Sleigh Bed #3
Sleigh Bed: Headboard & Footboard Assembly
Once we completed the uprights for the headboard and footboard, it was time to work on the flat panels and the round tops.
The panels were fairly simple and straight forward; three stiles, two rails, and two panels each. All the pieces were connected using dados and tenons.
On the top of the headboard and footboard was this round dowel detail. We began the process by ordering two 5′ long 3″ diameter dowels from a turning company in Vancouver, BC. Once they arrived we began by installing the dado blade in the table saw and cutting the nice round peg you see in the end. We then had to make a jig out of MDF that would securely hold the dowel in place while we passed it through the dado blade, cutting a dado in the underside of each dowel.
Once we finished cutting the dado in the underside of both dowels, it was time for the assembly process. The entire process would be completed the same way for both the headboard and footboard. We glued on the dowel on the top followed by the splines the uprights. The entire assembly was clamped securely and allowed to dry overnight.
The end result, once the assembly was connected to the rails, was a footboard that looked like this…
…and a headboard that looked like this!
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:48 am
good job, congratulations.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I’ve always wonder how sleigh beds get their headers and footers assembled. The scrolls along each side of the headboard/footboard – are those cut from a single piece of thick stock, or are they several layers laminated together?
September 30th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
The sides of the headboard and footboard are two 1.5″ thick pieces of material glued together.