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Building the 3yo a bunk bend. We only have 1 kid, not sure why we need a bunk bed, but.....

Here's my plan, based off one the wife likes.
KadeBed v5 by Andy Snider, on Flickr
KadeBed v5x by Andy Snider, on Flickr

My first idea was to use 2x4s & 2x6s (drawing is 2x lumber). I don't have a jointer & I can't find enough that are nice enough to do that + it's overkill.
Soo, next idea was to use some nicer pine 1x6 & 1x4s to look nicer. I'm not convinced that the 76" rail span will be OK with a 1x4 & I don't really like the look of a 5.5" board on the upper mattress (head knocker).
So, Menards has stock of 5/4" lumber. It's still beefy & more expensive, but it's not outrageous

What say ye, oh wise ones? Can I get by with 1x4s on the bed rails (with 2x2 laminated to hold the bed slats). My plan is to mortise the ends & insert the rail w/o glue, then use a pocket hole in the 2x2 to secure the rails & allow it to be taken apart. Or, should I go 1x6 or 5/4x4 on the rails.
After that, do I stick with 1x for the sides or should I go 5/4 to match?

Next is advice on how to get the wife to pay the $800 for this to match what she wanted to buy (as well as the $700 dresser)
 
Posts: 3359 | Location: IN | Registered: January 12, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I always tend to over engineer, but 5/4 is what I would tend to use. Would be great for your kids friends stay overs!


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Posts: 3856 | Location: WNY | Registered: April 11, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Age Quod Agis
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I think you'd be fine with 1x6 poplar, and you'd certainly be fine with 1x6 oak.

Think about it, the queen or king bedframe that holds a mattress and box spring, and upon which two full sized adults engage in night sports often has 1x6 or 1x8 side rails, with a 1x1.5 lip screwed to the bottom of the rail to hold three 1x3 slats which support the box spring.

If that setup will support the creation of children, there's no reason to suspect that well joined 1x6 hardwood won't support a kid from age 3 to 10.

I'd consider making the rungs of the ladder thicker, but less wide as they will be more comfortable to the feet of the kid climbing. However, if the upper deck is for guests, and your guy is going to sleep on the bottom, it may not matter.



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Posts: 13085 | Location: Central Florida | Registered: November 02, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
drop and give me
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Retired cabinetmaker here. I say overengineer the project. You say only a single 3 yr old now but more later? Or sleepovers with other friends? Parents bought 2 sets of bunk beds in 1958 for 4 active boys. 1 set still active 1 set lost due to a flood event in 2016. Pay and do a good job now or cry about it later. When we go looking for furniture I go out of my way to look at material as well as construction methods. Have told store salesmen that they did not know of what they speak. Good luck in keeping MAMA happy or nobody will be happy. ............... drill sgt.
 
Posts: 2191 | Location: denham springs , la | Registered: October 19, 2019Reply With QuoteReport This Post
10mm is The
Boom of Doom
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I had to do a rebuild recently. I approached it like I was engineering a deck.

Overbuilt? Oh my, yes.




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Posts: 17620 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 08, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I would way over engineer it.

Think of a couple of older kids jumping up and down on the top bunk.

He is not going to be 3 for ever.
 
Posts: 4812 | Registered: February 15, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Redhookbklyn
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If Mama’s says you need a bunk bed, you need a bunk bed!

Build it to last a lifetime.



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Posts: 2064 | Location: SC | Registered: January 01, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Did you consider using 3/4" plywood? You could get a couple sheets of a nice Maple or Oak plywood at HD and rip it down into the pieces you need. You could also laminate a couple pieces to make your apron really strong. Plywood is both really tough and really stable, and likely cheaper in the long run than hard wood. And because little boys are violent little bastards Razz and will destroy almost anything over time, plywood might hold up better. If mom doesn't like the looks of the exposed plies, use glue on veneer on the edges (iron on is the cheapest and easiest).


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Posts: 33845 | Location: Orlando, FL | Registered: April 30, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
always with a hat or sunscreen
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Let me toss out a variant which is what I grew up with. Much more flexibility than what you're currently looking at.

The "system" consisted of:
--2 large open headboards
--2 small open footboards
--4 mattress rails
--2 mattress rail extensions
--4 dowel pegs (fit in the top of headboards)
--2 mattresses with wood frames

This provided the ability to have:
--2 separate equally configured beds
--1 tall bed with a shorter bed nested underneath ("trundle" beds)
--traditional stacked bunk beds


They were bought with a matching wide dresser with mirror. I still have the set in a spare bedroom. They must be around 65 years old now. Forgot who made them but they were very well made and rather expensive at the time per my 95 yo mother. Big Grin



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Posts: 16631 | Location: Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: June 20, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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2x4’s. Overbuild it. Or redo it in 3 years.
 
Posts: 2169 | Location: south central Pennsylvania | Registered: November 05, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
semi-reformed sailor
Picture of MikeinNC
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quote:
Originally posted by bald1:
Let me toss out a variant which is what I grew up with. Much more flexibility than what you're currently looking at.

The "system" consisted of:
--2 large open headboards
--2 small open footboards
--4 mattress rails
--2 mattress rail extensions
--4 dowel pegs (fit in the top of headboards)
--2 mattresses with wood frames

This provided the ability to have:
--2 separate equally configured beds
--1 tall bed with a shorter bed nested underneath ("trundle" beds)
--traditional stacked bunk beds


They were bought with a matching wide dresser with mirror. I still have the set in a spare bedroom. They must be around 65 years old now. Forgot who made them but they were very well made and rather expensive at the time per my 95 yo mother. Big Grin


That’s what we had when I was a kid. I used my bed until I went into the service, then I retrieved it when I moved off the ship into an apartment (you know mom n dad have some free furniture) sold it when I got married and moved.



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Posts: 11614 | Location: Temple, Texas! | Registered: October 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I would not use this model.....

https://youtu.be/ZS90l4L2t6k
 
Posts: 4206 | Registered: January 17, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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