Hello,
I've set out to build a simple house bed for my daughter, and I almost have two left hands when it comes to carpentry, but I'm trying to learn as best as I can. Measuring technique isn't my strong suit, though...
See the image. The inner dimensions of this bed are 90x200cm. For the short sides, I placed the slats 9cm from the edge to the first and last slat and then 12cm CC between the other slats, which seems to work for a total of 7 slats. The slats are 27mm in diameter. But how should I think about the long side? I want there to be about 12cm (give or take) between the slats. There should be some mathematically sensible way to figure out how many slats I need and what the distance should be between the first and last slat.
How should I think?
I've set out to build a simple house bed for my daughter, and I almost have two left hands when it comes to carpentry, but I'm trying to learn as best as I can. Measuring technique isn't my strong suit, though...
See the image. The inner dimensions of this bed are 90x200cm. For the short sides, I placed the slats 9cm from the edge to the first and last slat and then 12cm CC between the other slats, which seems to work for a total of 7 slats. The slats are 27mm in diameter. But how should I think about the long side? I want there to be about 12cm (give or take) between the slats. There should be some mathematically sensible way to figure out how many slats I need and what the distance should be between the first and last slat.
How should I think?
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Take the diameter of the ribs (D) and add this to the distance between the (inner edge) of the sides, let's call this distance L. Now you've accounted for the sides' impact on the distance between them. Now you should have about 12cm between the ribs. This means it will be 12cm + D in each gap center to center.
So, with seven ribs as above, you'll take the first distance above (inner edge to inner edge + D) divided by eight (eight gaps with seven ribs), let's call the distance X. X = L/8. Now you can try with six or eight ribs as well and see what you get with these. Choose what looks best and meets the requirements...
Then set the drill holes for the ribs according to X above, but the first drill hole will be only X-D/2 from the inner edge since the frame should account for half of the diameter. Thereafter, each drill hole is an additional X further away.
Hope this was clear enough...
So, with seven ribs as above, you'll take the first distance above (inner edge to inner edge + D) divided by eight (eight gaps with seven ribs), let's call the distance X. X = L/8. Now you can try with six or eight ribs as well and see what you get with these. Choose what looks best and meets the requirements...
Then set the drill holes for the ribs according to X above, but the first drill hole will be only X-D/2 from the inner edge since the frame should account for half of the diameter. Thereafter, each drill hole is an additional X further away.
Hope this was clear enough...
Thanks for a great response! It worked out nicely.pacman42 said:
Something else (related to the project but unrelated to the rods) is that I simply can't get the angle correct... The "roof" should of course be centered on top of the beams below but no matter what I do, it turns out wrong.
The total width at the bottom of the "house" is 990mm from outer end to outer end. The roof beams should be about 600mm.
You can fix the top angle most easily by making it perpendicular first and then manually fitting the triangle's "base" (that's what it's called if you remember from school) by measuring the center of the base and using a larger try square to get a right angle towards the top. Then you draw and saw. After that, you sand off the last part. My grandfather was a fine carpenter, and he told me that some things cannot be measured...
...sure, if you have very precise machines, it can be done (like the ones they had in machine shop class in high school), but you rarely have those at home...
...sure, if you have very precise machines, it can be done (like the ones they had in machine shop class in high school), but you rarely have those at home...
I would reconsider the distance between the slats. I seem to recall that at about 10 cm, small children can put their heads between them but can't pull them back out. However, I don't have a good source for this. So it might be worth reducing or increasing the distance a bit. Though I don't know what a reasonable distance would be.
If you start referring to the recommendations, they are more strict than that:
- https://www.konsumentverket.se/for-konsument/sakra-varor-och-tjanster/barnsakerhet/sakra-barnsangar/
- https://www.konsumentverket.se/for-konsument/sakra-varor-och-tjanster/barnsakerhet/sakra-barnsangar/
The last one did not apply when my daughter was little almost 20 years ago. It was a then-new IKEA bed that had two particle boards in the base under the loose mattress, she managed to lift one and got out of the bed that way. Then she crawled under the bottom of the gate on the stairs (which met the requirements) and climbed up to the kitchen on the upper floor to have a snack. She was around one year old then. We still don't understand how she got under the gate...