Cherry bed

The clients who commissioned this piece liked my style, and gave me very few restraints:
  • preference for non-figured wood of one specie, save for possible accents
  • natural finish
  • not too many curves, and a bit heavier than the Walnut bed
  • emphasis on joinery and shape rather than elaborate mouldings
Well, this is the kind of stuff I find exciting.  I decided to work with the basic leg style used in  the Walnut bed as I am pleased with it, so I find exploring variations of it interesting.


Note that there are two accompanying dressers.
The top rail of the headboard has a gentle camber to it, and this is duplicated in the footboard, which is designed so that its top rail lies just below mattress height.  This style allows one to enjoy the aesthetic benefits of a foot board without the physical restraints it can impose.

I chose a Shaker style raised panel as it has a definite reveal, whose shadow further emphasizes the shape of the piece.

As usual, the piece is fully mortised and tenoned, with hidden bed bolts for disassembly, and a centre rail to lend extra support to the boxspring and mattress.
Blackwood pins, AJW Fine Woodworks


This piece has a special detail: the tenons are pinned with small pegs made from African blackwood.  While in the past such pins were what held such a joint together, here they are as much decorative as functional.  The shaping of said pins was laborious, as I started with little square blanks, which had to be turned round to within a few thousands of an inch.  Then the ends were shaped to a gentle dome and given a high polish.  In place, the pegs sit slightly proud of the surface, which adds a very satisfying tactile dimension.