The Bed Broke - and now I Gotta Fix It

[dbhost]

Just for what it's worth, I'd just rework that with pine, just start with as clear of material as you can find, and certainly don't end up with knots right on top of each other like you had. That was a weak spot waiting to break. I am a bit shocked it only took a half dozen tweens to break it though...

If you have stock in your shop already dried, then mill it out of that...

Problem is most of the pine you are going to come across is going to be dimensional lumber, and that REALLY ought to acclimate into your shop for quite a long time before being used for projects like this... Do you have any yards near you that sell kiln dried stuff? You'll pay more, but not having your lumber twist on you after you face joint it is well worth the money!

[radhak]

Update - the joinery is this :



As seen, neither the wood nor the bolts broke or bent. So reusing it exactly as-is seems good enough. (The length of the bolt is because it needs to pass thru a 4x4 end-post).

I'll be using the 'premier' pine from HD : cost me $15 for a 8ft plank (1x6)! Good looking and nary a knot. But it's paler than the regular pine, and getting it to match the original golden yellow has proven tough. After days of testing various colors on scrap, I settled on amber Shellac as sealer/stain. It looks close enough, but now I dunno what to do about a top coat for it : they say don't use any poly over shellac, but then what else? Or will shellack survive without any top coat?

[chopnhack]

I think it was an issue with waxed shellac.... See this from the woodwhisperer

But also think about use: are these heirloom pieces that will be reused or are they to be used for a few more years before being donated or ??

[JimD]

Shellac can be the final finish but it's reputation is for low durability. Alcohol will dissolve it but that should not be an issue for a bed rail. If you prefer poly (I do) you could test the theory that it won't stick over the shellac. It may work fine. I'd test on the backside or a piece of scrap.

Jim

[radhak]

It's not de-waxed shellac.

But you guys reminded me that this is a rather temporary need, and if it lasts a year or two, that'll be more than enough... so maybe I'll leave the front just shellac, while try poly on the back just to test...

[JimD]

I would reuse that rail joint too. As long as you have the right size forstener bit, it will be easy to do and is strong. Looks like you are just about done.

The lightest rail I have used on a bed is a 2x4 with a 2x2 ledger. I'm surprised that a 1x6 held up as well as it has. I guess I overbuild - but I was already pretty sure of that. For queen sized beds, I like hardwood about 8 inches wide by at least an inch thick.

Jim

[cabinetman]

I would use one of the bed rail fastening types of hardware before using the long bolts. The long bolts allows some leverage to permit movement at the joint. The bed rail fasteners apply screws through the surface (face grain) close to the joint. Once the mating parts are connected it's a very strong joint. JMO.

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[chopnhack]

I would reuse that rail joint too. As long as you have the right size forstener bit, it will be easy to do and is strong. Looks like you are just about done.

The lightest rail I have used on a bed is a 2x4 with a 2x2 ledger. I'm surprised that a 1x6 held up as well as it has. I guess I overbuild - but I was already pretty sure of that. For queen sized beds, I like hardwood about 8 inches wide by at least an inch thick.

Jim

IIRC beam strength is proportional to depth (in this case the up-down measurement of the rail). Specifically, if you double the depth you quadruple the carrying capacity. That is how a 1x6 has such strength in this application. I have a king sized bed that uses 1" thick plywood rails about 10" wide (deep) - very strong and light. :-)