Twin Platform Storage Bed
This bed was designed for a growing child. It features pull-out drawers underneath for storing clothes, toys, and miscellaneous bedroom items and a bookcase headboard that provides ready access to night-time reading materials. The bed is made from red oak and poplar and should cost less than $200 in materials. Figure on it taking a few weekends to complete.
The bed accommodates what I call a "narrow" twin mattress. That is, a mattress that is 37-1/2" wide by 75" long; a standard twin mattress is supposedly 39" wide but apparently mattresses slightly narrower than the standard are not uncommon. The mattress shown in the picture is 10" thick.
Dimensions
Overall: 41-1/2" wide, 84" long
Bed frame: 38-1/2" wide, 75-3/4" long, 5" high rails
Headboard: 35" high, 41-1/2" wide, 7" deep, flaring to 8-1/4" at top
Footboard: 25-1/2" high, 41-1/2" wide
Storage drawers: 37" wide, 23" deep, 7-1/2" high
Drawers recessed 4" from sides
The headboard is relatively narrow (8-1/2" at the top with a 7" shelf) but is wide enough to accommodate most average-sized children's books. It would certainly be easy to make it slightly wider if desired. The headboard is made from solid red oak except for the piece directly behind the mattress and pillow, which is made from red oak plywood. This design allows for moisture-related wood movement in the solid pieces without having to do any special joinery for the plywood piece. It's attached to the headboard uprights via screw blocks on the backside.
A piece of 3/4" oak is glued to the lower half of the headboard uprights to make them match the thickness of the footboard posts. This also allows the 3/4" side rails to be inset a bit where they meet the uprights, making for a more attractive look in my opinion. I opted for a 3/8" inset. The bed rails are attached to the headboard and footboard by conventional bed rail hook fasteners that allow for quick assembly and disassembly.
The footboard is held together with mortise and tenon joinery. Tenons on the ends of the top and bottom rails fit into 1-1/4" deep mortises in the posts. Similarly, the tenoned slats fit into 1/2" deep mortises in the rail pieces. The tops of the posts are chamfered at a 45 degree angle to make them more body-friendly.
The mattress is supported by a set of 1" thick poplar slats that are attached to a poplar ledger board on the inside of the bed rails. A 1/4" thick piece of Masonite rests on top of the slats to help even out the load. I cut several 1" diameter holes in the Masonite to make it easier to remove or install. The mattress is bordered on the sides by 5" wide rails. The top of the mattress is approximately 6" above the top of the rails so banging into the top of the rail when climbing into or out of the bed is not an issue.
The storage units are made from solid red oak with a Masonite bottom -- plywood would work better but I had left-over Masonite and it gets the job done. The units roll in and out via plastic wheels attached to the drawer sides. Felt-lined poplar guide pieces attached to the underside of the bed frame keep the drawers aligned. Simple and cheap, but effective. A 4" wide cutout at the top of the drawer fronts makes it easy to grasp the drawers when pulling them out.
MaterialS List
| Qty | Part | Dimensions | Material |
| 2 | Headboard sides | 8-1/4" x 34-1/4" | 3/4" red oak |
| 1 | Headboard top | 8-1/2" x 41-1/2" | 3/4" red oak |
| 1 | Headboard shelf | 6-7/8" x 39-3/4" | 3/4" red oak |
| 1 | Headboard pillow stop | 8-1/2" x 39-1/4" | 3/4" red oak ply |
| 1 | Headboard back | 12-12" x 40" | 1/4" red oak ply |
| 1 | Footboard top rail | 4" x 38-1/2" | 3/4" red oak |
| 1 | Footboard bottom rail | 5" x 38-1/2" | 3/4" red oak |
| 1 | Footboard slats | 2-1/2" x 9" | 1/2" red oak |
| 2 | Footboard posts | 2-3/8" x 25-1/2" | 1-1/2" red oak |
| 2 | Side rails | 5" x 75-3/4" | 3/4" red oak |
| 7 | Mattress slats | 1-1/2" x 38-1/2" | 1" poplar |
| 2 | Mattress slat supports | 1-1/2" x 75-3/4" | 1" poplar |
| 2 | Mattress base | 38-1/2" x 76" | 1/4" Masonite |
| 2 | Drawer front | 7-1/2" x 36-3/4" | 3/4" red oak |
| 2 | Drawer back | 6-1/2" x 35" | 1/2" red oak |
| 4 | Drawer sides | 7-1/4" x 22-3/4" | 1/2" red oak |
| 2 | Drawer bottom | 22" x 35" | 1/4" Masonite |
| 2 | Drawer guide center | 2" x 30" | 3/4" poplar x 2 |
| 4 | Drawer guide end | 1-1/2" x 30" | 3/4" poplar x 2 |
| 4 | Bed rail fastener | 5/8"W x 5"L | steel |