Bunk Beds

tiralie · Mar 3, 2013

A good client of mine has asked if I could make some bunk beds for her. She wants a twin or single bed over a double at right angles. I was wondering if anyone has made something like this and has any issues with my current designs. I follow the ASTM bunk bed standards but you may have other comments.
The two designs below are similar in structure, the second being simpler to build than the first. The final bed would be constructed of maple and be stained (dark brown) and clear coated.
Tim
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johne · Mar 3, 2013

Hi Tim

If i were the client i would go with the second design, because if wanted i could separate beds and use them individualy.

I did a similar bed (just the higher one) and found that adding an additional support in the back ( see drawing ) gave it a lot more stability.

But i suppose the top bed is to be anchored to the wall so maybe it is not a necesity.

And i would remove that one piece (see drawing) because it clutters the design and does not have any structural purpose IMHO

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Bob Gerritsen · Mar 4, 2013

Hi Tim, that looks real nice! However, I would certainly ad more strength to the support for the upper bed. I've done the project below and was amazed at the amount of play there is in that. I mean, nothing dramatic and all joints are snug but with these dimensions some natural play has to be taken into account. The design your showing will certainly have more.

Other than that you could fix the fence on the inside of the rail and get it out of sight.

Would be nice to see the pics once it's done!

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Cheers, Bob.

Bob Gerritsen · Mar 4, 2013

Hmmm.... Maybe one of the mods can actually insert the pdf into my message. Thanks!

festoolviking · Mar 4, 2013

Hi!

Here's a link to a few different designs. These beds are not at right angle. My thought was if it's possible to incorporate the ladder in to the foot end of the lower bunk (inside of the corner post instead of outside). That would make it easier exit/enter on both sides of the bottom bed.

http://www.sleepo.se/vaningssangar.html

Festoolviking

Sparktrician · Mar 4, 2013

Tim, you might want to look at some of these designs from Hardwood Artisans for some ideas. This company started almost 35 years ago with two guys, a circular saw, and not much else, and have developed into a very profitable concern making very high-quality furniture. They've also added in a line of kitchen cabinetry.

[smile]

tiralie · Mar 4, 2013

johne said:
If i were the client i would go with the second design, because if wanted i could separate beds and use them individualy.

I agree. It's also cheaper. I forgot to mention that this is an adpaption of the Rockler Adapt-A-Bed The first design is over 75" tall while the second version is 68 1/2"

johne said:
I did a similar bed (just the higher one) and found that adding an additional support in the back ( see drawing ) gave it a lot more stability.
But i suppose the top bed is to be anchored to the wall so maybe it is not a necesity.

No it won't be anchored to the wall. Thanks. I have added the extra support, see drawing.

johne said:
And i would remove that one piece (see drawing) because it clutters the design and does not have any structural purpose

Done

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tiralie · Mar 4, 2013

Bob Gerritsen said:
Hi Tim, that looks real nice! However, I would certainly ad more strength to the support for the upper bed. I've done the project below and was amazed at the amount of play there is in that.

Bob:
Thanks for the suggestions. It is a concern for sure. What was the size of the posts in your build? Mine are currently 2.5"(6.4mm) x 2.5"(6.4mm)

Bob Gerritsen said:
I mean, nothing dramatic and all joints are snug but with these dimensions some natural play has to be taken into account. The design your showing will certainly have more.

How tall is the bed you made? Did you use mortise and tenon or bed lock hardware etc. As I have said above the design we are discussing is 68 1/2" tall.

Bob Gerritsen said:
Other than that you could fix the fence on the inside of the rail and get it out of sight.

Done, see drawing above.

Thanks
Tim

tiralie · Mar 4, 2013

festoolviking said:
My thought was if it's possible to incorporate the ladder in to the foot end of the lower bunk (inside of the corner post instead of outside). That would make it easier exit/enter on both sides of the bottom bed.

I agree that the ladder placement could be improved but the client wants it on that side.
She has not seen this design so when we discuss it she may change her mind. There is a window on the wall right next to the ladder so it may be better to put the ladder somewhere else.
Tim

tiralie · Mar 4, 2013

Sparktrician said:
Tim, you might want to look at some of these designs from Hardwood Artisans for some ideas.

Willy:
Thanks for the link they make some nice stuff. Impressive story going from a router, Skilsaw, hand sander, and drill to 25 years in business. They are definitely doing something right.
Tim

Old School Carpenter · Mar 4, 2013

Tim Raleigh said:
There is a window on the wall right next to the ladder so it may be better to put the ladder somewhere else.
Tim

I would suggest this to her, especially if the window is not tempered glass, and most likely it is not. A real safety issue/ concern for children.

Mike

Bob Gerritsen · Mar 5, 2013

Tim, the posts were 1100 mm high and 55x55mm wide/thick, so 44 inch high and a good 2 inches square thick, for each bed.
The wide rails are 180 mm or a good 7 inches wide, probably a bit less than one inch thick.
All joints contain dominos, the short sides are glued 100% and the long rails are glued to each other through the vertical fence bits but contain some bed hardware for the connection to the posts.
I can't find a good image of that right now but it is a variation on this:

http://easylink.hafele.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/HCH-EasyLink_HCH-Site/de_CH/-/CHF/Haefele_ViewOfferDetail-ImagePopUp?ProductUUID=8WXAqBlZMagAAAE2kQQkjKBd&SelectedImageNumber=1

So half of that in the wider rail and a special fixture/nut in the post.

Hope this helps, looks nice btw!

johne · Mar 5, 2013

Bob,

Are these the ones you mean?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25449&site=ROCKLER

Chems · Mar 5, 2013

Can you convince her to have a double over a single as that is a much more elegant solution?

From Sparktrician post:

tiralie · Mar 5, 2013

Chems said:
Can you convince her to have a double over a single as that is a much more elegant solution?

She wants to be able to lay down with her son to help him go to sleep in his own bed so having a double on the top is not practical.
Why do you feel a double over a single is more elegant?
Tim

Chems · Mar 5, 2013

Just because with the larger size of the double over the smaller it means that you don't have a post in the side of the bed and can use the space for other things like in the picture. That post in the side of the bed really would be annoying I think it reality and a bit of a hazard.

How about this then, it removes the bar, looks a bit funky but perhaps could be a straight bar from the central high post rather than two angled.

Bob Gerritsen · Mar 8, 2013

johne said:
Bob,

Are these the ones you mean?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25449&site=ROCKLER

Yep! That's the one. Worked great btw.

tiralie · Mar 12, 2013

I presented this to the client late last week. She wanted rails on the Double bed so her son who is still quite young doesn't roll off in his sleep. Here is what I came up with. It's temporary.

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For fun I thought I would publish the parts list for this project. 180 pieces.

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Bunk Beds

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