You’re going to put five sets of two screws each down each rail.

Only drill the pilot hole into the first layer of wood.

In the middle of the rail, drill two pilot holes – one about 1 1/2″ from the outside edge and one about 3 1/2″ in from the outside edge and a few inches away to the left. Use squeeze or bar clamps to hold everything in place.

After laying out the DIY platform bed frame components, start gluing the top layer pieces to their corresponding middle layer pieces below using wood glue.

This creates a 1″ ledge on both sides of the center support rail.

Place the center support pieces in place by centering the lower (5 ½”) piece in the frame parallel to the side rails and then centering the (3 ½”) upper middle support piece on top.

Line up the outside edges so that they are flush.

Lay out the frame pieces with the middle layer on the bottom and the top layer above it.

It’s going to fit on top and in the center of your middle support rail as shown (but you won’t attach it now).

For the support rail, use your miter saw to cut a 1” x 4” x 8′ board down to a 1″ x 3 1/2″ width x 79 ½” length.

Cut the side rails of your platform bed. Use your miter saw to cut two pieces of 1” x 6” x 8′ boards to 79 1/2” lengths. Then use a table saw to rip both pieces to a 4 ¾” width.

Then use a table saw to rip both pieces to a 4 ¾” width. Use your miter saw to cut two pieces of 1” x 6” x 8′ piece of wood to 85” lengths. You’ll start with the head and foot rails.

Begin on the top layer of your king platform bed frame.

Dimension of the board should be 1” x 5 ½” x 78”.

Use a miter saw to cut the support piece from a 1″ x 6″ x 8′ for this middle layer of your frame to 74” length.

The outer dimension should be approximately 85” wide by 89” long, and the inside dimension should be approximately 74” wide by 78” long.

Lay out the side rails as well as the head and foot rails.

You’ll cut two more 1″ x 6″ x 8′ pieces to 1”x 5 ½” x 74”. When you’re done, use the saw to cut the head and foot rails. Use a miter saw to cut two 1″ x 6″ x 8′ pieces to 1″ x 5 1/2″ x 89″.

You’ll start this DIY platform bed frame project by constructing the middle layer of the frame first.

Pine is cheap but sturdy, and no one is going to see the slats. There’s no reason to use anything more expensive. Our cost for this bed frame using poplar was around $250 (not including the headboard), but you could reduce the cost by using a less expensive wood.įor the slats, we used pine. We purchased poplar for the main portion of the frame from Home Depot, which is also where we got our Ryobi Tools. We wanted a hard wood that was easy to work with, and we like the grain. So your EXACT measurements may vary, though they will be close. For example, a 2″ x 4″ is cut that size, from a rough log but then it dries smaller (around 1.5″ x 3.5″). *if you are a newbie woodworker, remember that wood sizes are given as the cut from a log.

6 to 8 – 1″ x 6″ x 8′ pine boards trimmed to eight slats, 1″ x 5 1/2″ x 35 3/4″.

2 – 1″ x 4″ x 8′ boards trimmed down to eight 1″ x 4″ x 15″ pieces, with the ends cut at 45 degree angles.

Modern bed legs – we used six from found here.

Wood screws – 1 1/4″ length (about 124 screws).

Ryobi Drill with bits, also a 3/4″ countersink bit, and 5/8″ forstner bit.Ryobi Router with bits (optional, see Step 15).

Modern bed frame king