by Daniel Diehl
Panels
The panel sizes called for on the materials list allow an extra ¾ inch in both height and width on all the panels to provide the tongue that seats into the rabbeted groove in the bed frame. The chamfered edges on these panels were originally shaped with a drawknife. Although they are easier to cut on a table saw or with a plane, using a drawknife will give the chamfers the irregular surface found on the original furniture.
Before you begin to cut the chamfer, mark off the portion of the panel that will be cut away. Mark the finished width of the panel around its outer edge and the width of chamfer around the face of the panel. The face of the chamfer is 2 inches wide, including the area that seats into the rabbet. The outer face of the rabbets may need to be angled slightly with a chisel and mallet to accommodate the chamfered edge of the panels. Do not cut away more than is necessary, in order to maintain a snug fit.
Final Assembly
As the panels are chamfered and fitted into the rabbets, begin assembling the bed. Working on a level surface, assemble one of the short ends first, then the long sides, and finally the remaining short end. Check that the bed is level and square. Pull the entire structure together, using strap clamps or bar clamps, and drill pilot holes for the dowels. Do not drill all the holes at one time. First dowel the top and bottom rails to the corner posts. When the corners are secure, drill and dowel the stiles to the top and bottom rails. Tapering the ends of the dowels will allow them to seat into the pilot holes more easily.
Floor Boards
Now cut the floor boards. For the greatest support, the floor boards should run across the width of the bed. The boards need not rest tightly against the backs of the panels, but they should be wide enough that they cannot fall off the bottom rail. Notch them to fit around the corner posts and stiles. There is no need to attach the floor boards to the bottom rail.
To adapt the bed for a modern mattress, you can raise the floor to about 10 inches below the top edge of the frame. Attach 2-by-2-inch support rails the length of the interior of the bed to the inside of the frame at the stiles and corner posts. These supports are only necessary along the long sides of the bed. Use modern wood screws to attach them. Lay the floor boards on top of these support rails.
Finish
When assembly is complete, sand the bed and give it an oil finish as described on page 7.
Canopy
Frame. The metal canopy is a simple welded frame of round steel stock. Working on a level surface, arrange two long and two short lengths of ½-inch round stock into a rectangular shape 71 by 35½ inches. At each corner, stand one of the 2½-inch pieces of ½-inch round stock as a corner post at the juncture of the frame members (see the detail drawings of the canopy frame). Check that the pieces are all at 90-degree angles to each other, then weld the corners of the frame together. At the center of each long side of the frame, weld another 2½-inch-long post to the inside face of the frame.
Onto one of the 71-inch-long, 3/8-inch rods, slide twenty of the 1-inch chain links, and clamp the rod to the free ends of the corner posts on one of the long sides of the canopy frame. Arrange the chain links so that there are ten links on either side of the central divider post. Weld the rod to the corner posts and central divider post. Repeat this process on the other long side of the canopy frame. Slide twelve 1-inch chain links onto one of the short, 3/8-inch rods, and weld the rod between the support posts on one of the short ends of the canopy frame. Repeat the process on the other end of the frame. You should now have a frame similar to the one shown in the drawings. Turn the frame so that the chain-link rings are resting on the work surface. The frame is now in the position it will assume when hung above the bed. On top of each of the four corner posts, weld a 1-inch chain link. The canopy will be suspended from these rings.
Installing the Frame. Place the assembled bed in its permanent location before attaching the canopy. The canopy can be hung at any height. The figures here show it at 96 inches above the floor. Attach eye bolts into the ceiling joists directly above the corners of the bed. If there are no joists at these locations, use toggle bolts instead of eye bolts. Tying directly into the ceiling joists will provide the best support, however.
From the bolts, suspend lengths of chain or rope, attaching one end securely to the bolts. If you are using chain, cut each to the desired length and hook the bottom links through the rings on the corners of the canopy frame. If you are using rope, thread the ends through the four support rings on the canopy frame. Lift the frame into position and tie off the first rope. Tie off successive ropes, ensuring that the canopy frame is level, until all four corners have been tied. It will take a bit of patience to get the frame level.
Drapes. The length of the drapery fabric on the materials list is given for a bed canopy frame suspended 96 inches above the floor. If the height is more or less, adjust the length accordingly. You need a total of six drapery panels. We suggest leaving the manufacturer’s selvage edges on the fabric exposed as the edges of the draperies; medieval monks would not have made hems unnecessarily. Along the bottom edge, sew a 1-inch-wide double-turned hem. At the top end, sew a 1½-inchwide double-turned hem. Sew the draperies to the drapery rings on the canopy frame. One drape goes at the head of the bed, one at the foot, and two on each side. The drapes on the side are opened and closed as required; the single panels on the ends are usually left extended.
Cover. Make a cover for the canopy frame using a single piece of fabric the size indicated on the materials list. Cut a 4½-inch square from each corner of the unhemmed canopy cover. This will allow the canopy to extend beyond the hanging ropes and drop down around the sides of the frame. Hem the edges of the cover, including around the cutouts, with a ½-inch-wide double-turned hem.
Tie light string or heavy thread across the open top of the canopy frame to serve as a temporary support for the canopy cover. Only four or five strings are necessary in each direction—just enough to support the canopy. Place the canopy cover over the top of the frame and adjust it so that it hangs straight and even on all four sides. Use heavy thread to sew the canopy in place around the top edge of the canopy frame with a loose whip-stitch. When all four sides have been sewn to the frame, cut away the string support.
PROJECT 26
Half-Tester Bed
Half-Tester Bed replica; original, English, fourteenth century. Pine, 8 feet, 4 inches x 78 inches x 54½ inches. Replica in collection of Carlisle Castle, Carlisle, Cumbria, England. Photo by Daniel Diehl.
The master bed was often the most elaborate piece of furniture in the medieval household. Not only did it provide a place to sleep, but the size and quality of the bed were prime indicators of the owner’s social status. The larger and more elaborate the bed, the more important its owner. The sleeping platform of this bed seems unusually high by today’s standards, but until well into the nineteenth century, it was not unusual for the high beds of the upper classes to require steps to get into them. The extra height not only kept the sleepers safe from the cold drafts that were ever present in poorly heated homes, but also prevented rats, searching for a warm place to sleep, from jumping into bed with the human occupants.
The presence of a tester, or canopy, indicated that a bed’s occupant was of high enough rank to be worthy of privacy and also had enough money to afford the expensive fabric required to make bed curtains. The term half-tester indicates that the canopy does not run the full length of the bed as it would on a four-poster. This reproduction of a fourteenth-century bed is located in the marshal’s room at Carlisle Castle on the border between England and Scotland. Because of Carlisle’s importance in keeping Scottish raiding parties from crossing into England, its marshal, the head of the castle garrison, would have been a man of great importance. This fine bed reflected the grandeur of his position.
Construction Notes
Because of the bed’s size, it will be nearly impossible to move even the assembled headboard from workshop to bedroom, and the fact that it does not disassemble
makes it almost impossible to move it from one place to another. You may need to build the headboard unit and assemble the bed in the room where it is going to be located. If you are building this bed for use at home, you may want to adapt bed hangers to the side rails so that it can be disassembled. It may also be necessary to attach the canopy with screws so that the headboard can be broken down to fit through doorways.
Most of the construction is fairly straightforward. The assembling of the tester canopy and the bed’s large size will present challenges, and the multiplicity of mortise and tenon joints requires strict attention to the instructions and plans. To ease into this dauntingly massive project, begin by building the footboard. After this and the side rails have been built, you will find the courage to tackle the headboard.
Materials
This reproduction bed is made of pine, although an original bed of this size and quality would more likely have been built of oak. In either case, all the material necessary to construct this bed should be available without too much special milling.
Footboard
Cut to length the five boards that form the main panels of the footboard, as shown in the footboard drawing, allowing 2 extra inches in length on each board for the tenons. Note that the two wider boards are used at the top and bottom of the panel. On each end, mark and cut tenons that are 1 inch in length and ½ inch in thickness. So that the tenons fit properly into the corner posts, they should be in the centers of the panels; that is to say, form the ½-inch-thick tenons by removing ¼ inch of wood from each side of the board. The top edge of the tenon on the top board and the bottom edge of the tenon on the bottom board are stepped back 1 inch from the board’s edge.
Following the patterns given in the footboard and footboard decoration detail drawings, lay out and cut the patterns on the top and bottom boards. These are simple, flat cuts that can be carried out with a band saw or jigsaw. Next, begin shaping the corner posts. Lay out the design, shown in the bedpost detail drawing, on all four sides of both posts. Begin forming the onion-dome-shaped finials by cutting a 1¼-inch-wide chamfer along the uppermost 5¼ inches of each post, using a router or drawknife. Then cut the onion-shaped finials on a band saw or jigsaw. Getting all eight sides symmetrical is a bit tricky; practice on an expendable wood scrap before cutting into the bedpost.
Next, cut a mortise along the inside face of each post to accept the five boards of the end panel. Note in the footboard and side rail section drawing that the mortise is slightly off-center, so that the panels are closer to the outside of the bed frame. To ensure an accurate fit of the joint, lay the end panel boards on a flat work surface exactly as they will be when they are fitted into the footboard. Measure the combined length of the tenons, and cut the mortise in the corner post to this length. Repeat the process for the other corner post. The combined tenon length may vary slightly from one side of the bed to the other. After the tenons have been cut, assemble the end panels and corner posts to ensure that they are a snug fit for years of sturdy use.
Disassemble the footboard and lay the corner posts on your workbench so that the mortises face each other and the sides of the corner posts that will be on the outside of the footboard are facedown on the workbench. On the surface that is now the top face of the corner posts, mark the positions of the mortises for the side rails as shown in the side view, side rail, cross section of the side rail, and footboard and side rail section drawings. The first of these drawings indicates the height from the floor that the side rails will be, the next establishes the length of the tenons, the third locates the side rail on the corner post, and the last gives the width of the tenons. It is difficult to see on the drawings, but the mortise and tenon on the bottom board of the side rail are 1¾ inches in both width and height, while those for the top board are 1¼ inches in both width and height. The mortise for the center panel is the full 1-inch width of the panel. Cut the mortises to the depth shown in the side rail drawing. Note that the shallow mortise for the center panel abuts the mortises for the top and bottom rails. The finished mortise should have the shape of two squares connected by a narrow channel.
Now assemble the footboard. Insert the five panels into the mortises in the corner posts, making certain that the entire structure is square. Drill 2-inch-deep pilot holes that are 3/8 inch in diameter for two dowels in each end of the top and bottom boards of the end panels. Tap 3/8-inch dowels into the holes and cut them off just above the surface of the post. No dowels are necessary in the three center panels; the dowels in the top and bottom panels should be strong enough to securely hold the footboard. If you wish, coat the insides of the mortises lightly with glue before inserting the panels.
Side Rails
Cut the component parts of the two side rails to length following the side view drawing. Allow enough extra length on the pieces to accommodate the tenons as shown in the side rail drawing. The center panel requires an extra ½ inch on each end, and the top and bottom rails need an extra 1¼ inches on each end. When the pieces have been cut to length, cut a rabbet that is ½ inch wide and ½ inch deep in both the top and bottom rails to receive the side panels. The positioning of these rabbets is shown in the side rail cross section.
Next, cut the corresponding tenons along the top and bottom edges of the center panels. Fit the center panel into the top and bottom rails to ensure a snug fit, and then disassemble them, laying the center panels aside. Cut tenons on both ends of the top and bottom rails. The mortises on the headboard ends of the side rails are identical to those required to fit into the mortises on the footboard, shown in the side rail drawing and described above. The tenons should fit into the mortises on the footboard with just a few taps of a mallet. On the end of each of the upper rails that will attach to the headboard, cut a mortise 1 inch wide and 1 inch deep. This mortise will be on the top face of the rail and should begin 1 inch from the tenon end of the rail and extend along the rail for 5 inches. Running the mortise through the tenon will weaken its holding power. When this mortise has been cut, lay the footboard and side rails aside.
Headboard Construction
Cut the headboard’s corner posts to the length given on the materials list. Note that these posts run to the top of the molding surrounding the tester. Next, lay out and cut the mortises into which the side rails will fit. These mortises mirror the ones on the footboard. Now cut a shallow mortise for the wing panels that support the tester frame’s sides. These wings, and the mortise into which they fit, are shown in the tester and wing details drawing. Note that the mortise is only ½ inch deep and 5/8 inch wide, but it must be positioned to allow the 1-inch-thick wing to lie on the same plane as the side rail’s center panel. In effect, the mortise for the wings will continue the line of the mortise for the side rail panels along the entire length of the corner post; it will just be a little narrower. Cutting this mortise should give you a continuous mortise in the front face of the corner posts, beginning 18½ inches from the post’s bottom end and extending through its top end. This mortise’s topmost 5¾ inches must now be deepened to 1¼ inches and widened to 1 inch to receive the tester frame’s rear end. Note that it must be widened 3/16 inch on each side of the existing mortise so that the wing and the tester frame fit flush.
Now lay out and cut to length the top and bottom boards of the headboard. Be sure to allow 1½ inches on each end (3 inches in the overall length) for the tenons. Cut the tenons to the width and length shown in the headboard detail, front and side views. Then cut the mortises in the corner posts into which they fit. Note that the bottom edge of the bottom board is level with the bottom edge of the side rail, and the top edge of the top board is held 1 inch below the upper end of the corner post, as shown in the cutaway view of the headboard rear edge. Final assembly of the headboard will be easier if the mortise into which the top board fits runs through the top end of the corner posts, as shown in this drawing. As shown in the cross section C drawing, the bottom board sits flush with the back of the corner post, as does the top board,
which is not shown, placing both of them ½ inch behind the front face of the posts. Between these two mortises, cut a connecting mortise that is ¾ inch wide and ½ inch deep to accept the flat panels that fill in the headboard. Details of these mortises can be found in the cross section C drawing.
Cut the two divider stiles to length, allowing an extra 1¼ inches on each end for the tenons. Cut the tenons to the dimensions shown in the front view of the headboard detail and front and side views of the headboard stile, 2 inches wide and ¾ inch thick. On both sides of the divider stiles, cut a channel into which the panels will slide. These channels run the entire length of the stiles and are ¾ inch wide and ½ inch deep, as shown in cross section C and the side view of the headboard stile. Note that the channels are set ¾ inch forward of the stile’s rear edge. Finally, with a router, cut ½-by-½-inch quarterround chamfers along the full length of the stile’s front edges, as shown in cross section C.
Into the top and bottom boards of the headboard, cut running channels to accept the panels. These channels, like those in the stiles, are ¾ inch wide, ½ inch deep, and ¾ inch from the board’s back edge. Next, mark the locations of the stiles on the top and bottom boards. The front view of the headboard shows that the stiles are 13¼ inches from the corner posts and 15 inches from each other. Cut the mortises to accept the stiles in both the top and bottom boards. The stiles should sit flush with the back edge of the bottom and top boards (see cross section C).
