Simple Camp Bed

[MorganTyre]

I'm getting ready for the Texas Ren-faire here in a couple of weeks and this year I've decided to bring some period-ish camping gear including a canvas tent (probably a big diamond though this is still a work in progress), bed, and chest. The bed turned out well so I thought I'd post a quick how-to with pictures going up this evening. Note that I have no actual mattress listed but have found the bed to be very comfortable as is with a piece of folded canvas on top of the cording.

Materials:

Two Rough Cedar 8' 2x4's - $5.00 each

One Rough Cedar 8' 4x4 - $15.00

Approx 150' 1x4" manilla (preferred) or sisal what I used and works fine - $10

One 48" 7/8" hardwood dowel - $3.00

Total material cost $38

Tools:

Saw

Drill

3/8" Wood Bit

7/8" Wood Bit

Wood Glue

Assembly goes as follows:

Cutting:

Cut the 4x4 in to 4 even 2' pieces. Cut these with a handsaw if possible. If you cut them with a circular saw it will be obviously modern. These are the bed legs. This works out to be a very nice length. Mark each 6" down from the top of the legs. This will be where the top edge of the side boards will hit.

Cut the 2x4's in to two pieces each, one 69" long and one 27". These are the side boards.

Cut the dowel in to 16 3" pegs

Drilling:

Each end of the side boards gets two 7/8" holes for the dowel's. The center of these holes is 1" in from the ends and centered as best as possible. The sides of the side boards get a 3/8" hole every 3" starting 1 1/2" from the end. Drill these right down the centerline of the boards.

The 4x4's need 7/8" holes corresponding to the holes drilled in the side boards. I positioned these so that the tops of the 2x4's were 6" down from the top of the post and the outside edges of the 2x4's were about 1/2" in from the outside edge. This will produce a bed with a corded surface roughly 6' x 30" which is smaller than a single but larger than a cot. I'm a man of average height and build and find that size just fine. This is about the only practical size possible from an 8' 2x4.

Dry check everything for fit and then glue the pegs in to the side boards. At this point everything should be relatively loose and floppy. Do not glue the pegs in to the posts unless you want a permanent bed. As described, the whole thing can easily be broken down in to the component parts.

Stringing:

Tie a stopper knot in one end of the line and then start stringing the bed working from one end of a long side board to the other. In the one I made, I have a short piece of line eye spliced in place but that isn't necessary (see pictures later). After reeving the line through the whole bed start at the stopper again and work out any slack. It's important to get these lines snug as they are effectively clamping everything together. Also, they will stretch somewhat. After reeving a line athwartships, reeve another fore and aft, taking the time to weave the line over and under the lines already in place.

Ta-da! A simple, rustic period LOOKING bed with no fasteners and completely portable. Look for pictures this evening.

[Quartermaster James]

Awaiting pictures with 'bated breath.

[Jack Roberts]

Mee tooo

[Capt. Sterling]

Add me to the list of nosey people who really want to see pictures... sounds great!

[MorganTyre]

Here are the pictures as promised. Note what I said about the cuts on the posts. They are obviously power-tool made. I'm going to knock a 1/4" or so off of these with a hand saw to remove those cuts.

[Dutchman]

MORGAN!!!! I thought you said it went together easily!!!! Egads, the line setting must have taken hours!!!! otherwise damned fine job!!! hats off to ya mate

[theM.A.dDogge]

made one of these years ago....Damn fine job there

now...if ya tied a stopper knot...about every other hole er soo...ya could tighten em as needed when the ropes start slacking to time and weight...my granny had an olde rope bed down south...loved sleeping on it..after ya tightened the bed..as in...Sleep tight...

[MorganTyre]

MORGAN!!!! I thought you said it went together easily!!!! Egads, the line setting must have taken hours!!!! otherwise damned fine job!!! hats off to ya mate

Honestly the line setting works much quicker with two people but you can get all set up in under 15 minutes.

[callenish gunner]

Looks great .....I've slept in some of these before not bad way to sleep with a straw tick and a feather bed on top!!!

[Dutchman]

i should find a pic of my traveling with grace bed. . . . . . . . .

[callenish gunner]

bleeped i was edited

Edited October 7, 2009 by callenish gunner

[LadyBrower]

Oh my gosh! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I have to make one for the guest room... It's lovely, fine work!

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I made one back in 1980 and that's what I slept on all the time as a single guy, but mine was made from cedar logs from the woods. I built a set of bunk beds for my son that are still being used by our two younger kids, same thing. Got the design from John Wayne's "The Cowboys" movie, bunkhouse scene. You did a fine job there. I've been considering making a knock-down model for the wife as well.(as if I don't carry too much shtuff already!)

Bo

[casketchris]

Oh my gosh! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I have to make one for the guest room... It's lovely, fine work!

hmmm now ya got my gears turning might be fun to set up one of my guest rooms as a "period" room

[Bright]

Well yea beat mine for sure on price mate got mine at an antique mall real deal from the periord for around a hundred bucks. Note the the rails bees rounded and have pegs much faster to rope up. The end rails and side rails bees treaded wood and screws into the up rights.

This been her dresed out in me camp in Charleston SC at the tall ships I has to kick the top rail off the foot boad at night as me feet sticks out some as they were shorter in them days ;-}

Edited October 8, 2009 by Bright

[MorganTyre]

Very, very cool. Thank you very much for putting those pictures up. I had my diamond tent with bed / other accoutraments set up yesterday. I wish I'd thought to take some pictures. That was a quick dry run though. I'll snag some pictures when I set it up for real.

[Bright]

Very, very cool. Thank you very much for putting those pictures up. I had my diamond tent with bed / other accoutraments set up yesterday. I wish I'd thought to take some pictures. That was a quick dry run though. I'll snag some pictures when I set it up for real.

Have you thought about using an axe to round over your uprights ?

[LadyBrower]

Bright- what are you using for a mattress?

[Bright]

Bright- what are you using for a mattress?

First we used a colman inflatable inside a futon cover lite and easy to pack except for blowing it up. Then me wife wanted a futon mattress it's heavy as a bear to move but she's happy so thats what I pack now ;-}

Edited October 9, 2009 by Bright

[MorganTyre]

Very, very cool. Thank you very much for putting those pictures up. I had my diamond tent with bed / other accoutraments set up yesterday. I wish I'd thought to take some pictures. That was a quick dry run though. I'll snag some pictures when I set it up for real.

Have you thought about using an axe to round over your uprights ?

That's a good idea. I'll give it a try.

[Bright]

Ship Mate Ed Lowe bilt his with rabbited and mortise jonts and his story is he stole it from a french noble thus the fancy blue head boad and gold filigagee, but if yea not bees a machinist mate use the dowels as a smipler alterative. Rustic or fancy can bee doine with a rope bed ;-}

Edited October 10, 2009 by Bright

[LadyBrower]

Bright- what are you using for a mattress?

First we used a colman inflatable inside a futon cover lite and easy to pack except for blowing it up. Then me wife wanted a futon mattress it's heavy as a bear to move but she's happy so thats what I pack now ;-}

eek! thats crazy man... a futon mattress? good god. Heavy...

[Bright]

Indeed it is but over they years we have acumuleted alot that we drag to our careening camp from a small A frame and sleeping on the ground to cots and now a bed in our 14 x 14 marque with a 9 x 14 fly.(the box at the foot of the bed is for the tent lines,stakes and Fly) If you can off load at the camp site it's not bad. But if theres a long haul from the parking to the camp site its a pain. We hand to make some long hauls of late as they didn't want use driving on their grassy field. So my next project is this garden cart/bench I plan is to replace the rubber wheels with cannon truck wheels and then when not transporting items use it as a bench in camp ;-}

http://www.thingstobuild.com/platform-cart-1.html

Edited October 10, 2009 by Bright

[LadyBarbossa]

Damn ye lot! :::Whimpers::: Now I wants a fine bed as such.

Fine place ye have there, Bright. :) I'm envious.

~Lady B

[Spitfire Stevens]

Well yea beat mine for sure on price mate got mine at an antique mall real deal from the periord for around a hundred bucks. Note the the rails bees rounded and have pegs much faster to rope up. The end rails and side rails bees treaded wood and screws into the up rights.

This been her dresed out in me camp in Charleston SC at the tall ships I has to kick the top rail off the foot boad at night as me feet sticks out some as they were shorter in them days ;-}