Farmhouse Style Bed (Full Sized)

Recently my wife and I decided that it was time to get rid of the flimsy bed frame we had bought years ago for a guest bed when we lived in our apartment and upgrade to something a little more robust.  The mattress was still good and I do so love to build things so we thought that it would be a good opportunity to build a bed frame so we got exactly what we (she) wanted.  She loves the rustic type style of things and is a big fan of Ana White so it was a no brainier to start looking for ideas there.  She was able to find a style she liked and some basic plans and out of that came out new guest bed.

The reality of this project is that it was deceptively easy, the hardest part being finding “good wood” but we wanted a pretty weathered and rustic look so even that wasn’t too bad because knot holes and notches went with the look.  To build this the way we did you will need the following as far as tools and materials go.

Tools
Circular Saw (or even a hand saw)
Tape Measure
Pencil
Sander (or sand paper)
Drill
Putty knife
Hammer
Wood glue
Clamps (just to make life easy)
Pocket hole jig (don’t be intimidated this is all of about $20, or $35 for a kit with the “special” drill bit and it makes a huge difference).

Materials
Wood filler
2 – 4×4 posts
8 – 1×4 boards
6 – 1×8 boards
8 – 2×4 boards (10ft long)
2 – 2×10 boards
3 inch long screws
5 inch long screws
1 1/4 inch nails

(if you have a brad nailer it will work perfect)

To get the project started off if a big way what I recommend is to saw all the boards for the panels.  You can take it one step further and saw everything in you want since you will be on a roll but I like setting up the panels and doing the patching (if you are even going to bother).  This way while the wood filler is drying I can move along to something else.

With that in mind here is the cut list for what we are going to do, there is going to be another couple cuts we are going to make but that is some fine tuning and its either going to be really simple or really hard but I will guide you through the simple way to do it with limited tools.

(*cut list)

To make the panel for the headboard you will need 8 of the 1×8’s and 4 of the 1×4’s that have been cut.  Start by laying 2 of the 1×4’s down about (number) apart (with the panels will be <number> high).  Hopefully you cut those 1×8’s straight because you will need to lay them down going across the 1×4’s.  It helps here to use clamps (of you have some) on at least one end.  Lay that first end in perfect and clamp it down and go from there.  I prefer to actually clamp both ends on and work in but I’m strange.  The side that is facing down will end up being the front of the headboard so one everything is looking good it can be attached.  Grab some nails and drive at least 3 into the top and 3 into the bottom of each 1×8 board, securing it to the 1×4’s.  Because we are going in this direction there won’t be any nail holes in the front so it’s left clean and pretty.

Once you are done there, if you have bothered to notice or if you are like me and paranoid, measure, you know that this is way too wide for a full bed.  Before adding the 1×4’s to the back side, take advantage of this still flat surface and cut 3 inches off both sides (this way its even), giving you a total width of 54 inches.   One you do that you can attach the back 1×4’s and easily.

I know you see the putty there, and I know you know how to use it.  This part is all personal preference though.  For us we purposely picked out boards with knots but that doesn’t mean we wanted holes.  So I used some wood glue to sure up some of the spots and then a little wood putty as filler for some to get just the look we wanted.  If you want to keep it all natural then take your time in lumber selection and you can skip this all together.

One thing you can’t skip is making the posts, not much of a bed without them.  These are larger pieces to cut so it can get a little tricky, but take your time and you will be fine.  When going to attach them to the panel you just made, its easier than it looks.  First, the floor is your friend for this, it may be uncomfortable but its easier than trying to work on a bench (unless you have a really big bench).  Lay the posts on the ground and then place some scraps from the 1×4 or 1×8 pieces down to lay the panel on, this is make the height just about the center of the posts.  In each post drill 3 holes in the area where the 1×8 is sandwiched with the 1×4’s, this is where you will use those 4 1/2 in screws to attach them.

Might as well stand it, looks like a headboard don’t it!  To cap it off (literally) cut a 2×4 to reach across the top.  Take your time and line it up after having predrilled a hole on each end.  Once the ends are lined up you can attached the 2×4 screwing down into the 4×4 using those predrilled holes.  Then finish straightening and attach with the 3 inch screws going down the length.  This is another spot the wood putty comes in handy, counter sink all these holes and you can hide them with the putty.

Sand sand sand!  Lots of sanding here depending on the finish you want.  We were keeping it rustic so our sanding was mostly just to knock off the really rough parts but not to even things out or anything.

Not too bad right?  So here is the good news, the footboard construction is the same, just with the slightly smaller dimensions.