Loft beds are really nothing more than a traditional bunk bed without
the lower bunk. Without the lower bunk the underside of the bed
can be used for storage, a desk, or a play area. I made this loft
bed for my grandson Wyatt out of red oak. This is what is called
a "spindle" bed and this one has a total of 101 spindles! See the
slideshow below to learn how I cut the 202 mortises for the spindles
(and not loose my mind in the process!)
I
don't have a lot of pictures of the various stages of building the bed
because I misplaced my shop camera. Most of the pictures I do
have are of after the woodworking was completed and the bed was
receiving its finish.
The safety rails are separate
components that allow for complete disassembly. In the picture
you can see the aluminum angle bracket I used to attach the safety rail
to the bed rail. The picture below illustrates how this works in
more detail.
The safety rails are attached
to the bed rail using an aluminum angle bracket. The bracked is
1/8 thick and measures 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch. I drilled and
countersunk holes and used #8 by 1in screws to attach the bracket to
the safety rail. It is permantly attached to the safety rail,
then attached to the bed rail where it can also be unattached to remove
it in case the bed is to be disassembled.
Here you can see both safety rails attached to the bed rails using the bracket I describe above.
The ladder is bolted to the
bed rail using connector bolts from the inside of the bed rail. I
drilled and installed corresponding threaded connectors into the leg
assembly.
A satisfied customer!
This is a slide show that describes the jig I used to cut the mortises.
