I'm going to build bunk beds this summer for our boys. I've looked at some designs online, but I'd prefer to look at some books. Anyone have any suggestions for books with bunk bed designs? I'll take web site suggestions too. Thanks!
I don't have any book suggestions, but I do have a design suggestions that you might be able to incorporate into whatever plan you choose.
The oak bunk beds I built 25+ years ago were built so they can be separated into single beds, which in fact, they are now.
If you use the mattresses as a reference, you can see that the head and foot boards of the lower bunk are taller than the head and foot boards of the upper bunk. When you split them into singles, you use the taller parts as head boards and the shorter parts as foot boards for a more traditional look. You also end up with more space for the person in the lower bunk. More headroom for sitting, less of a cave feeling.
I specifically built "ladder end" bunks so that we didn't have to have a separate ladder for the upper bunk, although I did eventually build a ladder for the short time that the beds were in the room shown in the image below.
The guard rails shown on the singles lift off or slide left and right.
Bunk Bed:
Singles:
These days my 87 YO dad sleeps in one of the singles in his apartment 350 miles away. The other single is a spare bed for when one of the kids come home. Dad's use of the bed wasn't part of the original plan, but when they needed to get a hospital style bed for mom, he had to move to a single. The bed was built for my boys and "passed up" to my dad. ;-)
You might start with Sketchup and search the online model library ("3D Warehouse"). It's also interesting to search woodworking retail outlets (Rockler is often good for this) for bed hardware (rail couplers and whatnot). They may have plans, as well.
K mentioned hardware. I don't know what you planned on using for the rails, but while you are out there looking for options, keep these 2 styles in mind:
Notice the square corners:
Notice the rounded corners:
Which ones do think are easier to install? Hint: What kind of mortise does router bit leave?
I used the "easier" ones on this bed. I recessed them very, very slightly so that when you rubber mallet the rails into the head/foot board they pull together really tight.
Naked:
Dressed:
Mortise-free bed hardware is also available :
John T.
I have used both mortise and mortise free. I have seen no performance issues from either but the mortise type seems to fit tighter and has the bottom/top of the mortise to help support the load rather than just the screws. Small differences but Mortise free also disappears.
-1
+1 See -1 above. Isn't a looser fitting a performance issue?While I haven't tried the specific type that John T suggested, I have tried other Mortise free styles. In fact, the bunks beds (my first major project) had 2 different types on them (too chicken/no skills/no tools to mortise anything back then) I eventually got tired of tightening them up every now and then. (young rowdy boys) Ever since I replaced them with mortised ones, the beds are rock solid and you need a rubber mallet to get them together/apart.
+1+1
Absolutely gorgeous. Well done!
Not loose as in rickety so much as the side rails tend to not fit tightly against the head board leg. YMMV The mortise type pull everything in tighter.
I agree. And that slight looseness tended to cause movement and more looseness, at least in my experience.
+1
Thanks. Reclaimed Douglas fir, left over from a post and beam house build. (Not mine, I wish)
I love this build! My plan has been to have 2 stackable twins with a built in ladder. I like how you sandwiched the boards to give a mortised look. A lso, having the taller header/footer for the bottom double as the headboard when separated is genius. How did you attach them when they were stacked? I picture one or two 3/4 inch dowels on each post. Not sure that's strong e nough though.
1/2", maybe 5/8" dowels were enough for years. About 2 " long.
The mattresses were supported by 3/4" plywood sitting on a 2x2 shelf glued and screwed to the rails. Buttons hid the screws. The top plywood had a sheet of luan on the bottom to dress up what the lower bunk occupant looked at. A sheet of birch or poplar plywood eliminates that need. I didn't know any better back then.
Screwing the plywood to the rail shelves really stiffened up the beds.
Any other questions, just come on back.
Had similarly-designed although were just square corner posts mortise/tenon joints as kids. The head/foot board ends were counter-sized also so did appear as ordinary twin when unstacked.
The connecting pins were 3/8" hanger bolts threaded into the lower sections solidly with a set of turned newel knobs as finishing touch to cover the post ends when unstacked.
I'm not sure what happened to those when folks refinished grandparents house and our little house was sold and moved (back) to town...I suppose were sold/gifted then; hadn't thought of them in almost 40 years...
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