FIT FOR A KING

Imagine cutting over two hundred mitered joints!

SHOP OWNER: Roman Mann

LOCATION: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

The basic design for this bed came from the client. He and I developed the plan to fit a king size mattress, as he is a king-sized man. The wood is red oak and red oak veneers.

First came the basic bed, the lower part below the rope turnings, which consists of four rails approximately 3" x 10", and four posts - 6" x 6" x approximately 30" long. The rails are all tennoned into the posts and drawn tight using bolts, much like a European cabinetmaker's bench.

I subcontracted the custom-made rope turnings. The rope diameter is 1 1/8", on a 30-degree slope. We placed the four turned posts, two right-handed threads and two left-handed threads, diagonally to each other, which gives a different visual look depending from which side of the bed you're looking. A common error is to make all posts of this type a right-hand thread and just place every other one upside down. This doesnt work because they all look the same regardless of which end is up.

The headboard has space to house the turned posts as well as an area for clocks and night-lights. All the paneling of the headboard has to fall in line with the upper panels in the canopy and rails. If you look closely, you will see the underside of the upper rails is also paneled and parallel with the canopy panels. There are over two hundred miter joints, all cut by my (then) 17-year-old daughter. I never counted all the mortise and tenons.

Probably the greatest challenge was the logistics of getting this unit into the house and up to the third floor. Some of the entrances allowed for only 1/4" of clearance. It was in with a squeak, so to speak!

We began by assembling the base and then the headboard. Next, we dropped the turnings onto the posts using one man per post. Having to hold up that canopy and lower it onto the posts while leaving only a 1/4" of clearance was truly amazing. Finally, we applied the crown as well as the baseboard moldings.

The room also contains an armoire, a makeup station, a wet bar, an entertainment cabinet with pocket doors, and a fireplace surround with matching paneling.