Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Bed bolt question
Barry Irby
I am building a sort of craftsman style bed for my Son and DIL. It's a king sized bed with a tall headboard, about 6' tall. The rails are about 7" wide. I could put a wider end on the rails, something like a cloud rise and install a second bolt. Maybe just on the head board? (the foot board is shorter, a bout 40" tall.) Am I overthinking this? My question is should I use two bolts in each end of each rail?
no
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
The mortise is the structural element. The bed bolt is the "glue" that holds the mortise together. A 3/8" worth of "glue" is plenty.
Re: Bed bolt question
charles wintle
What if you used a welded frame instead?
Thanks Bill and....
Barry Irby
Charles, I have used a welded frame before. I made a head board out of all scraps in an effort to use them up. I bolted it to a welded frame because I had that too. It's OK but MUCH more flexible than the beds I have made with a wooden rail morticed and bolted. I will be sticking with the slightly updated old fashioned version.
Nothing beats bed bolts
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
The shoulders of a mortise and tenon joint make it resistant to racking. I have made loft beds and bunk beds with bed bolt drawn mortise and tenon joints and they are rigid, even with their long legs.
Re: Nothing beats bed bolts
AZ in Colorado Springs
That's been my experience, too. Rock solid when the M&T is well fitted.
Shoulders and tenons
Ellis Walentine
One bolt, in the center of the height of the rail, is all you need. The captive nut in the rail gives the bed bolt tremendous holding power, which is directed to the interface between the tenon shoulders and the leg. Those shoulders are the true structural element in this (and other) M&T joint. The shoulder only needs a narrow shoulder all around to bear effectively and to render the rail absolutely rigid relative to the post.
On another note, the rails only need a stub tenon about 1/2" to 3/4" long, not a full length one, to bear the weight.
Ellis
Re:Workbenches
TomD
Depends how you use the bed, but planing on benches introduces racking forces, and continuous, and yet one bolt is all one needs in the stretchers, which are often less wide than bed rails. A kid jumping on a bed probably is as hard on the structure, as what happens with a bench.
I prefer wedged tenons on a bench or table, and hardware bonded bolts for beds. Hardware bonding is cheaper, looks better (not that anyone is looking), and makes assembly and disassembly a lot easier (rarely happens).
Hardware bonded bolts?
Henry (Raleigh NC)
Tom: Hardware bonded bolts? Please do explain what this is; I am unfamiliar with the term.
Henry