Sourcing timber/pallet wood for DIY project?

TidyMax

Eeeek. So i have done all of the number crunching

The bed is HEAVY. I have allowed for a headboard and footboard to be made from vertical lengths of scaffboard, footboard height at 658mm headboard height at 858mm.

Total length of wood necessary 142foot, (headboard taking up 30ft, footboard taking 24ft)

Scaffboards weigh about 1.4kg per foot, so just shy of 200kg without the mattress!

Back to the drawing board

Chunks

Ouch. That's not a bed that's a monument. Good luck with the rethink!

TidyMax

haha yeah i know! I shaved about 60kg off which is much better

DoctorFoster

Since you insist on using reclaimed timber why not consider hard wood?

It will look better and would be best not stained or is price the issue here?

Your first design was £142 for the wood alone. Add in fixings and finish you can buy cheaper at John Lewis.

If you want to make a statement use a quality material.

TidyMax

I can't get a solid wood bed anywhere for £142!

What is the difference between hardwood and softwood? Hardwood being Oak?

Price isn't the issue but i want to keep it as cheap as possible. I am building the bed because the ones we have seen (that were solid wood) were all in excess of £600 plus mattress. The one we have seen that was close to the one i am trying to make was £900.

The bed isn't really about making a statement it's just trying to make the wooden bed that we want!

DoctorFoster

TidyMax wrote: »

I can't get a solid wood bed anywhere for £142!

What is the difference between hardwood and softwood? Hardwood being Oak?

Price isn't the issue but i want to keep it as cheap as possible. I am building the bed because the ones we have seen (that were solid wood) were all in excess of £600 plus mattress. The one we have seen that was close to the one i am trying to make was £900.

The bed isn't really about making a statement it's just trying to make the wooden bed that we want!

What's that then?

http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-wilton-bedstead-double/p312175?colour=Pine

I did say factoring in the cost of fixings and finishing.

TidyMax

That isn't the style of bed we want.

You have seen the prices of the beds i said were similar to what we wanted, they certainly wearn't going to be a basic bed frame in that price region. Once again, we are going off topic.

http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/364932376028070534/

That is more what i intend on building.

DoctorFoster

Right fir that I'd build the basic frame out of something solid.

Four solid posts and your rails. That will be the main bulk. When it comes to weight.

Consider buying some sprung slats or make your own unsprung ones if you don't see a benefit in them.

Once you've got your basic frame. The rest can be constructed from thinner material on a frame work.

Find a finish you like before deciding on the materials to use.

If you like the look of reclaimed oak go for that and don't try and match it by using stained soft wood as the grain will be different.

arbrighton

Chunks wrote: »

On the back of shabby chic trend and a desire to recycle, there appears to be a lot of interest in pallet wood for DIY projects. There are downsides (beyond splits, warping, nail holes and colouration) one of which is that you have no idea what was transported on the pallet the wood comes from and it could be nasty (eg. toxic chemicals). Reclamation yards might provide you with another source of (cost effective) timber supply. You might find usable lengths of exactly what you're looking for.

Good luck.

And let's not forget that the pallets are treated with chemicals to stop them being attacked by insects or rotting.

Cazmob

Hi TidyMax, I hope you haven't been too disheartened by some of the comments! The bed you want to build looks lovely. I'm just about to do a similar thing with old scaffolding boards but I am actually using my old double from freecycle and extending it to a super king size. I'm doing this by using 2 scaffold boards as a headboard and 1 as a footboard with another reclaimed timber bit underneath. Reclaimed 2 by 4 for the slats and a bit down the middle and hopefully it will work -I have a vision and hopefully it will not look rubbish!! I'm using the original sides and legs but the overall look should be pretty rustic but without the risk of falling through the ceiling with the weight! I really hope you find a way of doing it, I've just completed a dining table with benches and a mini version for the kids plus lots if shelves out if old 2 by 4 and I'm chuffed with the results, before this I hadn't made a bit of furniture in my life! Keep us all updates I'm really interested to hear what results you have :-D