Convertible Bunk Bed Detail Question

Dave Richards

Member
Messages
2,927
Location
SE Minnesota
I've got a client who has asked for a set of bunk beds that can be converted to two single beds. As one of the proposals I'm going to do a variation on this bed part of which will involve removing the tapers at the bottoms of the posts. My question concerns the tops of the head board posts. I'm thinking of making the top 'cubes' removable. They'd sit on steel pins that would locate in holes on the bottoms of the foot board posts. What I'm looking for is suggestions for how to keep the cubes tight or at least from spinning when they are on top of the posts instead.




When my brother and I were living at home we shared a bed room and had bunk beds that were convertible in the same way. The head boards had turned balls at the tops of the posts that covered lag screw-type threads. The lag screws were the pins to locate the foot boards on top. This wasn't a problem when I was a kid. Neither of us was ever in danger of loosing an eye on one of those screws or anything. Of course kids these days are apparently not as tough as we were back then (or their parents are more litigious) so I won't use the same screws.

Ideas?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the ideas, gentlemen. I'm liking the non-round pin/loose tenon idea as well as an idea I thought up of a having a second pin in the knob that fits into a hole in the top of the post. It wouldn't be that big of a deal to have a short pin extending out of the knob when it is stored.

After doodling a bit this morning on this, I'm at this point.



Clearly it needs a ladder and some sort of kid-retaining fence up top.

I think I need to do a few other designs for this client, too. This is a start, though.
 
I am in the process of making a very similar design for my girls, except they want theirs to be pink...

I am planning on using a floating tenon to hold the two beds together. My dad made bunk beds for my brother and I, and they were held quite firmly with small dowels. FWIW, the floating tenon should be more substantial.

Disclaimer: I am fairly new at woodworking and am using this project to practice my tenons.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
 
Last edited:
I 've decided I'll use a tenon--probably a large domino glued into the top of the headboard posts. There'll be toppers for the posts when the beds aren't stacked and they, along with the foot board posts will have mortises to receive the tenons. The client decided upon this design:



I like the other one better but what are you gonna do?
 
Top