Building A Bed: The Project I'm Almost Finished With

Buy A Bed?  Why?  I Can Build That

It took a little convincing but I was able to talk my wife into letting me build a bed for our son.  The plan was/is to build him a bunk bed but because of time constraints, I just built him the bottom half for now.

Planning

I looked up several bunk beds and bunk bed plans.  Then in the end I came up with my own plans/design, inspired by a design I liked.  Specifically the one you see here.

There weren't any plans available for this bed, so I just figured it out on my own.  They're not pretty but they make sense to me.

As you'll be able to see by the finished product, I didn't add the vertical 2x4 board in the middle of the head/footboard.
Materials List

I'm proud to say that I was thurough enough with my materials list that I didn't HAVE to buy any extras after I made the initial purchases.  I spent an approximate total of $250.  That includes the stain, varnish, some new drill bits, my work-gloves, and eye protection.

Just the Bottom Bunk

2x4x10 (2) $7.40

2x6x8 (3) $25.14

4x4x8 (2) $15.84

4x8 Plywood (1) $17.50

1x4x8 (2) $8.50

2x1x8 (12) $20.04

2x2x8 (2) $3.04

Wood Panel (2) $23.90

¼” 6” Lag Screws + washers (24) $19.68

5/16”6” Lag Screws + washers (8) $7.76

¼” Wood Dowels (8) $1.98 (1 pack)

½” Wood dowels (4) $1.98

3” Deck screws (12)

2” Deck screws (48)

Finishing nails (20)

Estimated total cost $200 (as of 2012)

Both Top and Bottom

2x4x10 (10) $37.00

1x3x6 (2) $9.00

2x6x8 (6) $26.28

4x4x8 (4) $31.68

4x8 Plywood (2) $35.00

1x4x8 (4) $17.00

2x1x8 (24) $40.08

Wood Panel (4) $35.85

¼” 6” Lag Screws + washers (58) $47.56

5/16”6” Lag Screws + washers (16) $15.52

¼” Wood Dowels (16) $4.00 (2 packs)

½” Wood dowels (4) $1.98

Hook things (2)?

3” Deck screws (24)

2 ½” Deck screws (10)

2” Deck screws (96)

Finishing nails (40) $3.00

Estimated total cost $350.00 (as of 2012)

This was the plan before I built.  I learned that there really isn't a need for the larger lag screws.  Use them if you want though.

My Design

I used 4x4's for the posts because I wanted it to be really sturdy.  In the end it also added some character to it.  Slight splits in the wood give it a more rustic feel but I feel the integrity of the structure is still there.
I used 2x6's for the beams because I wanted it to be sturdy.
2x1's are used for the bed slats with a 3/4 plywood sheet over that.  We won't need a boxspring so the design is more ideal for an eventual bunk-bed.

Bead board sheets were used for the headboard/footboard.  I could have used grooved pieces a bead board but they were more expensive a would have taken a little more to get to the exact right size.  Looking back now I wish I would have because it would have made the back side a little nicer.

Headboard/Footboard
I made them identical for a couple of reasons.  It made it easier to build, it was just a matter of following a pattern and repeating that.  I also just liked the look.  I wanted the beadboard to make it a little nicer looking than your average bunk bed.  If you wanted to save some money/time, you could do my exact headboard/footboard without the 2x4 across the bottom and the beadboard panels.  To turn the bed into a bunk bed, I'll just drill dowell holes into the middle of the 4x4 posts on top of the head/footboards and on the bottom of the top bunk. 

I ended up with a very sturdy bed, one I feel an adult man could use safely.

I will eventually be able to add a trundle bed that will slide out from underneath, and a top bunk. 

Building
I had access to a great woodshop, but because of the limited amount I could get in this woodshop, I had to focus on building just the bottom bunk for now.
I did a couple of things to make building a little easier.
After cutting one length, I used that as my measuring stick.  The reason being, I didn't need every piece to be exactly X long.  I needed particular pieces to be just as long as each other.

When I cut, I tried to leave a little extra wood on.  I was then able to take this off with a planer/edger or sander to get it to the right size.

For drilling I created a template rather than measure out exactly where I wanted each hole. 

In the end the tools I used were: Miter Saw, Table Saw (though if you use a box spring and don't use beadboard panels you wouldn't need one), Drill Press, Router, Planer, Edger, and a Power Sander.  I also used lots of clamps.  My new wood working theory: you can never have enough clamps.

Staining
This is what the pre-stained, nearly finished bed looks like

I chose a stain with a bit of red to it.  I forgot to stir the stain and was about half-way done when I noticed the headboard was brown, and the rest of the bed I had stained was red.  I waited for it to dry, sanded off the red, and restained it.  I added one coat of satin varnish (I thought the other options were too shiny).

The white piece of wood is the sheet of plywood.
Just Waiting On Bedding

Once we have the bedding, we'll buy the mattress.  I'll take off the side beams (rails) and haul everything up to my son's room where I'll put it all together, complete with head/footboards, beams, the slats you saw in my pre-staining pic, and the sheet of plywood that will replace a boxspring. 

I've already received several compliments from neighbors that have seen it sitting in my garage.  I want to put it together now but have decided to wait until the bedding arrives.  That way we'll be able to celebrate the brand-new, newly completed bed.

Estimated time it took me to build (includes shopping/cutting/constructing/staining): 30 hours

My Projects

I have a couple of projects I've been working on.  One I'm just starting out on, one I've nearly finished and one I am just past the half-way mark.

The One I'm Starting Out On

I've been in MBA school since January but you already knew that, right?  So my project just isn't to graduate.  I want to make the dean's list, I want to get a 4.0. 

Why is this so important to me?  It's because I've never really worked hard in school.  I breezed through High School and graduated with Highest Honors.  In college I was average, not because I didn't understand but because I was lazy.

I want to prove it to myself that I can do it.  How can I describe how I feel about this?  Maybe this way: I want to conquer this demon.

I literally just learned that I got an "A" in one of if not the hardest class I have ever taken!  IT in the Entrepreneur.  The concepts, business terminology, etc were so completely foreign to me.  Who knew what ROI (return on investment) or RFP(request for proposals) mean?  I certainly had never heard of them.  Then throw in the topics ranging from asset management, help-desk, not to mention the work load.  I'd never read a case-study before now, at least not that I know of.  Now I've read nearly 100.

This is just the beginning and I feel like I can sprint the rest of the way.

The One I've Nearly Finished

I'm building a "big boy" bed for Tyler.  It's a twin that I can eventually turn into a bunk bed.  As soon as the bedding arrives and we buy a new mattress I'll be able to move it into Tyler's room and declare it finished.  Because even though it's done, doesn't mean it's finished.  (I need to clean out the garage first).

I'll post more in-depth on my "big boy" bed project later. I have pics, and video, and a materials list, etc.

The One Where I'm Just Past The Half-Way Mark

I've been attempting to write a YA Fantasy for years now.  I've learned a lot along the way from starting and restarting, then editing, etc.  Now I have written more than 41K words in a story that seems to be making sense.  Since the plot is more than half done that must mean this particular project is as well, right?  Oh, now the story gets really fun!

Stand In Holy Places

This is the talk I prepared for Sunday March 11th.  I wanted to share it in case you missed it.
He prayed us there

While serving my mission in California I spent much of my time in Stockton.  Once, while out doing missionary work my companion and I felt the impression to go see Hermano Palacios, the ward mission leader.  We arrived and he was laying down in obvious pain.  That man of great faith had prayed that the missionaries would arrive and give him a blessing.  We were happy to do so and left feeling we had done the work of the Lord.  But the more important lesson is this, “and whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.”

The prayer of Hermano Palacios was answered because he, as a disciple of Christ, stands in holy places.

 Know where you stand

When we stand in holy places we keep the commandments no matter what.  We don’t sacrifice what matters most to us for a moment of pleasure or gratification.  Our vision is lifted up, we see afar off and realize what others view as a mountain is really a mole hill.

When we stand in holy places we follow the Father’s admonition given to Enoch.  “Behold my spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify.  And the mountains shall flee before you and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me and I in you; therefore walk with me.”

We cannot walk with the Savior if we are not willing to follow God’s commandments.  The Lord’s commandments have not changed, will not change.  God does not change.  He is an immovable anchor we can use to steady our ship even as the moral storm rages around us.

Don't value the  Super Shredder

We are responsible for our actions.  At the end of the test here in this life, however long our test may last, it is our own thoughts, words and deeds that will condemn us.  Or, if we have sought the Lord diligently, then we will find him at that day.  Don’t give up what you value most for a trivial momentary pleasure.

When I was about 10 years old I went to Toys R Us with my family.  It was about the time that one of the teenage mutant ninja turtles movies had come out.  I had watched it and there at the toy store, just like in the movie, was the villain the super shredder.  I had a little money in my wallet.  I also had a two dollar bill in crisp condition.  My grandmother had given it to me.  With that two dollar bill I had enough money to buy the super shredder.  I asked my parents what to do, they left it up to me.   I bought the toy.  A boy behind me in the checkout line said, “You spent a two dollar bill on that?  I would have given you 20 dollars for your two dollar bill.”  Don’t give up what is precious to you for some trivial thing.

Lifeguarding and restaurants

Temptations are all around us.  With advances in technology exposure to some of the filthiest things this world has to offer are inevitable.  Don’t look at it.  Turn away.  Keep your thoughts pure. 

In high school I worked as a lifeguard at a local pool during the Summer.  All day long I was exposed to women in swimsuits and bikinis.  I kept my thoughts pure by focusing on my wife, a woman I did not then know, and how I wanted to marry her while wearing white, in a temple of God.

When the swim season was over, I needed some extra money to save for a mission.  I got a job as a waiter at a Chinese restaurant.  The pay was good.  But in the kitchen where I often had to go, was a large poster of a naked woman.  I refused to look.  But the poster was always there.  I quit after a few days.  I decided that the money wasn’t worth it.  I didn’t want to risk  looking.  When you are exposed to such filth, you run away and you do it fast. 

Where did he go wrong?

My seminary teacher once asked me to point out the verse where King David made his life changing mistake.  My classmates and I pointed out verse after verse, finally Brother Anderson made his point, which I have never forgotten.  King David’s mistake was that he did not decide beforehand what he would do.  Decide now that you will always stand in holy places, that when life’s moral storms rage around you, you will be in a sea of calm.

Though the storms may rage...

Once before my mission I went to do some thinking on the grounds of the Mesa Arizona temple.  There is a spot between the visitor’s center and the temple where there is a reflecting pool, and a garden with a couple of rows of trees and flowers.  I was there praying while a monsoon raged around me but in my little spot the wind was calm, there was no rain.  If we will make sure that we are in communication with our Lord and that we can enter His holy temples, we will never be in doubt as to where we will end up.  The world’s moral compass may spin like a top but we will know.

How do I know if I will go to Heaven?

If you want to know where you are going, ask yourself one question, am I worthy to enter the temple?

Friday night as I entered the chapel of the Bountiful Temple I felt an immediate light, life, love and relief.  The Spirit poured out blessings, instruction, and comfort upon me.  I give you my witness that if we will stand in holy places, we will be in communication with Heavenly Father and shall receive the invitation, therefore walk with me.  This I testify in the name of the Redeemer, amen. 

Leadership Lessons From Bobsled Field Producing

Today I was able to switch it up a bit and instead of just producing the morning news, go field produce a piece.  The story was just a fun one on the bobsled rides at the Olympic Park in Park City.  We had our anchor team: Dan Plante, Ann Sterling and Glenn Willey.

I Can Predict The Future

I printed off directions and gave everyone my cell phone in case they got lost.  I knew Dan was going to get lost.  Not because he can't read directions but because he would try and figure it out on his own.  So I told everyone to be there by 4:30 and to get there early.  They didn't need to be there until 5:00pm.  Good thing too, Dan didn't arrive until about 4:50pm. 

I'm Bossy

I told everyone what to do.  I had a vision for how this final product would look and so I made sure we had everything we needed.  I told the anchors what questions they should ask the silver medalist bobsledder.  I told the photographer the exact shots we wanted.  I told the anchors exactly what kind of promos we needed and would use.  I wasn't micro-managing, I would just tell them what I wanted and why I wanted it and let them do their thing.  I'd watch to make sure it worked out and it alway did.  It was fun.  I won't see the final product for another week. 

Bobsledding Is A Good Team Building Experience

On the drive up to the top of the bobsled run, the camera was rolling and everyone was partially chatting.  So I started asking questions and joking around with them.  I realized I needed to manage the moment, the emotions and bring them together.  I think they became more relaxed and natural because of it.  I don't think they even realized that collectively they had tensed up. 

There Is An End In Sight

Once we had what we needed I went through my mental checklist at least twice.  Wrote the story in my head from the video that we had gathered and realized we were okay.  I then called it a day.  It worked out wonderfully.  The final product should air on Good Morning Utah on Feb 10th.