Making your own furniture is rewarding, and you can save money doing it. The cost of twin bed frame can run into the hundreds of dollars, but the wood to build your own will cost you a fraction of that. If you already have the necessary woodworking tools, then all the better.
Woodworking Plans
You can find plans to create children's beds in woodworking magazines, from woodworking television shows or from books from the library. Or you can create your own plan. According to David and Jeanie Stiles in their book "Kids' Furniture You Can Build," all you really need are the dimensions. A standard twin-size frame measures 39 inches by 75 inches, but like anything else that is manufactured, the actual measurements of the mattress may be off slightly. It is better to buy the mattress first and fit the frame to the bed.
Materials
The materials you will need to create a simple child's bed, without any railings, are one four-by-eight sheet of three-quarter-inch plywood, one one-by-eight piece of Number 2 pine, one four-by-four piece of Number 2 pine, one-and-a-half-inch finishing nails and #10 flathead screws, and paint. This will create a bed with one side board made from pine and the other side board cut from the plywood, which cuts down on wasted wood, according to the Stileses. If you want the two side boards made from pine, buy two one-by-eight pieces of Number 2 pine and cut the side board from that piece.
Cutting and Assembly
Cut all the pieces first. Cut the following pieces from the plywood: the piece to fit the twin mattress; the side board if you are using plywood, which measures seven-and-a-half inches by 80 inches; two end pieces, each measuring seven-and-a-half inches long by 39 inches wide and five support cleats, four measuring one-and-one-fourth inches wide by 39 inches long and one cleat measuring one-and-one-fourth inches wide by 72 inches long. Additional cuts will need to be made to the cleats when you are assembling the frame to make sure they fit.
For the other side board, cut the one-by-eight piece of pine to measure 80 inches long. For the posts to hold the bed up, cut the four-by-four piece of pine into four pieces measuring 15 inches each.
To assemble the bed, use the screws to attach the side boards first and then the end boards. Then attach the posts to the frame, adding the cleats to the end boards between the legs. When the bed is put together, paint or varnish in the color you choose.
Tags: side board, inches long, inches wide, Number pine, board from, four-by-four piece