Rustic Bed Frame

Good morning folks!

The first thing my wife and I wanted when we moved into our previous new home was a bed frame. We felt like we were adults and no longer accepted the floor as a bed frame.

The project started off with some inspiration and at the time I was very limited in my tool selection. I had a drill, circular saw, and a new compressor nails combo special from the home center. So I had to find plans that could accommodate the woodshop. Of course the first thing that comes to mind would be Ana White.

Anyone who hasn’t visited Ana’site or seen her work, the style is rustic 2by furniture meant to be easily put together. This was right up my alley. Off to the home center to fill up on lumber.

I started off by cutting all of the boards from the cut list (I know I know, cut lists are terrible but this was an early project). Unfortunately I don’t have many pictures from the build but I do have the final post finish picture.

We decided to paint the outer frame and stain the paneling. Again another learning experience; I should have pre-finished the panels before installing them.

There are some issues with the paneling. Plans from Ana’s site do not often account for wood movement due to moisture or lack thereof. So instead of using a tongue and groove system (1. I didn’t know what it was 2. There is no way I would have been able to given my tools) I just glued and brad nailed the panels into the cross beam. Over time the panels have cupped and twisted and since they are fastened instead of floating some of them have cracks. The wood filler has expanded and raised out of the countersink holes. It adds to the rustic look but certainly a learning experience.

The bed frame turned out to be quite the experience. I learned enough from the project to know that I needed to expand my tool set before setting off into another extensive endeavor.

We still use the frame today but plan on refinishing the paint to something less…striking.

Thank you following along with the build. Stay tuned for more projects from the PlaneOleWoodShop. If you have any questions or advice for myself or other viewers please feel free to leave a comment below.