Building Anna White's Farmhouse Bed Using Pocket-Hole Screws

I am finally getting to scratch that itch to build something that I've had for a long while. I am building the Farmhouse Queen-size bed from Anna White's wonderful free plans. I have been a follower of hers since her blog was named, "Knock-Off Wood". Now it is just, "AnnaWhite.com", and if you're unfamiliar with it, please go and check it out - NOW! Then, come on back here. I wanted to share a couple of mistakes things I thought about before I started drilling into the wood to make this fabulous bed. For the panels, make sure that you position your pocket-holes (using the Kreg jig) close enough to the edge of the board so that they will be covered by the trim at the top and bottom of the panel when assembled.  That is, if you decide to use the panels - this bed would look just as great with a flat plywood panel instead of the individual boards - a bit more urban, perhaps) Use the 'C' shaft for the right-side hole, and the 'A' shaft for the left side. For the 15" tall footboard panels, I only used two holes, but for the 30" tall headboard panels, I put a third hole at the center of the boards for stability, aligning the 'B' shaft at the 15" mark. These won't be seen from the front side of the headboard, since it will be against the wall. If you want to float your bed so that the back will be seen, you'll have to putty these center holes. 

 

http://www.kregtool.com/Pocket-Hole-Jigs-Prodlist.html

After drilling the holes, using the dust removal attachment that came with my Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig K4 Master System, I used my Porter Cable orbital sander to sand all edges and clean up the pocket holes. I decided to slightly round off the long edges of the front-side of the boards, so that the panels would be distinct. I figure, why bother using panels if you can't tell they're panels. 

The bed is coming along. I'll post more pics as it progresses.

How to Build an Indoor Awning

A Rainbow of Awnings

Installed in unfinished hallway

I am in the process of building some awnings for the hallway windows of our church's children's wing. The theme is 'Kaleidoscope Kids. 

I constructed the frames from 1x2" pre-primed MDF from Lowes, since it was less expensive than even pine boards. I glued & screwed the 90° joints, and glued and used a nail gun to secure the angled joints. I took the measurements of the wall space, extending the awnings out 2 inches on either side of the windows (they have no frames), and drew up a pattern for the awnings themselves, which consisted of a large rectangle, and two triangles for the sides. 

Bare Frame

Awning with Fabric Cover

Back View

Attaching the Aprons

The aprons have white piping where they join the body of the awning. I used a standard upholstery technique to attach the aprons: stapling through a narrow strip of poster board and stapling through the seam allowance, into the frame, with the apron flipped up, out of the way. 

I used pocket-hole joinery with glue for most of the framing, and glue and a nail gun for the angled joints. The awning covers are stapled on because the budget couldn't accommodate Velcro. I had to make a jig for my miter saw because the angle cut for the diagonal braces was more acute than the degrees on the saw. I found directions online from a woodworkers' site showing how to make a jig for cutting crown molding. I am using Industrial-strength Velcro to attach the awnings to the wall, since they're pretty light - about 7 pounds each. I have a cornice in my study that has been hanging there for 12 years by means of this Industrial-strength Velcro. It does a great job.

The logo below was designed by an artist that goes to our church, Andy Bennett. 

Psalm 139: 13-16
¹³ You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother's body. 
¹⁴ How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well. 
¹⁵ None of my bones was hidden from you when you made me inside my mother's body. That place was as dark as the deepest parts of the earth. When you were putting me together there, 
¹⁶ your eyes saw my body even before it was formed. You planned how many days I would live. You wrote down the number of them in your book before I had lived through even one of them.