Dimensional lumber for bed?

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  • dewi1219
    Established Member
    • Dec 2005
    • 307
    • Birmingham, AL

    #1

    Dimensional lumber for bed?

    I am about to start building a loft bed for my daughter, and the budget is very tight. The head and footboards will be frame and panel construction with beaded plywood for the panels. The bed will be painted white to match the other furniture in her room, so grain isn't a consideration. I read an article in Wood a while back about jointing and planing dimensional lumber for use in furniture. Has anyone done this? My big concern is finding anything straight and flat enough at my local HD or Lowe's to be of any use. Splitting is also somewhat of a concern where the rails will attach to the posts (via bed bolts or cross dowels). Is there anything else out there that is cheap and strong? I am interested in LVL, but it doesn't seem to be readily available in my area.
  • pelligrini
    Veteran Member
    • Apr 2007
    • 4217
    • Fort Worth, TX
    • Craftsman 21829

    #2
    I used SYP on a bedframe my wife wanted for a guest bedroom. It's best to start with larger pieces like 2x12s or 2x10s and rip them to size. Trying to find decent 2x4s was a futile attempt for me.
    Erik

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    • dbhost
      Slow and steady
      • Apr 2008
      • 9450
      • League City, Texas
      • Ryobi BT3100

      #3
      There are two major concerns with construction grade lumber in furniture projects. They are...

      #1. Knots or other inclusions. I find that Lowes lumber typically has far fewer knots or other various inclusions. Home Depot lumber tends to have a LOT of imperfections of this type.

      #2. Moisture content. What you get in straight and true may not stay that way as the lumber dries. And this can happen painfully quickly. To give you an example. For my workbench, I tried using Lowes 12' 2x4s for the stock for the base. Within the span of one weekend, cutting, notching, and drilling the stock I ended up with twisted, warped, useless lumber. This of course was in August in Texas, YMMV.

      If you are going to use construction grade lumber, pick the straightest, cleanest grained boards you can find in the stack, buy more than you need, and store them stickered in your shop to air dry them for a couple of months at least...

      Now if you are lucky, you may have a home center, or lumber yard near you that will sell you kiln dried dimensional lumber. That is a rare find down here though. I have seen nothern woodworkers talk about it a lot. Might be in your area...

      Please keep in mind, I do not want to discourage you from going with dimensional lumber. A LOT of guys and gals are making some really nice stuff from some very cheap lumber. Just expect that lumber that comes to you green like most dimensional is sold can provide you with some very interesting surprises... If you can go with the flow, and account for some waste, you can get your project done on a low budget, and have a great end product!
      Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

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      • cabinetman
        Gone but not Forgotten RIP
        • Jun 2006
        • 15216
        • So. Florida
        • Delta

        #4
        IMO, Poplar would be a better choice over Pine, Spruce or Fir, and probably less expensive than LVL.
        .

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        • dewi1219
          Established Member
          • Dec 2005
          • 307
          • Birmingham, AL

          #5
          Poplar is my next option as my local supplier usually has a decent supply in stock. But the difference in price between dimensional lumber and even poplar is significant. Probably worth it though...

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          • poolhound
            Veteran Member
            • Mar 2006
            • 3196
            • Phoenix, AZ
            • BT3100

            #6
            Have you got a budget and timescale for your project? If you can wait a bit (unless you get lucky) it can be worthwhile crusing some local yard sales and even CL for good used furniture. You can often find some cool deals.

            I picked up an old set of bunk beds that had been sitting dissasembled in this guys garage. They had a verk dark stain and lookd really awful. I bought it for $5 and then sanded and planed it all down and yielded a good lot of rock hard aged SYP.

            Old dining tables can be great (solid wood ones). the tops alone often yield 20+ bd ft. When the legs are loose and the top is scratched and peeling most people just see junk but good woodworkers see 30 bd/ft of oak, cherry, even mahogany for $10-$20.
            Jon

            Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
            ________________________________

            We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
            techzibits.com

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            • LarryG
              The Full Monte
              • May 2004
              • 6693
              • Off The Back
              • Powermatic PM2000, BT3100-1

              #7
              Originally posted by dbhost
              #1. Knots or other inclusions. I find that Lowes lumber typically has far fewer knots or other various inclusions. Home Depot lumber tends to have a LOT of imperfections of this type.
              This is apparently something that varies by area. Here, the dimensional lumber that Home Depot stocks is crap. The dimensional lumber that Lowe's stocks is EVEN WORSE crap. I have said many times that Lowe's should be ashamed for putting that "Top Choice" label on the stuff. I bought the SYP joists for my Roubo bench at HD, and buy most of my studs and whitewood there, too.

              Dewi, do you have a jointer and planer? Poplar is plentiful in Alabama, indeed throughout most of the mid-South. I've seen green, rough sawn poplar offered around here for as little as 40 cents per board foot -- that's 250 BF for a hundred dollar bill. Check around, see if you can find a supplier ... it may not help you with this current project, but you could lay in a stock for future use.
              Larry

              Comment

              • dewi1219
                Established Member
                • Dec 2005
                • 307
                • Birmingham, AL

                #8
                The bed is going to be a Christmas present, so I don't have time to shop around too much. My garage shop got overcrowded a few months back, so I sold my planer in an organizational rage. A decision I soon regretted... I can joint on my BT3 though, so I guess I'll just try to find the best deal on some S2S Poplar.

                Comment

                • dbhost
                  Slow and steady
                  • Apr 2008
                  • 9450
                  • League City, Texas
                  • Ryobi BT3100

                  #9
                  Ouch... Or to quote Homer Simpson...
                  Doh!
                  Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

                  Comment

                  • cabinetman
                    Gone but not Forgotten RIP
                    • Jun 2006
                    • 15216
                    • So. Florida
                    • Delta

                    #10
                    Here's a suggestion. You might check with some local upholsterers for Poplar. It's used by many as framing for upholstered sofas and chairs.
                    .

                    Comment

                    • cgallery
                      Veteran Member
                      • Sep 2004
                      • 4503
                      • Milwaukee, WI
                      • BT3K

                      #11
                      Originally posted by dewi1219
                      I am interested in LVL, but it doesn't seem to be readily available in my area.
                      Any decent lumber yard should be able to get LVL's for you. Ask them for guidance on the pricing (some sizes may be less expensive due to the fact that they stock or sell a lot of them).

                      The only acceptable finish for LVL is probably paint (the brownish/blackish glue squeeze-out on the surfaces can be significant).

                      LVL really isn't that expensive when you consider that the alternative is a lot of wasted stock. With LVL's, you only waste cutoffs that are too small to use. It doesn't twist, warp, or anything like that. No knots or anything.

                      Having built a bench from LVL's, I don't think I'd hesitate to build a bed. Provided I'd be happy with a paint finish.

                      BTW, when I was painting the bench Sarge and Pappy suggest porch paint. It has proven very durable. The stuff I got is water-based. But after curing it is very thick and tough.

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