Head Board Question

[Birdhunter]

Another bed frame question.

With the bed frame coming together, my concerns are now with the headboard. Comments received to date have been most helpful. Special thanks to Peter.

The design is to have the head board extend the width of the bed frame, 84" and extend 24" above the top of the mattress. The mattress is 11" thick and sinks down into the frame 3" leaving 8" showing. So the headboard height is 8"+ 24" or 32" total. They want a 1 1/2" border with a 1/4" revel. I have a variety of quarter sawn boards of various widths sufficient for the project.

I plan to plane the boards and use Dominos to join them into two horizontal sections, about each being 16" by 84". The last two sections will be joined with Dominos on site. The sections will be glued up on a flat door. The flat door has worked well glueing up the rails.

My concerns and seasonal wood movement, keeping the headboard flat, and joining it to the 1 1/2" by 43/4" head rail.

I would welcome suggestions.

 

[Sparktrician]

I have a cherry headboard on my queen-size bed.  It is 20"high and 99" long and 3/4" thick, extending well past the sides of the bed on both sides.  The extensions hold built-in nightstands.  There are three well-distributed 2"x3/4" vertical bolsters screwed to the back which act as stiffeners.  In the 28+ years since I bought the bed, there has been absolutely no warpage or sagging whatsoever, despite the weight of the built-in nightstands.  The headboard is attached to the frame by four carriage bolts.  Simple, secure, reliable.  I'm not certain how the boards were joined, but I suspect it was done using biscuits.  Suggest that you use a generous application of cauls as you glue up yours.