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When the Amish craftsman first made this bed I was very impressed for several reasons.
First it was a big departure for this builder from his more traditional designs
Second because of how well it’s built.
Third because of how contemporary the design is.
After marveling at the design my first concern was how strong the supports were on the sides. From what I’ve seen a design like this can be kinda weak if it’s not properly designed. So I set about checking and testing this bed out to make sure it was something I could stand behind.
After much looking, pushing, pulling & bouncing it’s more than obvious that the supports on the sides of the bed are plenty strong. I weight about 215 pounds & it didn’t even make a sound as I proceeded to bounce on top of the mattress right above each support, trying to make them give way. That is the sign of a very well thought out design both in style and strength.
I have to say that it didn’t surprise me much knowing this builders attention to detail and penchant for making bedroom furniture that is very heavy and strong.
In the picture the gateway bed is made of solid cherry with a very light stain. The actual bed is a queen size though you can get it in a twin, full or king sizes as well.
It is a platform bed so all you need is the mattress which makes it pretty nice.
The platform itself is about 4″ off the floor so it’s overall height is reasonable. In most cases you wont need steps to get into it like many platform beds I’ve seen.
You can have this bed made in a surprising range of woods including, Oak, Maple, Brown Maple, Hickory, 1/4 sawn white oak and Walnut. Again it’s pictured in Cherry.
Personally I think it would be absolutely gorgeous in a natural walnut.
Getting it without a headboard would make it even more contemporary, though I don’t know if this is an option.
Overall this is a true breakout design for the Amish and it’s nice to see them looking into the more contemporary and adventurous design. Especially in beds.
Author: admin, October 5, 2008
Cannonball and post style beds while very beautiful and ornate have a design flaw that has to be taken into consideration.
If you look at the headboard of the pictured bed you can see where the panel joins the post on each side. It not as small as it looks. Anyway the problem lies in the way the panels are connected and what it does to the headboard. In the back of the headboard you’ll find pocket screws holding the panel to the posts generally 2 – 3 screws per attachment point. To be honest that is plenty strong to hold it. Which is actually the problem.
Because the attachment points are so secure it doesn’t allow for any movement of the wood -shrinking or contracting due to changing humidity levels in the room and wood. When the humidity drops the panels shrink in a up and down direction. Because the panels are so well attached to the posts this puts a great deal of stress on the wood between the attachment points (in the cut outs on the sides of the panel). Unfortunately if the wood shrinks too much it does the only thing it can do and splits. The split starts on the side of the panel and works it’s way in toward the center. When it happens it’s always accompanied by a loud pop. The split is a full thickness split that you can see daylight through on the end of it.
Humidity is a HUGE issue for these types of beds. So please fully understand this if you are looking to by this type of bed made from solid wood.
Now this is not to say that this happens all the time or that it can’t be prevented. Because it can be prevented. All you have to do is make sure you maintain a good humidity level in your bedroom. The best range to keep your humidity is 40 – 45%. That level will eliminate any shrinking issues.
If you are looking to build this type of bed the fix for this problem is to finish the post first then attach the panel to the post with screws that have an oblong hole going up and down so the wood can move if it does shrink or expand. The best size of hole for the screws are about 3/8ths 1/2 inch long and as wide as the screw shank itself. This will give the wood a chance to move up and down as it needs to without running the risk of splitting. Just make sure you don’t tighten the screws too much or they won’t be able to move and you’ve wasted your time making this adjustment.
Author: admin, October 5, 2008
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