Tornado Bed: starting the headboard

The goal. By the end of the weekend, my goal was to have the cross members (in blue) fabricated.

I made pretty good progress during the week on the Torndao Bed, even though I had a heavier than normal travel schedule. About mid-week, I decided to go ahead and glue-up the boards needed for the bottom cross member. This enabled me to cut all of the cross members to length with the same set-up at the table saw. I did just that Saturday morning...

A handy jig. My cross cut sled is one of my most important table saw accessories. It helps me make quick work of accurately cutting this long board.

A template. I use the first board (closest to the blade) as a guide for marking the length of the remaining two boards.

Sized. Here, I have the three cross members cut to final size.

Getting the process right
With this bed, I have had to really concentrate on performaing the right task at the right step in the process. For example, it is always better to cut similar components at the same time (not literally at the same time, but one after another in a group). In my early days of woodworking, I would often fabricate these components separately, in some cases on different days, after changing the set up on my table saw. Cutting boards separately often slows the process and can cause one board being slightly different than the others. Organize your cuts - this speeds the process and yields fewer errors.

Another example has to do with a mistake I almost made. I was about to cut the cross members to final size, before running them through the planer (the opposite of this is better). In the past I have sized a board only to later realize I should have run it through the jointer first. When jointing, snipe can occur at the end of the board. Leaving the board long gives you the ability to simply cut away the snipe. The same is true with a planer. Joint or plane first, cut to final size last.

After bringing the boards down to final dimensions, I then formed the tenons on the ends. This is simply a process of first using my cross cut sled and setting a stop block on my saw fence.

Another large board. Here, I am setting up for the first tenon cuts on the large, lower cross member.

A critical cut. These shoulder cuts must be the same distance in from the edge. This set-up makes it easy.

Bringing it all together. These joints are a little tighter than those on the footboard.

I had to do a little chisel work in the mortises and trimming the tenons to fit. Once that was completed, everything slides right into place. It is such a relief when this goes well.

Success! As I started to pull these parts together, I thought I may have some trouble, but everything went well.

Coming up next: final fabrication of the rest of the components needed for the headboard. I’ll need to cut a slot in the middle and upper cross members to receive the panels, as well as the stub tenons of the stiles. I’ll also have to cut a slot in the stiles - it should be an interesting week in the shop.

This project is being built in response to the historic tornado outbreak that occurred in Alabama on April 27th. On that day, 63 tornadoes struck our state which claimed the lives of 247 people and caused between $2.45 billion and $4.2 billion in property damage (click the image at the right). The Tornado Bed will be given free of charge to a needy victim of the April 27th tornado event.

This is father’s day, and while I have written a few times about my daughter, Beth, I have never put up a photo of her. Here she is; my wife is taking the picture.

What could be better. My sweet daughter bakes me a sweet cake for father's day. I am very fortunate.

My daughter has a growing fascination with baking deserts which isn’t helping me lose weight, but she is getting quite good at it. It was a woodworking Father’s Day. Beth gave me the items needed to connect my planer to my dust collector and my wife gave me a subscription to Fine Woodworking magazine. After church, I got in a nap and then spent about two hours in the shop - a great Father's Day.

Now, a note about the Tornado Dresser: I had planned to make both a bed and a six drawer dresser as help towards the April 27 tornado recovery effort. Donations for the bed have been great with most of the material cost being covered. But new donations have stopped, and not only is there the dresser left to fund and build, but there will likely be the need for a box spring and mattress for the bed. On top of that, I have a small project to tackle prior to my daughter moving back to college, so the dresser is looking a little iffy at this point. I may still build it, but if I do, it will be later in the year.

To view all posts on this project click here. This is post six in this series.

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