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submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world to c/dull_mens_club@lemmy.world

I searched for a bed like this but didn't find anything I liked that was well-built and affordable. So, I'm building this one out of solid wood for about $450. (Except I had to buy a new miter saw, because my old one was stolen out of my garage about two years ago, so that was another $250.)

Edit:

Here's the Blender 5.1.1 file

You'll need the Measure It addon installed and enabled to see the dimensions. The gray boards are the blank stock pieces I bought. It's in inches, because I'm a stupid American.

Here's a screenshot of the blender file:

Edit 2:

I have most of the pieces cut to size. I've already made a small mistake, but it wouldn't be my project if I didn't. Nothing a little wood filler won't fix. The side walls of the headboard with the angles I'll need to cut with my circular saw. Or, maybe I could do it like this. I'm not sure my table saw is big enough. (Also, it was either woodworker or piano player for this guy, I think he made the right choice.)

Edit 3:

I'm stuck waiting for the Vevor pocket hole jig I ordered, and the bed rail hardware. I didn't get the Kreg, because it's plastic and more expensive than the more versatile Vevor jig.

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[-] cubism_pitta@lemmy.world 50 points 3 weeks ago

ahh, the ol' trap of "It will save money to DIY" :)

Give us some pictures of the wood working!

[-] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago

i agree with cubism_pitta@lemmy.world, WE DEMAND PHOTOS OF YOUR WOOD, OP!

[-] LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone 8 points 3 weeks ago

We all want to see their wood

[-] phant@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

Hopefully OP can achieve the "design I like and well built" parts. 2 outta 3 aint bad. And if it is well built it should last a life time and then it's cost-schmost.

Agreed on build pics!

[-] Rooster326@programming.dev 9 points 3 weeks ago

I mean isn't it?

You just have to compare apples to apples.

If you're trying to compare an IKEA bed to what OP makes. Op would DIY this out of cardboard.

Actual wood furniture is expensive af

[-] Aqarius@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

Only if you compare it to custom bespoke pieces. It would probably still be cheaper to buy a bedframe that looks close tot his and work from there.

And this one, for example, does look very close to the Ikea Tarva.

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 weeks ago

OP said solid wood, that alone would put a premade bed frame like this easily over 2k, not even bespoke.

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[-] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago

True.

I bought an expensive as shit handmade bed (extra long) and it isn't showing a single weakness after over 25 years and at least 10 moves (it's M13 bolts, you could have a tank for sleepover).

[-] Shameless@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

As with any DIY project, I think the extra cost is worth the knowledge you gain... Unless you're doing DIY tree removal next to your house.

[-] Rooster326@programming.dev 7 points 3 weeks ago

Pro: I did my first tree removal

Cons: I did my first demo work

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[-] Leviathan@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

We do these things not because they will save us money but because we thought they would save us money!

[-] Mpatch@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Him " I need a new miter saw. " wife "no you fuckin dont" him "we need a new bed frame" wife "good idea"

[-] thevoidzero@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

No worries my back remembers all the cutting and staining

[-] Mpatch@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago
[-] owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca 29 points 3 weeks ago

Looks good! Don't forget to add a mattress on there.

[-] rem26_art@fedia.io 18 points 3 weeks ago

sleeping while balancing on a 2x6 builds character

[-] saltesc@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

I have a recurring dream I'm bivvied and balancing on a ledge with no anchors/rope, then I wake up petrified and disorientated.

Rock climbing and mountaineering has given me many joys, though bad safety setups has apparently become my nightmare fuel.

[-] Rooster326@programming.dev 10 points 3 weeks ago

And my slats

[-] Aitolda@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago
[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 15 points 3 weeks ago

I left the plywood platform out of the render to show the structure.

I'll post some progress pics. All I've done so far is cut a few sticks to length.

The red bit is a foam pad covered in corduroy upholstery. I'll be sewing the cover too.

[-] Rooster326@programming.dev 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Make sure the mattress you're buying can use a platform.

More than half require slats because they must breathe

[-] mbp@slrpnk.net 3 points 3 weeks ago

I used plywood for under my tempur pedic but drilled 4" holes along it to give it breathing room. Also upholstered it with an old sheet to help with breathing room.

No mold or sagging after a couple years! No huge box spring or cheap, noisy slats.

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[-] whatiswrongwithyou@lemmy.ml 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Op you absolutely need cross boards/slats.

You should not use a flat plywood platform to accomplish the same outcome, it will be more expensive, less stable over time and contribute to eventual mold in your mattress unless you live in like Death Valley (and maybe even there too depending on how you humidify your house!)

Again, you without any qualification need to use slats or cross boards to support the mattress and will be unhappy if you attempt to use ply for that.

If you want the “clean look” of a plywood platform, use an overlay of decoratively cut (50%+ negative space) 1/4” wallboard (freedom ply here in the us!) on top of your slats. When someone asks for a plywood platform over their slats, which has happened twice now, I usually set the saw in a jig and rip a bunch of four or five inch strips off some 1/4” and put them an inch or so farther apart than their width (so a bunch of 5” strips would be 6 + inches apart each) and join the whole thing together with a thinner strip across the top and bottom underneath held together with countersunk screws that have either acorn nuts on their bottoms or something else. You need countersunk so stuff can not get caught on the top and acorn nuts on the bottom so hands and cats don’t catch any strays fishing around under that thang. You can’t use glue because you need the whole apparatus to go parallelogram when the bed frame does.

E: oh yeah, if you can tolerate it, check the dump/your local listings for a busted ass metal frame with rails long enough for your design (or close enough not to matter). Those steel L brackets are a super good way to make sure the wood doesn’t pop apart over time. Use some kind of a poly product where wood supports metal to make it even better.

E2: reclaimed metal parts look really sick when you sand and repaint them a loud color that no one will see until they take the mattress off.

E3: if you bake enough slop into your overlay strips you can actually glue them in the case that you trust yourself to glue square and true. Okay I’m really done this time.

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I live near Death Valley--New Mexico. I'm not at all worried about mold, in the summer humidity is typically about 10%, in the winter it can rise up to 60%--yes, it's backwards from most places--and it only gets really high on rainy days. (EDIT: I just checked humidity is currently 10%.)

Also, the mattress is approved by the manufacturer for a solid surface.

Finally, I already bought the plywood and cut the pieces, I'm not buying more wood.

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[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

For a bunch of dull people y’all do some cool shit.

[-] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

For a moment was wondering how the hell you're pulling off somethingthat big... I thought I was reading from the 3dprinting community.

What do you think of Blender as a design suite?

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 5 points 3 weeks ago

I'm not OP but it's not the best. Like, it's possible to use it for this purpose but a proper CAD tool will work much better.

[-] AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Blender seems like a decent fit for this project, as the geometry is fairly simple and there shouldn't need to be a ton of precision anywhere. Anything where geometry doesn't need to match any already existing hardware particularly well, it is usually much faster to prototype in Blender in my experience. For certain things though, especially when you get curved surfaces involved, blender becomes the much harder option. Parametric obviously has many other advantages, but the stuff you can do with curved surfaces, booleans, and bevels in CAD tools is often extremely difficult to recreate in Blender.

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[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

I love it, because I know it. No, it's not the best choice if you're starting from zero, but already knowing it from when I was a graphic designer, means I can make it work for this.

[-] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

What kind of wood and joinery are you using?

[-] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Seconded. Also, doees the maroon segment in the headboard move side to side? Also, are you willing to share your plans?

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

The red part will be a foam pad I'll custom order, and I can handle the upholstery myself. No it doesn't come out, I thought about it but, I don't need what little space there is back there. The shelves are plenty. I'll post what plans I have, it's the 3D model and a cut diagram, plus I can include a shopping list.

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

I'm no fine woodworker. I don't have a planer or jointer, etc., no way to mill boards. It's all straight from Lowe's, with more expensive boards for clear finish parts, less expensive for the painted, and plain kiln-dried 2x4s for the structure. I'll be using pocket hole screws and glue for much of it. The three long rails mount with bed rail hardware so it can be broken down. I have some experience with this sort of thing, my main concern is wood warping and finishing. I got some tips from a cabinet painter.

I take my time, and redo what I need to so it comes out the way I want.

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[-] zartemie@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Totally awesome to do something properly like this yourself. Good luck with the build!

[-] Leviathan@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

Maybe it's the angle but it looks like this is woefully lacking in box spring/mattress support.

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[-] PixeIOrange@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago
[-] Aitolda@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago
[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Consider some cross boards, it'll help with sinking if you don't use a box spring.

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this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
360 points (99.5% liked)

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