The WOOD magazine cherry four-poster bed plan is a substantial, knockdown woodworking project: its tapered pencil posts support a canopy, or “tester,” and its rails bolt into barrel nuts housed in the rails. The finished bed measures 84 1/2 inches long × 64 1/2 inches wide × 83 3/4 inches high, so check both the bedroom and the path into it before cutting stock. The design is Shaker-influenced and was featured in WOOD Issue 187 (November 2008); the project page was updated April 28, 2025. See the WOOD project page and plan details.
What the plan includes—and what kind of build it is
This is a full-size canopy bed project, not a small first furniture build. The plan covers four laminated cherry posts, headboard, side and end rails, slats, canopy rails, and shaped finials. It provides materials and cutting diagrams, full-size patterns for the headboard and finials, and sequential construction instructions. The main challenge is accurate layout and drilling: the mortises, counterbores, through-holes, tenons, and cross-holes must align for the knockdown hardware to work.
The stated overall dimensions are the project’s finished measurements, not mattress dimensions. Confirm the bed’s footprint, headroom, doorways, stair turns, and other access constraints against your own space before committing to the design.
How the bed comes apart
The side and end rails have tenons that fit mortises in the posts. Bolts pass through the posts and thread into barrel nuts installed in the rails; washers sit under the bolt heads. The headboard’s tenons fit mortises in the two head-end posts. This arrangement lets the frame be disassembled for moving rather than permanently glued together. The canopy has its own joinery at the post tops and cross rails.
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#1 Best Overall
- No box-spring required.
- Made of 100% solid pine wood from renewable forests.
- Finished with a non-toxic low-VOC paint made with solvents from 100% renewable sources.
- Matching nightstands, dressers, chests and armoires are available.
- Center rail with 3 legs for improved support.
The plan specifies 3/8 × 5-inch hex-head bolts. Before buying hardware, compare the plan drawings with your actual stock and verify bolt length and thread, barrel-nut dimensions, and the washer arrangement. Do not assume that a nominally similar hardware set will fit the drilled path or rail thickness.
Build sequence and critical accuracy checks
1. Lay out and prepare the posts
The instructions begin by laminating and book-matching cherry blanks for the four posts, then milling them square. They call for 6-inch mortises for the rails, 2-inch mortises for the headboard in the head posts, 7/8-inch counterbores, and 1/2-inch through-holes for the bed-bolt path. A Forstner bit and drill press form the mortises and counterbores; a chisel cleans the mortise sides. A shop-made centering jig, made from a post cutoff, guides the centered hole at each post top.
Rank #2
- No box-spring required.
- Made of 100% solid pine wood from renewable forests.
- Finished with a non-toxic low-VOC paint made with solvents from 100% renewable sources.
- Matching nightstands, dressers, chests and armoires are available.
- Center rail with 3 legs for improved support.
Keep the hole locations consistent from post to post. Misalignment can prevent the bolts from meeting the barrel nuts or make the rails difficult to seat. The plan uses a doweling jig to help keep the tenon cross-holes perpendicular, an important aid to that alignment.
2. Cut the tapers and chamfers
Each post receives short tapers at the bottom and long tapers along its length. The plan uses a long tapering jig; square each post to both the saw blade and jig, and support the long stock as it passes through the cut. A handheld router with a piloted 45-degree chamfer bit cuts stopped chamfers. Remove saw marks and sand the posts to 220 grit before proceeding.
Rank #3
- No box-spring required.
- Made of 100% solid pine wood from renewable forests.
- Finished with a non-toxic low-VOC paint made with solvents from 100% renewable sources.
- Matching nightstands, dressers, chests and armoires are available.
- Center rail with 3 legs for improved support.
3. Make the rails, hardware holes, and slat supports
Cut the rail tenons on the table saw with a dado blade. Drill 5/8-inch holes in the inner rail faces for the barrel nuts and 1/2-inch holes in the tenon ends for the bolts. Test hole depth in scrap first. If a barrel nut does not align, do not simply drill the cross-hole deeper: the plan warns that this can break through the rail. Glue and screw the slat cleats to the side rails, then round over the slats.
4. Fit the headboard and assemble the tester
Edge-glue the headboard blank, lay out its tenons to match the post mortises, and shape it using the full-size pattern and a fairing stick. Bandsaw the outline and round over the edges with a 5/16-inch round-over bit. Fit the tenons so they slide into the post mortises with enough clearance for assembly and disassembly.
Rank #4
- Instructions for use: The red side of the base with double-sided tape is glued to the head of the bed, and then the black side of the EVA pad is twisted by hand until it is against the wall
- Easy to install: Adjust the length as your need,easy to change the stability of your bed frame in just a few minutes by simply screwing headboard stopper into place
- Wall Protection: EVA cushion effectively reduces noise and protects your wall from damage, this headboard stabilizer can prevent the head of the bed from becoming wobbly
- Variouse Use: This Adjustable Threaded Bed Frame anti-shake tool can be used in many places, such as bed, cabinet, chair, sofa and other objects used to against the wall
- Warm Tips: Measure the distance between your shaking furniture and the wall, then choose the right size , our headboard anti shake too can be adjusted from 30mm to 68mm
The tester’s side and cross rails use rabbets and dadoes. At the post tops, the instructions describe 1/2-inch dowels, 2 inches long; screws secure the middle cross rails. Shape the finials from blanks using their full-size patterns, a bandsaw, and sanding.
Tools and preparation
The documented operations call for substantial shop capacity. Check the tool list against your own equipment before starting; the named tools are requirements of the described operations, not a recommendation to buy tools you already have or to improvise unsafe substitutes.
The Tool Desk
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- Premium Rubber Wood Frame: Naturally strong and resistant to humidity and warping.
- Minimalist Modern Design: Sleek and timeless, perfect for contemporary and classic interiors.
- Noise-Free Construction: Reinforced wooden slats with sticky slats eliminate squeaks for silent nights.
- No Box Spring Needed: Strong slat system supports all mattress types directly.
- Quick Assembly & Disassembly: Quick setup and effortless moving for renters and frequent movers.
- Drill press, 3/4-inch and 5/8-inch Forstner bits, and a brad-point bit for the specified drilling operations.
- Table saw, tapering jig, and dado blade for post tapers and rail tenons.
- Router with a piloted 45-degree chamfer bit and a 5/16-inch round-over bit.
- Bandsaw for shaping the headboard and finials.
- Doweling jig, chisels, clamps, and accurate layout tools for hole alignment and fitting.
Finishing and reassembly
The plan directs the builder to disassemble the bed for finishing, inspect and touch up the parts, apply stain if desired, and then apply a clear finish before reassembly. The original magazine project used cherrywood gel stain and three coats of satin polyurethane, sanding with 320-grit abrasive between coats. Those are the project’s finish choices, not a required or independently tested finish recommendation. After reassembly, cover the bed-bolt holes as the plan describes.
Related plans and a different joinery approach
Woodcraft lists a related paper plan, Pencil Post Canopy Bed model FD-711. Its listing describes full-size drawings for parts, joinery, and curved pieces, a bill of materials and cutting list, an exploded diagram, and a hardware list. It gives twin and double dimensions and says the bed can be built with or without the canopy. This is not confirmed as the same design as the WOOD magazine project; compare size, dimensions, patterns, hardware detail, and joinery before choosing it as a substitute. Listing and stock availability can change. View Woodcraft’s FD-711 listing.
A separate contemporary pencil-post design by furniture designer Jeremy Zietz uses a different concealed-hardware solution. In Fine Woodworking, Zietz describes stepped mortises, slip tenons, steel bolts, and buried screw plates, writing: “To make the bed rock-solid yet completely knockdown without visible hardware, I crafted a joinery system that combines slip tenons with steel bolts and buried screw plates.” That description applies to his design, not to the WOOD magazine plan’s bed-bolt and barrel-nut connection. Read Zietz’s Fine Woodworking article.
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