How to Build a Slat Bed

Slatted beds are essential for certain mattresses. Futons and memory foam both get moldy without adequate airflow to the underside of the mattress. Perspiration and humid air conspire with the dark, airless space between the bottom of the mattress and the surface of a standard bed frame with box spring to ruin your mattress.

Things You'll Need

• Existing bed frame or
• Six 4-inch by 4-inch by 16-inch posts
• Three 8-feet by 2-inch by 4-inch lengths of stock lumber
• Stock lumber or reclaimed pallet wood, 1/2-inch by 4-inch by 6 feet
• Or flat metal stock, 1/4-inch by 4-inch by 6 feet
• Claw hammer
• Flat head screwdriver or staple remover
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Power drill, 1/16-inch diameter carbon steel bit
• Titanium nitride-coated or cobalt high speed steel bit, 1/4-inch diameter
• Or 1/4-inch diameter machine screws with matching hex nut, lock washer and fender washer
• Carpenter's try square
• Carpenter's pencil
• Table saw with rip and miter fence
• Sandpapers, coarse through extra fine
• Grinder with 24 and 80 grit wheels
• Clear acrylic wood treatment
• Box of 1.5 and 2-inch long, 1/8-inch diameter brass wood screws
• Wrap-around eye protection
• Dust mask or NIOSH-approved respirator
• ABC fire extinguisher
• 5-gallon bucket of water

Instructions

Making the Bed Frame

1. 

   Use an existing bed frame or build your own. To build a wooden bed frame, cut 2 inches deep, 4 inches across each end of two long pieces of 2-by-4-inch stock wood to make rabbet cuts, as shown in the diagram. Wood Magazine recommends using a jointer to make rabbet cuts. (See Reference 3.)

2. Determine the length of the pieces by using the bed sizes table in the Resources. Twin and full beds are usually 75 inches long. Queen and king are usually 80 inches long.

3. 

   Cut matching rabbets into the sides of each end of the boards at the head and foot of the frame, as shown in the diagram.

4. 

   Apply carpenter's glue to all surfaces of each rabbet cut and allow to dry for 15 minutes until slightly tacky. Press joints together as shown in the diagram. Wipe away any excess glue and allow to dry overnight.

5. 

   Drill two 1/8-inch pilot holes in the corners of the head and foot boards in the positions shown on the diagram. Attach the frame pieces to one another using 1.5-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter brass wood screws.

6. 

   Attach the frame to the six bedposts as shown in the diagram by drilling 1/8-inch pilot holes into the frame and securing it to the posts using 3-inch long, 1/4-inch diameter brass wood screws.

Adding the Slats

1. Decide whether to use new, individual slats, reclaimed pallet wood or flat metal stock. Using reclaimed pallet wood keeps bulk out of local landfills and preserves the trees that would have been sacrificed for new, pristine wood. Skip to Step 4 if using flat metal stock.

2. Remove all hardware, including nails, screws or staples from any pallets you intend to use.

3. Square all boards using a carpenter's try square and a table saw with a rip and miter fence. Use the try square and a carpenter's pencil to scribe a 90-degree angle across each end of any boards that are not already squared. Use the rip fence on your table saw to trim one edge of each board flat, then pass the opposite side of the board along the rip fence. Repeat for each of the remaining two sides.

4. Cut all boards or metal stock pieces to the correct length for the size bed you are making. Use the width column of the bed sizes chart in the Resources. Twin beds are 39 inches wide, full beds are 54 inches, queen beds 60 inches and king-size beds 72 to 76 inches. Use coarse, medium, fine and extra fine sandpaper to give every board a smooth finish. Use a grinder to remove any burrs if using flat metal stock.

5. Drill pilot holes. Use a titanium-nitride-coated high speed steel or cobalt steel bit to drill two 1/4-inch pilot holes 2 inches apart into each end of each piece of 4-inch wide, flat metal stock, 1 inch from each end, or a carbon steel bit to drill 1/16-inch pilot holes in reclaimed pallet wood or wooden slats. Skip to Step 7 if using flat metal stock.

6. Apply three coats of clear acrylic wood treatment to three sides of every board, allowing to dry completely between coats. Repeat for the remaining side.

7. Lay the slats across your bed frame. Drill pilot holes into the bed frame through the existing holes in each slat using the correct drill bit for metal or wood. Use 1.5 or 2-inch brass wood screws to attach wooden slats to the bed frame, depending on the frame's thickness. Use 1/4-inch diameter machine screws with matching hex nut, lock washer and fender washer to attach metal slats.

Tips & Warnings

• A high speed steel bit tolerates the high temperatures of drilling metal. Cobalt bits and titanium nitride-coated twist bits are the two most effective for metal.

• Always wear wrap-around eye protection and a dust mask or NIOSH-approved respirator when grinding or sanding. Keep an ABC fire extinguisher and a 5-gallon bucket of water handy when grinding metal.

References

• Frank Campbell: Keeping It Square
• Drill Bits: The Different Types Explained
• 5 Ways to Make Precision Rabbet Cuts: Jointer, p. 2

Resources

• Useful Tips Before Choosing a Bed Frame
• Bed Sizes Table
• Woodworker's Journal: Skill Builder: Rabbets, Dadoes and Grooves