Foray Into The Woodshop * Carved Headboard *

Carved Headboard

Today our little ~ foray ~ will be a funky new headboard design. well, sorta funky, ok,ok, so it really isn't so FUNKY at all, really it's more like a traditional meets southwest and has a carving offspring. Hmm. you know, I don't think that label is gonna work on the catalogue, what do you think? Maybe I will just stick with FUNKY NEW HEADBOARD DESIGN. Hehehehehe.

All RIGHT already, I'll get ON with it..... in a sec. :-D

As you know, if you've read through other projects, Tony is a stickler for maintaining his equipment, and that's what he is doing here. Also, note the knee panel saw turn-off. This is the safest design I've ever seen, (Tony made it himself, not hard to do, but wise) and we both recommend it. After-all, I am Madame Paranoid, & am constantly concerned about safety, and have often let him know that I LIKE his fingers & hands, don't want them removed suddenly by any forceful, accidental or stupid means, and as Tony always says " I like all my fingers too."




At any rate, that knee panel shut-off is key, he can easily use his knee or even foot to bump the saw off quickly & safely.







Here we have measurements for the arch & such going on. This piece will be constructed of alder & agathis, (Not sure of that wood name, but it's what the lumber yard called it, and it seemed to match grain pattern with alder somewhat closely) with black walnut pins.





Clamping the legs, this is a dry fit, to check for tolerances, etc.


Ahhhh, the unlovely, unloved, and largely thankless task of sanding. And yet, without it, no project is complete. In fact, sanding is almost half the labor time of any job, and cannot be cheated on. It helps make the difference between fishy & professional.





More sanding & clamping, you can see the walnut pins in the sides. Tony always prefers to use wooden pins & dowels, dovetails, & mortise & tenon joinery to screws & nails. Not only does it distinguish the piece, but it also provides a nice tight fit that won't rip out, get sheared or joggled loose.





Close-up of the walnut pins. These are funky shaped, (aHAH ~ see, there IS some FUNK in this headboard! :-P)







Here is the layout for the carving. It will be a very simple wheat sheaf, which will go nicely with the overall design of the client's bedroom.





Carving with a GRINDER? Yep, not only does it save time, but it also provides a burn accent which really picks up quite nicely when finished. Tony still always cleans up all carving with chisels, however, as there really is no substitute for it.






And VOILA! Here we have the finished headboard! Now this client did not want a footboard or rails, as they did not have a lot of extra leg room around the bed. This is the beauty of custom-made, if you only have 1 extra inch between your bed and your nightstands, & yet you want a headboard, you can still have one!!




This is a composite view, & the bottom pic is a close-up of the carving. It is a very simple carving, & yet, it will accent the client's decor perfectly.




I hope you have enjoyed this ~ Foray Into the Woodshop ~.