Platform Bed with Storage

Cut the six slats (C) to length from 1 x 8 pine boards and sand them with 150-grit sandpaper. Drill three evenly spaced pocket holes at both ends of each board. On each leg, drill the 1/2-inch holes to mount the side rails (Project Diagram, Drawing 1).

Cut the rails supports (D) from a 1 x 4 and the footboard cleats (E) from a 2 x 2 (Project Diagram, Cutting List and Cutting Diagram). Sand the parts with 150-grit sandpaper.

Mark the taper cut at the top front edge of the legs (Project Diagram, Drawing 2A). Clamp the leg to a workbench and make the angled cut using a circular saw. Take your time when making the cut – don’t rush it. Repeat for the other leg and make sure the angles are identical.

To sand the cut edge and remove any irregularity of the cut surface, wrap 100-grit sandpaper around a straight scrap of wood to flatten the cut surface.

Drill two pocket holes on each end of the bottom face of the headboard top (Project Diagram, Drawing 2). Apply glue to the ends of the top, position the legs against the ends of the top, and secure with pocket-hole screws. On each leg, drill the 1/2-inch holes for mounting the side rails (Project Diagrams, Drawing 1, Drawing 2, and Drawing 2a).

Retrieve the four remaining slats (C), sand them, and drill three evenly spaced pocket holes along each end. Sand with 150-grit sandpaper.

Lay the assembled headboard top and legs with the angled face down on a workbench. Place 1-inch-thick spacers on the bench, and rest three slats on the spacers between the legs. The top edge of the uppermost slat should be 1/2 inch from the headboard top (F), and there should be a 1/2-inch gap between the remaining slats. Drive pocket-hole screws through the slats into the legs.

Clamp the lower portion of the legs flat on the bench -- this will raise the slats and the angled portion of the headboard off the bench. Position the 1-inch-thick spacers and add the remaining slat. Secure the slat with pocket-hole screws so the bottom slat is 1/2 inch away from the lowest angled slat.

Cut the headboard cleats (H) from a 2 x 2 (Project Diagram, Cutting List and Cutting Diagram), and sand it with 150-grit sandpaper. Drill a pocket hole centered on the top end of each cleat. Glue and screw the cleats to the slats and drive a pocket-hole screw through the top of the cleats into the headboard top (Project Diagram, Drawing 2).

Retrieve the rail supports (D) and install them on the inside faces of the legs (G) (Project Diagram, Drawing 2). The bottom of the supports should be even with the bottom and back edges of the legs. Drill pilot holes and secure the supports to the legs using glue and screws.

Adjust the location of the side rails -- the footboard end of the rail should slide into the footboard so the side rail meets the inside face of the slats (C). On the headboard end, the side rails should be even with the back edge of the headboard legs (G).

Using the holes in the headboard legs (G) and footboard legs (B) as a guide, extend the holes through the side rails (I) using a drill and a 1/2-inch bit.

Mark the hole locations on the bed angles (J) (Project Diagram, Drawing 4). Note that the hole locations are specific to the left and right side of the bed. Then mark the holes on the second angle to create a mirrored pattern. If you are not going to include the under-bed storage, omit the holes on the horizontal leg of the angle. Instead, drill only the holes that are spaced at 10-inch centers. Use a 3/16-inch drill bit to drill the clearance holes for driving the screws later.

For a king-size bed, you will need to cut pieces of 2 x 4 for the optional drawer support braces (Q) and secure them to the center of the drawer guides with screws (Project Diagram, Drawing 5A).

For beds without the under-bed storage, you will need bed slats to hold the box spring. Cut the four optional slats (R) to length. These slats will rest on the bed angles and do not need to be fastened (Project Diagram, Drawing 8). If you are building the king-size bed, add a slat support (S) at the mid-point of each slat.

Slide the bushing in the hole of the wheel and mark the center point of the hole in the drawer sides by pushing a 3/8-inch drill bit into the bushing and twisting the bit by hand to mark the hole location. Repeat for the four wheel locations on each drawer. Remove the clamp and wheel, and drill the hole, using the center point as a guide.

For each wheel, slip a 3/8-inch carriage bolt through the bushing in each wheel, add a bushing and two fender washers, and slip the bolt through the drawer side (Project Diagram, Drawing 6). Add a washer, lock washer, and a hex nut to secure the wheel on the inside face the drawer.

Cut the drawer faces (O), the drawer front filler (P) and, depending on the bed size,  the long drawer filler (T) to length from 1 x 8 material. Sand with 150-grit sandpaper (Project Diagram, Cutting List and Cutting Diagram and Drawing 7).

As you complete the assembly of each drawer, slide the completed drawers under the bed between the drawer guides (Project Diagram, Drawing 7).

For the long filler (T) used on the twin and full-size beds, secure the filler to the rail supports (D) using screws with no glue. (This part hides the back of the drawers.) To support the board at the mid-point of the bed, add 2 x 4 cleats (U) to the bed angles (J), and drive screws through the supports into the backs of the long fillers.

Slide out the drawers, remove the faces, and mark which face goes with which drawer. Stain these to match the side rails. Wheels can be left on the drawer box, which will remain unfinished.

Remove the drawer guides and set them aside -- no finish is needed. Remove the side rails (I) from the headboard and footboard.

Remove the slats from the headboard and footboard if you plan to stain or paint the surfaces a different color from the rest of the bed.

Finish the headboard and footboard top and legs (white paint shown). For the slats (C), footboard cleats (D), side rails (I), drawer faces (O), drawer front fillers (P), and optional long drawer filler (T), apply two coats of stain (Classic Gray shown). Apply satin polyurethane to the stained areas, sanding between coats with a fine-grit sanding sponge.

When the finish has dried, reinstall the slats on the headboard and footboard.

Move the bed components where you’ll set up the bed. You may need to adjust the height/width of the drawer faces (O) depending on your floor covering. For a very plush carpet, the top edge of the drawer face might need to be trimmed so that it doesn’t bump into the side rails (I) as the drawer is closed.