Scaling the Kreg farmhouse headboard

[Mark Nelson]

Has anyone modified the farmhouse headboard that Kreg has plans for online?  It is scaled for a queen sized bed, and I'd like to build one for full-sized.

[Don Foley]

Mark,

Without looking at the specific plans you mention, I cant say if there will be issues related to the farmhouse design.  But, a full size bed is typically 6" narrower and 5" shorter than a queen bed.  I'd start by deducting those amounts from the plans then look at the design to determine where to remove the wood, maintaining symmetry.

Full size mattress 54" x 75"

Queen size mattress 60" x 80"

If you post a link to the plans, I'll gladly look at them and try to help further.

Don

[Don Foley]

Mark,

I found the plans and it is for a headboard, not a complete bed.  So, I would do the following:

1.  Make all vertical pieces as outlined in the plan, using the plans dimensions.

2.  Make pieces H (upper cap), E (outer rail) and A (inner rail) 6 " shorter than called for in the plans.

3.  Make pieces I (back panel) the same height as in the plan, but each piece 3" narrower.

4.  Assemble the inner rails (A) and the stiles (B) Using pocket holes where indicated in the plan.

5.  Clamp the long diagonal brace to the rails and stiles in position while still over sized, and mark where to make the cuts. Cut wide of your pencil marks slowly narrowing the piece until you have a snug fit.  Secure with pocket hole screws as outlined in the plan.

6.  Follow the same procedure with the short diagonal braces using one long board clamped diagonally across the opening.  Mark this board to make 2 smaller diagonal braces and cut them out, once again cutting wide of the lines and slowly creeping in on an exact fit.  Secure with pocket hole screws as per the plan.

7.  Assemble the remainder of the pieces as outlined in the plan.

This will give you a headboard that is 58" wide for a 54" wide mattress (the same overhang the original plan gave for the queen mattress.

Hope this helps, ask if you have any questions or need me to clarify my directions (I don't always explain things the best).

Don

[Mark Nelson]

Don - Thanks for that.  I knew it had to narrow to 58", and that the vertical dimensions would not change.  But I was most concerned about how the main part (with the crossing braces) would appear proportionately when I narrowed the horizontal part of the rectangle.  I was also wondering what those brace angles would become, but your solution to establishing the angles seems solid. Your approach was very close to what I intended to try.  

Mark

[Don Foley]

Mark,

To maintain the same angles as the original plan you would need to shorten the height of the inner stiles proportionately.  If you have a drafting program on your computer you can do some quick drawings to determine how the headboard would look if not shortened and is you did shorten the bead board area.  Let us know what you decided to do, or better yet post a pic of the final product.

Don

[Mark Nelson]

Don - Once I cut the pieces and laid it out, it looked fine, just like the queen sized version.  I have attached a photo of the partly-finished product.  I still have to paint it.  Glad I didn't make a headboard for a queen-sized bed, because this thing is heavy enough. 

Thanks for your advise. 

Mark

[Don Foley]

Looks good, Mark