Log canopy bed advice wanted

[NS Gearhead]

Seriously thinking of building a log canopy bed. I guess I've been watching too may episodes of Timber Kings The Mrs wants a bedroom set this year, and boy, they're either junk or crazy expensive!

So a couple questions;

-I mostly have spruce on my lot... would that be an ok wood to use?
-best time to cut down and debark?
-I'd like to keep the bottom "flare out" of the trees... but how the heck would I go about cutting them down without notching?
-What's an appropriate diam.? 8", 10", 12"? I'm thinking bigger would look better, but don't want to go through the effort then have it look goofy.
-any tips on how to square up both ends?

I'm thinking it would be best to cut them this winter and drag them out on the snow to keep from damaging them... but I could be wrong. I've also read somewhere that they'll need to dry for a year before being "worked"

 

[roadhunter]

I built a bed from ponderosa pine posts last year. I ended up using a paddle bit to drill holes and galvanized pipe nipples to attach the pieces together either by threading or a big hammer. Has held together really well but might not be quite the quality you are going for. You might be able to incorporate some pieces that are curved to give the frame more character. My guess is 8" will be more than adequate for what you are doing. I use green wood for projects all the time and have never had an issue. Keep us posted.

 

[dave1949]

Shop Lumberjack Tools - Your Log Furniture Building Headquarters

These log furniture tenon cutters would be something to consider. Not cheap but something you only buy once probably.

Early spring is supposed to be the best time of year for cutting the tree and stripping bark.

 

[NS Gearhead]

I'm not sure what type of headboard/ footboard I want, but I know I don't want the spindles... and yeah, they'd need those fancy tools too.

 

[newbury]

Figure a year for drying per inch depending on your climate. Just make extra pieces in case something cracks.

 

[dave1949]

Do you have any spruce with stilt roots? Usually in damp areas. Or, dig out around the tree and take ~18" of the roots attached to the trunk. Spruce roots usually spread out quite a bit.

The stilts/roots would make funky feet, or turned upside down, unusual tops for the posts. Built-in clothes hooks. As tops they would need to be tall enough to not be head bonkers. They might be toe stubbers as feet.

I wouldn't go too massive with the diameter.

 

[NS Gearhead]

I'd keep them inside once debarked so they didn't get weathered...

What's; "stilts"? Above ground? I don't want individual roots, just a nice little flair out. Maybe 2" bigger diam then the log.

After a quick walk around the lot I see a bunch that have the bottom flair out above ground. I'm thinking if I tie off and pull on the top... and use wedges as I cut through, I should be able to fell them without notches. I'll obviously have to take a 2nd cut to try to square the bottom once they're down too. Any tips on doing that?

 

[dave1949]

http://thumb1.shutterstock.com/disp...d-man-s-cave-state-park-hocking-120939538.jpg

This is about the best pic I could find. I have spruce trees that have very prominent roots above ground, some even have small open pockets under the tree between the roots.

The causes are varied: erosion, growing over a rock, growing from a nurse stump that has rotted away. I think it can also happen in damp areas by frost heaves jacking the roots and tree out of the ground a bit in years when the conditions are present for that such as wet ground, no snow cover and cold temps.

 

[super55]

If you haven't cut your trees yet wait until late winter or early spring. When the days get longer and the snow starts to melt the trees have a lot of sap running through them and the bark becomes real easy to peel. I don't know about pine but with cedar logs you can grab the bark on one end and walk it all the way down to the other and completely peel the bark with no issues.

 

[Lloyd_E]

GH,

I built a pencil post canopy bed. See attached sketch. The posts are yellow pine - dried to about 12%. Everything else is red pine. Unless you get your wood kiln dried - it takes on average 1 year per 1" thickness for wood to air dry properly. With spruce you will have a lot of checking... but that may not be a bad thing. You will have to mortice and tenon your connections and make them beefy. The head and foot board, bed frame and posts can be built with lag-bolts holding the parts together and glued as well. The head and foot boards will have to be morticed into the posts.. Once this is done they can be lag-bolted into the bed frames that hold the mattress.

This will be a heavy piece. Also you will have to consider the height of bed frame plus mattress and box spring... the height add up!

I based my build on the following design - scroll to bottom. But I added a foot board as well with canopy stretcher and cloth.
Stephen Swift Furnituremaker

Fun project.

 

[wawajake]

I have done two sets of bunkbeds (one with cedar logs and one with maple logs) the maple log one is attached pic (I could not find pic of the other set I built for my cottage since sold)

I would strongly suggest against using Spruce logs...........I used 16 of them for a storage building project and the bleed spruce gum for years after.

I would suggest cedar or maple, and either one it is best to peel in spring , suprisingly maple was by far the easiest to peel because for that thickness of tree it is still the immature type of bark (smooth) and in spring it comes off in full strips with a simple stiff putty knife or wonderbar and so no gouging , Cedar you will get gouging but soft enough wood to sand them out with belt sander.
If you do not have a source for either wood ...try your local TSC or that type store , they sell 8 ft lengths of cedar logs already peeled various diameter and they work great.....even if grey a bit they will sand to nice brown.

and yes get yourself a tendon cutter and at least 1 and a half inch diameter and then use spade bit for female joint.

good luck

 

[NS Gearhead]

I would strongly suggest against using Spruce logs...........I used 16 of them for a storage building project and the bleed spruce gum for years after.

This is what I needed to know. You Sir, have saved me ALOT of work only to be disappointed after. I have a fair bit of maples on my property... the larger ones all seem to be hollow... but I'll see what I can find.

 

[wawajake]

One other thing I learned from the first set of bunkbeds I made was that the joints even with glue are flimsy........I reinforced every major joint with a long lag bolt (small hardened long ones I found at Home depot) that I run right thru the log into the end of the centre of joint , then by countersinking the lag head I hide that with a plug the same size as the joint tenon I made . So my 1 and a half inch plug looks like the inch and a half wood joint goes right thru the log.

Also attaching the plywood for the mattress to the horizontal legs can be wonky on a round log. So I instead made the horizontals out of Spruce 2 x 4's with log type tenon joint inch and a half , but then faced the 2 x4 with a half log so it looks like a full log was used for horizontals but the back face is the 2 x4 which gives you a much better anchor point for plywood and narrower build to get same size mattress in. ...just some thoughts, they were very enjoyable projects , although mine I did lag to the wall for extra security for kids...........you might want to lag yours to the headrest wall for extra security for the adults