Wood choice for painted king bed

[Jeremy Gibson]

I'm looking to build a king size bed (heirloom bed plan at plans.now) and and wondering about a good wood choice. This will be painted white to give it a beach or cottage look instead of the cherry used in the plans. Is pine strong enough to use? Should I use poplar? This should be a fun and challenging project - one that means a new jointer and planner too!

Thanks!

[Phisherman]

Poplar is an excellent choice. I used three long poplar planks for my lathe. Poplar shapes well, is tough, absorbs vibration, and is inexpensive. Poplar takes paint exceptionally well, although I left my lathe natural color.

Pine, depending on what kind, will show the grain, and possibly weep sap. Pine is strong enough for a bed. I constructed my king-size waterbed from pine and it is still holding over 500 pounds of water after 30 years. Back then in engineering college, I calculated the tangential force on the side using calculus and the deflection created by the weight.

[Bay Area Dave]

poplar is a nice wood to work with. not as tough as oak, but like you said, you are gonna paint it. and it is cheap. pine is a PITA.

dave

[Bay Area Dave]

poplar is a nice wood to work with. not as tough as oak, but like you said, you are gonna paint it. and it is cheap. pine is a PITA.

dave

[Bay Area Dave]

I meant to say, " not as tough as oak, AND like you said, you are gonna paint it". Using the conjunction "but" implies that an alternative wood for a painted project is oak! Hardly! That would be a crime! :)

dave

[B a r r y]

I'd use maple or birch, as they have much more durable surfaces than poplar. Poplar, and of course, pine, are too soft for my liking for anything other than drawer sides or internal parts.

Barry