Canopy Bed

 

Our youngest will be having a birthday soon and when I asked her what she would like for her birthday, she surprised me with her answer. She asked if I could build her a canopy bed. She even produced a 3D sketch of what she wanted it to look like. How could I say no?

I still haven't finished up the porch swing but if I am to complete this project in time, I had to start quickly so I set the porch swing aside, gathered up some cheap one-by lumber and proceeded to make a top for the bed as defined in her sketch. Ignore the center two boards with the clamps on them. I just put them there to give me a place to rest the peak of her bed canopy until I could get it glued and fastened together.

The one problem is that her bed is one of those basic metal frames that has brackets on one end to fasten a headboard but no brackets on the other end. So even if I wanted to, I can't make four posts to support the canopy. Fortunately her bedroom is fairly small and her bed is in a corner so if I attach the canopy to the two walls adjacent to the corner, I really only need one post to support the corner hanging out towards the middle of the room. I can attach it to the canopy top and one of the brackets meant for a headboard on the bed frame and everything will be nicely held in place. 

Since this picture was taken, I have added some screws for strength and filled in those holes along with other defects with wood putty so that I can prime and paint everything. It is supposed to be cold from now until her birthday but hopefully it will be warm enough in the afternoons to get the paint to dry. It is a lot more forgiving than glue is. 

Once again, I am thankful for my mobile workbench. It allows me to build it while standing instead of crouched on my hands and knees on the floor plus I could clamp it in place to hold is square while I figured out the compound geometry needed on each end of the ridge boards going to the point. 

Comments

  1. Replies
    1. She was pleases with the final results. Stay tuned for another post on that.

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  2. You are certainly a useful husband and father to have around! I'm sure the family members appreciate your talents.

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    1. I think this is the first time either of my girls asked me to make something specifically for them. I hope it isn't that last time.

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  3. I'm impressed at your creativity! I couldn't begin to know how to build something like this!

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    1. I'm sort of winging it but I do have enough past experience to know what not to do anyway.

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  4. I can't wait to see the finished product. When my oldest was 8 or so, she wanted a canopy bed. She got a hook in the ceiling which held a gold colored ring and the look wss completed by two sheer window curtains. Not quite the same.

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    1. I tried to convince my daughter to do something like that as well but she was adamant about her design. She especially wanted solid curtains and not anything sheer.

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  5. She will be so happy. My father--in-law built my daughter a queen size canopy bed out of maple--it is amazing until you try to move it. It was pattered after her American Girl doll bed she had, so it did have four posts.

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    1. I figured this was going to be a passing interest so I built it out of cheap materials that can be easily recycled when she outgrows it. From experience, a queen sized bed out of maple and with four canopy posts is no light piece of furniture!

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  6. As an all-thumbs person myself, I'm thinking it must be a great feeling to be able to make something for your daughter with your own hands.

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  7. You're a good egg Ed.
    My dad did the same.
    A memorable request was for a shamrock cookie cutter. They weren't readily available in the 60's. He cut one out approximately 4x4 and welded it right up. 🍀

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  8. I swear that I thought I read Crappy Bed at first. lol

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    1. I’ve done similar more than I care to admit.

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  9. I think this is wonderful!! If you can post a photo of it completed without violating her privacy, please do. I'd love to see it.
    Much like Debby's example, my younger daughter settled for a large wooden hoop suspended from the ceiling to which we attached brown netting. (she had a jungle themed bedroom) I'll warn you... they are dust-catchers.

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    1. I have a picture to publish soon. I thought that might be the case with dust. Not sure how I’m going to handle that yet.

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  10. What an awesome dad you are Ed! At school your youngest will be boasting, "My dad is so clever he is making a canopy for my bed!"
    Another girl will say, "Well that's nothing , my dad is making me a yacht!"
    Another will pipe up, "Well my daddy is making me a full scale model of The White House just for sleepovers!"

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    1. I would like to make a small yacht someday but have no desire for sleepover sized White House’s.

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  11. Ed, I love that she wanted something made by you!

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  12. Great job and I can't wait to see a picture of the finished product. Now back to the swing?!

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    1. Unfortunately my torn rotator cuff has prevented me from returning to the swing project. I do have one more post of work I did prior that I have pushed back for the time being. Hopefully by the time it "airs", I will be able to do some more work on that project.

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  13. What a wonderful project! You'll have to take photos of the finished canopy bed if possible.

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    1. I do have a photo set to publish I think this Friday.

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  14. This is so awesome! I would have loved to have a mosquito net around my bed when I was growing up. I can't wait to see what the canopy bed looks like. Your daughters are so very lucky to have such a talented dad.

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    1. I'm guessing a mosquito net in your youth in Hawaii would have been a very practical thing where for my daughter, this canopy isn't very practical at all.

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