I made this bed frame a couple of years ago , but a few questions about my unusual joinery has prompted me to post it . In setting out to design a bed frame I decided that I wanted to make a piece that assembled and knocked-down without the usual nuts and bolts or metal brackets . Metal really has no place in fine woodworking . I believe a good woodworker should be able to fulfill a furniture function through design , material selection , and joinery , and not take the shortcut to modern factory hardware . The tension joint I applied to this piece is a modified small-scale version of a joint more commonly used in timberframe home construction . I originally designed this piece to be made with Douglas Fir (another tie-in to post & beam construction) but the vertical-grain stock I wanted was a bit too pricey for an experimental design . Now that the piece is made and is a proven performer , I look forward to building the next piece in something better than common Red Oak .
