I'm looking for advice/guidance. I apologize in advance for the
length of this post. Here's the situation. I've got an antique bed
made of oak that is wide enough for a full mattress, but not long
enough. The original design called for ropes to be looped around pegs
inserted into 3" diameter rails around the periphery of the bed.
Then, a feather mattress would sit on top of the woven ropes. I want
to put a full boxspring and mattress on this wood frame. I need to
extend the length of the side rails by 5". The side rails are 3" in
diameter with threaded ends. The threads are reversed on one side so
that when the rail is turned it screws into the headboard and
footboard simultaneously. Actually a pretty ingenious design that I
would like to maintain. What I plan to do is cut the rail an inch or
two behind one of the threaded ends and put in a 5" oak dowel
extension. I know this will require a precise cross-cuts and I'll
probably have to go to my local hardware store to have the cut done
there with their radial arm saw since I only have hand tools at home.
My plan is to join the three pieces (existing end with threads, 5"
extension piece and remaining rail) by drilling a 1/2" hole down the
middle, applying glue and using a 10 or 12" lag screw to join and hold
all three pieces together. I hope this gives enough detail. Here are
my specific questions:
How can I arrange the existing rail and extension oak dowel rod so
they are cut precisely and will make a straight rail when they are
joined together?
How can I maximize the chances of drilling a 10-12" hole down the
center of all pieces so the resulting extended rail is straight?
Is there a better way of doing all this?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Dave
On Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:38:37 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
>Is there a better way of doing all this?
Best - Make new side rails out of one length of wood. A good (but not
cheap working) finisher / restorer should be able to make the finish
look authentic. Hardware can be reused. I make small replacement
parts for historic buildings, and there is a large amount of unsung
(yet billed by the hour) labor involved in matching an old item.
2nd Best - "Sister" a new board in from behind. This gives lots of
glue area. You'll still need the finisher from the choice above to
match the new section. Since wood is almost impossible to match, GOTO
"Best", as the joint created by this choice will most certainly be
visible.
[email protected] wrote:
...
> ... The side rails are 3" in
> diameter with threaded ends. The threads are reversed on one side so
> that when the rail is turned it screws into the headboard and
> footboard simultaneously. Actually a pretty ingenious design that I
> would like to maintain. What I plan to do is cut the rail an inch or
> two behind one of the threaded ends and put in a 5" oak dowel
> extension. ...
I'm w/ Leon here...the stress in the joint is going to be intense and
the closer you place it to the end, the more difficult it is. _IF_
(that's the proverbial "big if") I were to try somesuch I'd make the
joint in the middle and rather than try to insert a piece w/ two square
ends I would use a very elongated scarf joint. I'd then insert a dowel
as you suggest and glue it.
To drill the concentric hole precisely enough really would need a large
lathe mounting -- I suspect this was originally turned that way on a
special-purpose long lathe for the purpose.
I'm curious from your description -- are the threads on each end wooden
or is there a metal threaded insert? I've never seen the design of
LH/RH threads--that is pretty unique.
--
dpb wrote:
...
> ...I would use a very elongated scarf joint. ...
That, of course means turning a section to insert and cutting the scarf
on both ends of it...
The thing w/ this would be that it could be left somewhat oversized
initially and then the lengthened rail turned as a whole to fair the new
work in. (Of course, that could be done w/ the square-ended piece, too,
but it would rely entirely on the internal dowel for strength whereas
the scarf joint would have a large glue area and be quite strong if well
done.
--
[email protected] wrote:
: diameter with threaded ends. The threads are reversed on one side so
: that when the rail is turned it screws into the headboard and
: footboard simultaneously.
Note that the threads at the two heads snug up at the same time. If
you rotate one end relative to the other, you may end up with a loose
joint at one end when the other end is tight.
I think you'll have better results if you sister or scarf in an
oversize piece and then use a scraper, spoke-shave, sand paper, etc to
create the final shape and smooth the transition.
--- Chip
Chip Buchholtz wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> : diameter with threaded ends. The threads are reversed on one side so
> : that when the rail is turned it screws into the headboard and
> : footboard simultaneously.
>
...
> I think you'll have better results if you sister or scarf in an
> oversize piece and then use a scraper, spoke-shave, ...
<Great> minds and all that... :)
--
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> How can I arrange the existing rail and extension oak dowel rod so
> they are cut precisely and will make a straight rail when they are
> joined together?
>
> How can I maximize the chances of drilling a 10-12" hole down the
> center of all pieces so the resulting extended rail is straight?
>
> Is there a better way of doing all this?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help.
>
> Dave
>
To be done right, take the rails to a local furniture or cabinet builder and
have them do all the work. It may require totally new rails. I would not
leave this up to any one that cannot do the whole process start to finish.