How to Make a Tall King-Sized Bed Frame

Making the Bedrail Frame

• 1

  Arrange two 84-inch and two 76-inch planks of 2-by-10 lumber into a rectangular frame, with the ends of the 76-inch planks on the inside edge of the 84-inch planks. The 76-inch planks are the head and foot boards, the 84-inch planks the side rails of the bed frame. Glue the frame together at the corner joints.

• 2

  Drill three pilot holes, evenly spaced and sized for 3-inch wood screws, through the side rails into the ends of the head and foot boards and secure the bedrail frame together with 3-inch wood screws through the pilot holes.

• 3

  Center a plank of 80-inch 2-by-6 lumber between the head and foot boards; it should be parallel to the side rails and flush with the bottom of the frame. This is the central support plank for the bed slats. Secure the support plank in position with three 3-inch wood screws through the head and foot boards into each end of the support plank.

• 4

  Position an 80-inch plank of 1-by-2 lumber on the inside of the side rails of the bed, 4 inches down from the top of the frame. This should be level with the top of the central support. These are the side slat supports. Secure them in place with 1 1/2-inch wood screws through the side support planks every 5 to 6 inches along their length.

Making the Legs

• 5

  Miter one 22-inch edge of 8 planks of 22-inch 2-by-6 lumber to 45 degrees. Divide the planks into pairs, and mate the mitered edges of each pair so that they form a corner.

• 6

  Glue the mitered edges together and set the four pairs in corner clamps to dry. These are the legs of the bed, and will be attached at each corner of the bedrail frame.

• 7

  Insert a corner bracket into the inside of each leg, flush with one end of the legs, and secure with 1 1/2-inch screws through the screw holes in the brackets. Position a second bracket on the inside of each leg at 11 inches up from the bottom of the legs and secure it there as you did the first one.

Attaching the Legs

• 8

  Turn the bedrail frame upside down so that the side slat supports are closest the ground. Fit each leg unit over one corner of the bedrail frame and push it down so that the tops of the legs are flush with the top of the bedrail frame. The end of the legs with the corner bracket should be in the air, and the middle corner bracket will sit just above the level of the bed frame.

• 9

  Clamp the legs in position with G-clamps. Drill four pilot holes, sized for 3-inch leg bolts, through each side of the legs into the bedrail frame. The pilot holes should be positioned like the number "four" appears on the sides of dice.

• 10

  Attach the legs to the bed frame with 3-inch lag bolts through the pilot holes you drilled. Remove the G-clamps, then turn the bed back up the right way; it is now standing on the newly attached legs.

Attaching the Slats and Finishing

• 11

  Evenly space 18 planks of 76-inch 1-by-4 lumber across the bed frame for the bed slats. They should be resting on the side supports and central support, and be spaced approximately 1/2 inch apart. Secure the slats with 1 1/2-inch wood screws through each end into the side supports, and through the middle into the central support.

• 12

  Fill all the screw holes visible on the outside of the legs and bed frame with wood putty and scrape the putty flat with a putty scraper. Let dry.

• 13

  Sand the bed with a sander, then finish the bed in the wood finish of your choice. If you want to stain the bed, stain the planks before you assemble the bed, as this will allow for a more even stain.