DIY Wood Canopy Bed Frames

Building the Bed Base

• 1

  Stand two planks of 77-inch 1-by-6 lumber up on their 1-inch edges, 40 inches apart. Fit two planks of 40-inch 1-by-6 lumber between the ends of the 77-inch planks, making a rectangle frame. The 77-inch planks are the side rails of the bed base and the 40-inch planks are the head and foot of the bed base, which is twin size.

• 2

  Glue the side rails and head and foot planks together and set into corner clamps to let the glue dry. Fasten the bed base together with four 1 3/4-inch screws driven evenly through the side of the rails into the ends of the head and foot planks.

• 3

  Measure down 3 inches from the top of the side rails and position a 75-inch plank of 1-by-2 lumber along each side rail. These are the support planks for the bed slats. Secure the support planks to the side rails with 1 3/4-inch screws driven every 8 to 10 inches along the length of the support plank.

Attaching the Leg Posts

• 4

  Position four 80-inch planks of 2-by-4 lumber upright against the side rails, flush with the head and foot of the bed base. These are the leg posts for the bed. Have a helper assist you to lift the bed base 10 inches off the ground and then clamp the legs to the bed base with G-clamps at this height. Check that the base is level and adjust if necessary.

• 5

  Drill four pilot holes, sized for the shaft of 2 3/4-inch lag bolts, through the side rails into each of the leg posts. This will keep the outside of the leg posts unmarred by screw holes.

• 6

  Secure the leg posts to the bed base with 2 3/4-inch lag bolts through the side rails into the leg posts.

Building the Canopy

• 7

  Miter the ends of two 77-inch planks of 2-by-2 and two 46-inch planks of 2-by-2 lumber to 45 degrees using a miter saw.

• 8

  Glue the mitered ends of the planks together to form a rectangle, which is the canopy for the bed frame. Set the canopy into corner clamps to let the glue dry.

• 9

  Secure the canopy together with two 2-inch wood screws through each of the mitered joints.

Attaching the Canopy and Bed Slats

• 10

  Climb a ladder and have a helper assist you in raising the canopy up onto the ends of the leg posts. The corners of the canopy should be flush with the corners of the bed posts.

• 11

  Secure the canopy to the top of the bed posts with two 2 3/4-inch wood screws through the top of the canopy into each leg post.

• 12

  Evenly space 30 planks of 1-by-2 lumber across the bed base, with the ends of the slats resting on the support planks on either side of the bed rails. There should be 1/2 inch between each slat.

• 13

  Fix the slats to the support planks with 1 3/4-inch wood screws through each slat end into the support planks.