.  Especially for indoor furniture.  I figured some wood accents would have to be used to overcome this deficiency of steel.  In my head I pictured black painted steel with walnut insets between the framework.  Well, down here, walnut is expensive so I was delighted when Hurricane Irma brought a cherry tree down in a friend’s yard.









After the wood dried to my liking it happened to be around Christmas and I was itching for a new bed.  I had told LOML that the cherry would be used for kitchen cabinets in the next few years when we redo the kitchen.  I told her about my plans for the cherry and she agreed to use it for the bed.  I even convinced her that this steel bed I was going to make would be a fine piece of furniture and she skeptically trusted me on that.
 
So I welded up a steel queen size bed frame.



Here you see the cross braces I made to accept drawer slides.





I painted it a hammered copper color of RustOleum spray paint sold at the BORG.  Started fitting drawers that I had built out of ¾ ply.  The best ply I could find at the BORG so it was mediocre.  I ended up using a false front drawer design. 





Finishing the drawer faces and inset panels.



Here with the panels and drawer faces installed and starting on the headboard.



Building the headboard.

[Axehandle]

Some detail shots.  That zinc hardware has since been changed to black.







Here installed in its place.  Still needs drawer pulls.

[chips ahoy]

Nice job,very well done.


Mel

[kurt18947]

Very attractive and I'll bet you don't have to worry about joint failures.

[hcbph]

When I say the comments about using a metal frame, my thought was yah right.  I was wrong, it looks great and I'm assuming very solid.
Well done.

[Bill Holt]

I am a big fan of metal and wood furniture.  You did a fine job.

[stav]

Wow, not at all what I was expecting.  Very nice.

[digger]

Love it !

[2beast]

Way cool 

[wood-chips]

Very nice!
The tree you scored yielded some nice wood.