| Dirk
Van Wensveen, Lake Eacham, Qld
Simple Curves
Queen-sized bed in red cedar
2200 x 1700 x 1150mm high
Concept
This bed represents a convergence of ideas,
some new and some brought in from beds
that I have made for family and friends
in the past. Having the slats lying north/south
rather than east/west is a common theme
and the curved cut-off of the slats is
a defining feature for me. The curved
parts in the leg assembly are another
feature of this bed hence the title Simple
Curves. The shapes of parts are always
considered and drawn on the day with tins,
lids and long, flexible rulers. Important
to the design, is the ability to disassemble
the bed, to either transport or refinish
down the track. Keeping the design simple
and easy on the eyes will hopefully see
this bed being passed onto kids and grandkids
and not into the ‘fashion bin’.
Timbers
The red cedar in this bed was sourced
locally from a private collection. The
pack that I bought is all from the same
log and has been fillet-stacked and air-dried
since being cut 10 years ago, here on
the Atherton Tablelands.
The meranti used for the slats was readily
available to me and although not Australian,
the combination of the tone and colour
of the two timbers together is quite beautiful
for me.
Method
The rough sawn boards chosen out of the
pack were passed over a surfacer and then
through a thicknesser by others before
my part in the making of this bed. The
methods of joinery are uncomplicated and
relatively easy to execute which is in
keeping with the simple design. The head-board
has been formed with two boards; these
were edge-dressed with a router and straight-edge,
laminated together with biscuits, two-part
epoxy glue (Epiglue) and clamped overnight.
The legs have been trenched to allow a
snug fit of both the head and foot-boards
and the curved part of the legs. Before
assembly of the head and foot, all parts
were cut, routered and sanded with 240
grit sandpaper. The head and foot boards
have been secretly screwed to the legs
first with Epiglue, then the curved part
of the leg has been glued, positioned
and clamped overnight. The rails, ribs
and slats are quite simple in their function.
Blocks are fixed to the inside face of
the rails to locate and support the ribs.
Ribs are numbered in roman numerals with
slat positions chiseled into top face.
Slats are also numbered for their position
and secured with stainless steel screws.
The cut-out in the curved part of the
leg takes the weight of the mattress and
people via the rail. Two type 17 hex head
screws on either ends of both rails lock
the frame together, gives strength and
the ability to be disassembled.
Finishes
Products used: Cabots flooring polyurethane
and Cabots Danish Oil. The finish on this
bed has been achieved with a final sanding
by hand with 240 grit sandpaper overall
followed by three coats of satin flooring
polyurethane. Between coats, hand sanding
is essential to ensure good adhesion.
A final coat of Danish oil, rubbed in
with 000 steelwool and ragged off, is
applied over the red cedar parts only.
This final coat gives a beautiful finish
with depth, durability and minor scratches
can be easily repaired.
Photos: Sandy Carroll
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