Bed extension

[BodgeJob]

I've decided to extend our mahogany bed - its a foreign import and doesn't fit our mattress dimensions! I need to extend the side panels of mahogany, this is a heavy sleigh bed.

I'm not too fussed about aesthetics so some additional brackets inside wouldn't be a problem, I am sourcing some 1 1/2 " mahogany board, not sure whether a glue/dowel joint with additional metal bracket would be enough?

 

[Scrit]

Hi Bodge

Do you mean that you intend to do a end joint using dowels? If so I'd give it less than a month until it fails . Honest! You just cannot join timber this way. You either need to put sufficiently large support rails in behind the existing side rails (which then become decorative) or replace the rails with two completely new one-piece rails. Personally I'd go for replacing the entire rails as you'll never get a grain/tone match the original - but them I'm a fussy joinery type

Scrit

 

[BodgeJob]

Thanks for that Scrit,

You've probably guessed I'm not the sharpest chisel in the bag, but hey!

I suppose if support beams are fixed well enough, the original end fittings could still be used on the 'decorative' outer piece - prob not I'd guess so I'd have to adjust them to fit the support beams.

To go down the other route.. this wood is apparently khaya mahogany, which seems quite hard to get hold of. If I went for new lengths of mahogany or similar, do you have a rough idea how much it could cost, for say (2 x) 7' x 10" x 1 1/2".

 

[Scrit]

Hi Bodge

Not a case of being bright at all - just not experienced. You were savvy enough to ask someone else, which is a start! Khaya mahogany is available through the trade, but merchants tend to sell it in rough sawn only - can you saw, plane and thickness it? If not (and I suspect that is the case) you'll need to find another solution or get someone in the trade like me to machine the rails for you. Jointing will always be problematic as the join will be very obvious, although if the rails are solid mahogany it might be possible to rip the rails down the middle (to half the thickness) and make up a thin cladding from the original to go over a pair of plywood or pine or hardwood (say beech) rails. There should be enough timber over to make top lippings and the joint could then be placed mid-on and hidden by the design, thus:

As I said if the design will take having the rails replaced with something else, such as pine or plywood it might well be possible to make-up a pair of rails then add a thinner piece of khaya to the outside, thus:

The bit in the middle would have to be made to disguise the join. A cross section of the new rails would look like this:

A cabinetmaker should even be able to rip down the existing rails to make-up a thick veneered rail from the original rails and leave enough timber over for something else, although this does require a bandsaw with a power feeder. Hope that makes sense.

If the piece is special it may well be worth the effort.

Scrit