How to Make a Japanese Wood Bed Frame

Build the Frame

• 1

  Attach a 75-inch-long 2-by-6-inch pine board to six 39-inch-long 2-by-6-inch pine boards with 3-inch wood screws using a power drill. Place the first and last 39-inch boards flush with each end of the 75-inch board and the other four 39-inch boards at approximately 15-inch intervals between the end boards.

• 2

  Attach a second 75-inch 2-by-6-inch pine board to the free ends of the six 39-inch boards. Make the ends of the second 75-inch board flush with the first and last 39-inch boards. This creates a 6-inch-tall wooden box frame.

• 3

  Place a 2-by-2-inch pine board, 6 inches long, in each of the four inner corners of the box frame, not next to the four support boards. Attach these to the sides of the box with two 3-inch screws, taking care to not drill into the screws holding the two side boards together.

• 4

  Place a 4-by-8-foot piece of 3/4-inch-thick birch plywood on two saw horses, and cut it into a 45-by-81-inch rectangle using a circular saw. Lay the plywood flat on the floor.

• 5

  Set the wooden box on top of the plywood using a measuring tape to center the box with an outer 6-inch edge. Use a pencil to trace where the box is set, including tracing the inner support boards. Remove the wooden box from the plywood.

• 6

  Attach a 45-inch-long 1-by-10-inch pine board to the two shorter ends of the plywood rectangle, on the side without the drawing, with 1 1/4-inch wood screws at the corners at 6-inch intervals.

• 7

  Fit two 61-inch-long 1-by-10-inch pine boards on the longer edges of the plywood, on the side without the drawing, and screw these boards into the plywood with 1 1/4-inch wood screws at the corners and at 6-inch intervals. These edge boards provide additional support.

• 8

  Place the plywood on top of the wooden box, with the side with the drawing facing up, away from the box, and center the plywood with a 6-inch edge around the wooden box. The drawing should be above the actual wooden box.

• 9

  Attach the plywood to the wooden box with 3-inch wood screws and a power drill at 10-inch intervals. Avoid the corners of the box.

• 10

  Sand all the edges and corners of the bed frame with fine-grit sandpaper.

• 11

  Stain the wooden Japanese bed frame with your chosen color of wood stain using a paintbrush and even strokes.