Opinion on loft bed construction

[apmcintyre]

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of designing/making a loft bed (bunk bed without the bottom bed) and have been looking around the web for ideas. I'm familar with most of the common construction methods - I've made a regular bed in the past, after reading Jeff Miller's 'Beds: Outstanding Projects from America's Best Craftsmen'.

I've come across one design I really like the look of and would like to try and make something similar - see

can see how they join the side rails to the legs (carriage bolts or special hardware - this is visible in the pictures), but can't figure out how they join the cross members e.g. the end/head rails to the legs, steps on ladder to side rails, etc. There doesn't seem to be any visible connection from either side i.e. no exposed screw heads, etc. and they couldn't be screwed & plugged since the joint would have to be knock-down for transport. Also, since the cross rails at either end may be used as a ladder, the joint must be extremely strong!

After looking at above picture, does anybody have an idea how these joints are constructed?

Thanks,

[woodworker88]

I don't know about that one, but I have a loft bed from IKEA which has wood (birch plywood) vertical members, but enameled steel tubing cross rails. The ladder pieces are steel tubing in which the ends have been pinched/stamped to form a flat section at each end, which has a hole drilled and a bolt inserted through the steel and the wooden side rails of the ladder. Basically the ladder is connected to one of the 4 corner posts on the long side, and the other side of the rungs are supported by another post. As for the cross pieces, they are steel tubing with a special endcap that is threaded. Holes are drilled in the posts, and bolts are threaded into the ends of the pipes. Since the ladder is seperate, these pieces are merely for cross bracing, and would not hold a person's weight.