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This is the classic farmhouse bed: fat 4x4 posts, headboard and footboard panels made of edge-joined 1x6 planks framed in 1x4, and a broad 2x6 cap on top that gives the whole thing its solid, furniture-store weight. Despite the mass, the joinery is all screws, glue, and brad nails — no mortises — so it's an achievable first bed.
The key to a panel bed looking right is that the plank panels are dead square. After you edge-join the 1x6s and frame them, measure the diagonals corner to corner and adjust until the two measurements match; a panel that's even slightly a parallelogram will fight the posts and leave gaps. Edge-joining is much cleaner with pocket holes if you have a jig, but glue and clamps work too.
Several rail lengths are marked 'measure and cut to fit' on purpose — real lumber varies, and a bed that must accept a mattress can't rely on nominal numbers. Build the panels, dry-assemble to the posts, and take the rail measurements off the actual assembly. The side rails hang on cleats screwed to the posts, reinforced with an L bracket and a straight mending plate at the top corners, and the slats simply lay in and screw down. Leave a gap in the headboard/footboard cleats to accept the side rails, as the steps note.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x6 board, 8 ftHeadboard and footboard planks. | 3 each |
| 1x6 board, 4 ft | 1 each |
| 1x4 board, 8 ft | 2 each |
| 4x4 post, 8 ftThe four bed posts. | 2 each |
| 2x2 board, 8 ftPanel cleats. | 1 each |
| 2x4 board, 8 ftPanel rails, side rails, rail cleats. | 4 each |
| 2x6 board, 8 ftHeadboard and footboard caps. | 2 each |
| 1x10 board, 8 ftSide-rail faces. | 2 each |
| 1x3 board, 8 ftMattress slats. | 6 each |
| 1-1/2" L brackets | 2 each |
| 3" straight mending plates | 2 each |
| Wood screws, 2" and 2-1/2" | 80 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Headboard planks1x6 | 7 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 30" |
| Headboard panel frame1x4Measure and cut to fit the assembled panel. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 38 1/2" |
| Headboard posts4x4 | 2 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 54" |
| Headboard cleats2x2 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 30" |
| Headboard top rail2x4Measure and cut to fit. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 45 1/2" |
| Headboard cap2x6 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 47 1/2" |
| Footboard planks1x6 | 7 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 15" |
| Footboard panel frame1x4Measure and cut to fit. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 38 1/2" |
| Footboard posts4x4 | 2 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 21" |
| Footboard cleats2x2 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" |
| Footboard top rail2x4Measure and cut to fit. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 45 1/2" |
| Footboard cap2x6 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 47 1/2" |
| Side rails2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 80" |
| Rail cleats2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 8 1/2" |
| Side-rail faces1x10 | 2 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 75" |
| Slats1x3Measure and cut to fit; space evenly. | 12 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 38 1/2" |
Buy 25 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
4 boards
Cut the 1x6 headboard planks and lay them out. Edge-join them — pocket holes and 1-1/4" screws are the clean way if you have a jig, otherwise glue and clamp. Measure the overall width once joined.
Attach the 1x4 frame to the top and bottom of the panel with 1-1/4" brads and glue, outside edges flush. Check the panel is square by measuring both diagonals and adjusting until they match — a parallelogram panel never seats right against the posts.
Screw the 2x2 cleats to the inside back edge of the 4x4 posts with 2-1/2" screws, then attach the panel to the cleats with 2-1/2" screws, brads, and glue. (Pocket-hole builders can join the panel straight to the posts and skip the cleats.)
Measure and cut the top 2x4 rail to fit and attach it with 2-1/2" screws and glue. Set the 2x6 cap on top of it with even overhangs all around and screw it down. This is what gives the bed its heft.
Repeat the panel, post, and cap sequence for the shorter footboard. If you're using cleats to hang the side rails, leave a gap in the cleats as shown to accept the rails in a later step.
Screw the 2x4 rail cleats to the 4x4 posts with 2-1/2" screws (the spacer blocks are just setup guides, not fastened). Build the 2x4/1x10 side rails, set them on the cleats, and fasten with glue, brads, plus an L bracket and a straight mending plate at each top corner. Lay the 1x3 slats in evenly and screw down with 2" screws.
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4 boards
1 board
2 boards
4 boards
2 boards
6 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →