Starting the Queens

This project turned out to be one of the coolest things I've ever built, but the long road to get there means it probably won't happen again. The family that bought these was amazing, really the kind of people you would naturally bend over backwards to make them happy because they are so freaking nice. Originally they wanted a Full loft, then a queen loft, then in the end we decided on a tall queen with storage, but 2 rows of drawers instead of just 1 to make it even taller. Then build in a nightstand on each side as well, and make the supports a well-designed headboard and footboard, make the whole thing act like a platform. Oh, and then at the last minute, they doubled the order and wanted 2 beds exactly alike except for the finish (one whitewash, one paint) and the headboard height. Both beds are in rooms where the ceiling slants down into the wall, and I want the headboard to hit 2" below that mark each time, but the walls are different heights.

Two queen beds, some assembly required

stacked and ready to cut

two queen boxes

I started with the boxes, as usual. I didn't have the forms setup for queens so I took a little extra time to be sure I had the dimensions established and screwed the blocks into place so I could handle those. Next thing to cut up is the supports to start forming the headboards and footboards

Cut it up!

Some frames, assembled with pocket screws

Roughing out the headboards and footboards

a stack of frames

The hardest part of the entire build was figuring out how to put all of those drawers underneath the boxes. For both beds, I need the height for the bottom of the boxes to be the same. The rooms have carpet, so you don't want to leave the drawers sitting flat on the floor, you could never open one. So I can start with a 2x4 on the floor running between the headboard and footboard to act like a spacer or toe kick to support the drawers. I'd need another 2x4 on the back side of the casing to support the weight of the drawers. To build the cases, I cut 2x3's to the exact lengths needed, and drilled for pocket screws to get a clean joint. The short pieces are 11" long, I measured the length of the long pieces to create a face exactly long enough to span between the nightstand and the footboard to create a continuous look. Got the height the same way, make a mark between the 2x4 on the floor and the bottom of the bed box. So this took some assembly before really getting these measurements.

I have 2 rows of 3 drawers each, so 6 per side of each bed. That's 12 drawers per bed, 24 drawers total, that should be about the same size. Ideally they should be exactly the same size, but that never happens in handmade furniture. Plus 2 nightstands with a drawer each per bed, and I'm up to 28 drawers total for this project. and did I mention I hate making drawers? I made a storyboard so I could position those short pieces in the frames, and need 3 frames built up per side of the bed, so I built 12 frames.

For the headboard and footboard, I used 1x6's nailed down from the top with a 16ga finish nailer.  Getting everything square and centered was the hard part there, it really came together pretty quick. I also added support braces cut at 45* angles against the center support in the headboard, footboard, and mattress support. That makes a huge difference in stability.

Standing the beds together

Teenager provided to hold stuff and give size reference

the prototype drawer casing is clamped in for a trial

Funny thing, these beds side by side barely fit on my 8' x 12' deck so how can I fit the drawers or build the nightstands on here? Tune in later to find out.

This kicked off really cool. These beds are supposed to be a surprise to the kids for Christmas, so I need to have something ready to deliver on Christmas Eve. at this point, I new I wouldn't be able to finish everything on time, but we'll see how far we can get.