Monday, February 19, 2018

Campaign bed, frame saw style

At some point I got inspired to build a campaign bed.
I trawled the Net for inspiration, and ended up finding this bed.

The original looks as it is made out of beech, which is a traditional furniture wood over her, but as usual I wanted to make it out of larch. Because it is what I have.

I have never seen one of those beds in real life, but based on that the overall dimensions are 80" x 32" that were described, I thought that I could come up with something that looked similar, and besides the most important thing for me was to test out the frame saw system.

The two main dowels are 1 7/8" thick. I made them by octagonalizing some long pieces and then planed them round. They aren't 100% perfect round, but they are fairly close.

The legs were drilled with a 1 7/8" hole and ripped apart. After that the legs were mounted in the lathe and turned down to give a sleek appearance. Instead of rounding the top, I chose to saw a diamond shape.
Finally I marked out and drilled the stopped holes for the short dowels.

The two short dowels are 5/4" in diameter and I made those on the lathe. I made them overly long, to be able to trim the length afterwards.

I found my old roll of canvas, and borrowed Mettes sewing machine.
It is a regular household sewing machine, so I was a bit curious if it would be able to sew in this thick fabric, but it worked admirably.

Assembling the bed was pretty straight forward, though I had to shorten the two short dowels even more than I anticipated. Right now they could still be shortened with perhaps 1/4", but I choose to wait to see, if perhaps the canvas will stretch a bit over time. They are not perfectly plumb, but splay a bit (I guess 1/2"). But I think it is preferable to the legs pointing inwards.

Thoughts on the build:
Planing a long round dowel takes a bit of practice. I could feel that the second dowel was easier than the first one, but that is hardly a surprise.

My drill press is not very good when it comes to handling large Forstner drills. It lacks power, and it flexes a bit, causing the hole to not be 90 degrees.
It isn't a deal breaker, but I think that I could probably have made a hole just as accurate by hand.

Once assembled, the bed will flex a bit when you sit on it - kind of like a Roorkhee chair.
If the rope is twisted tightly, the bed is surprisingly comfortable. I tested the bed myself, and I it held up just perfectly.

The original bed might have the legs a bit closer to one another, which would stiffen up the whole thing, so I might do that if I make another one at some point.
Mette likes the bed so much that it has been placed in the living room, which is a sure way to determine that the project has been a success.

Campaign bed frame saw style.

Larch stretcher dowels before planing.

Crappy light, but notice the romantic roses!

Load testing the bed.

Holding system.



14 comments:

  1. Jonas,

    Nice job and good design. I've spent many a night on "cots", none as nice as yours, growing up in a outdoors family. The tensioning system is pretty neat, works with a bow saw and should work well with the bed.

    BTW, I'm starting to look into making more vernacular furniture. In the future I expect you will see things like your cot coming out of my shop.

    ken

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ken

      Thanks a lot.
      Making vernacular furniture has got a certain charm. The same designer has got a chair that is made using the frame saw tensioning system as well, but I like the Roorkhee better.

      Brgds
      Jonas

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  2. Neat! It looks like a fun build. One question, though: is it convenient to transport when it is broken down with those long dowels?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Brian
      Thanks, it is a fairly speedy build too.
      It is very convenient to transport the bed, because the two long poles will be pleasing for the local bearers to carry on their shoulders while transporting all my safari equipment through the jungle :-D
      Nah, I can see that it might be a bit troublesome to transport it unless you have a trailer or a roof rack for the car.

      Cheers
      Jonas

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  3. That's a fantastic design, and a really nice implementation. Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Andy

      I have to admit that it isn't my own design, but I am glad that you like it.
      Brgds
      Jonas

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  4. I was in Colonial Williamsburg a few years ago and they were building a campaign bed for General Washington. Very different design. I looked for it on their web site but couldn't find it. If you can I am sure you would be interested in seeing it.

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    Replies
    1. http://www.mountvernon.org/education/image-explore/explore-george-washingtons-field-bedstead/

      I think the Joiners' Shop posted updates of the construction on their FB account

      Delete
    2. Hi Capt Bob.

      Thanks for the heads up on the Washington campaign bed.

      Fair wind and following seas
      Brgds
      Jonas

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    3. Hi Potomacker,

      Thanks for the link.
      That sure is an elaborate campaign bed!
      It looks to me as those hinges in the middle take a lot of stress, but perhaps the canopy helps to even that out?

      Brgds
      Jonas

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  5. Your site is very useful for me,Thanks for your sharing.

    หนังสารคดี

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad you like it, thanks for letting me know.
      Brgds
      Jonas

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  6. this looks pretty interesting. I've sat in a low beach chair that was sort of similar, and it's a clever lightweight way to hold things together tightly.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jeremy

      It was sort of an experiment, but I am really pleased with it.
      I don't know how often one would disassemble it, but it is cool to be able to if the need should arise :-)
      Brgds
      Jonas

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