Pipe and Wood Slat Bed

Use no glue or sealant on any pipe or pipe-to-wood connection. Hand-tighten only until you're confident of placement — expect to screw and unscrew repeatedly to get everything aligned. Have the store cut and thread the long 1" pipes to length; that's not a job to do at home.

Assemble only one leg of the footboard, screwing the fittings together until snug. Leave the rest for now — building one complete leg first gives you a fixed reference to fit everything else against.

Prepare only the foot portion of the other leg — the 1"x1-1/4" coupling, a 1"x8" nipple, and a tee — and connect the 1"x75" pipe to this foot portion only. This gives you the two ends to hang slats between.

Cut the wood slats and predrill 1-1/2" in from each outer edge for two split-ring pipe hangers. Screw the hangers on with 2" screws, making sure each hanger sits perpendicular to the board.

Slip one end of a slat into the completed leg side, then screw in the next 1"x8" nipple — but do not tighten the pipe hangers yet. Add a tee, then a 3/4" horizontal support (run it fully into the completed leg first, then connect the other end). Center each slat with even spacing top and bottom, then tighten its hangers with equal pressure on both screws. Repeat up the frame, adding elbows and 18" pipes where the plan calls for corners.

Build the mattress platform separately: attach the furring-strip cross supports to the 2x4 supports with countersunk 1-1/2" screws, spacing the strips evenly. Set the platform in the frame, add the mattress, and you're done.