DIY Castle Joint Platform Bed made w/ 2x4's Buy vs. DIY

This week I built Thuma style castle joint modern platform queen size bed out of 2x4’s at a fraction of the cost it would take to buy this. I used accessible tools, and DIY techniques to create the castle joints without using any chisels or hand tools. This Thuma style DIY modern castle joint platform bed is a experiment on whether its better to BUY vs. DIY. Thanks for watching this video on how I created this DIY Modern Castle Joint Platform Bed made using 2x4’s. Thanks to Rockler for supporting my channel!
Rockler:
Squeeze Clamp - www.rockler.com/rockler-one-h...
Handscrew Clamp - www.rockler.com/hand-tools/cl...
Glue Mat - www.rockler.com/rockler-silic...
Clamp Rack - www.rockler.com/rockler-pack-...
Bandy Clamp - www.rockler.com/rockler-bandy...
Tools & Materials Used:
Digital Calipers - amzn.to/3ggrJLg
Combo Square - amzn.to/3cE5hcB
Spray Adhesive - amzn.to/3gfXHqV
Belt Sander - amzn.to/3pOvM4w
Nylon Webbing - amzn.to/3iL2vpM
Truss Screws - amzn.to/3wn0vbh
Thumbscrew - amzn.to/2Tp8RRd
T-Nuts - amzn.to/3cE8yss
CA Glue - amzn.to/3zheH7E
Foam & Batting - www.foambymail.com/
Music: Epidemic Sound
CREDIT: Subscribe Button by MrNumber112 • Free Download: Subscri... ​

[@mrbinford1012]

So, I have now built 3 of these beds, 1 for myself and 2 or family members. They think I'm some kine of magician, but its not so; I'm just a DIY woodworker who found this bed design really useful and easy to build. I must admit my 12 year old self sprung loose and added LED lights around the border. Also i combined the frame with a headboard that was demonstrated by Tom Silva on Ask This Old House, and I think it worked out beautiful. Thanks for the Demo

[@mr.monberasai2557]

can i pay you to make my children bed fames like that?

[@JonnyBuilds]

So rad!

[@jackmartin7974]

Hi, it’s me, your cousin

[@alexbamberg485]

Is this the video you mentioned kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4DKmnV9bphpr5I

[@Charles-mv7sv]

Using professional equipment in a DIY video is kinda bigoted, just saying.

[@djdrocco]

Good thing it doesn't require a chisel. I've got no money left after buying a planer, jigsaw, miter saw, circular saw, belt sander, orbital sander, electric screwdriver, cordless drill, forstner bits, Rockler® brand clamps. . .

[@alexanderbarrera9140]

Lmao

[@Jappy26]

🤣

[@loktom4068]

By golly, you left out the big bottle of wood glue.

[@kylekeenan3485]

Just what I was thinking haha!

[@kylekeenan3485]

Also outside of the US, having space for all those things comes at a massive premium. Its really only for the rich or professional carpenter.

[@jontorres8767]

I just saw this advertisement for $1850 😂😂 now lumber prices are down. So I'm gonna build it for the wifey. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@jeremiahjohnson2741]

I love that after seeing the ad for the Thurma bed, I quickly find dozens of videos on making the bed. DIY. I'm gonna get to work.

[@99andycat]

Love the 'additive joinery' concept and the castle joints are impressive.

[@brandonhoffman4712]

Loving the jointery. Hating the wood selection. I don't hate pine, just what Home Depot does to it with minimum wage labor. I'll stick with my local sources. Ghanahl lumber, Austin hardwoods, and Rockler woodworking. Those are my current sources for wood. I haven't gone online for wood ordering, it interests me, but I want my local shops to stay. I just lost my local Woodcraft, and I don't like it one bit.

[@raymondhill3446]

I've been looking at this bed design for a while now. Going to make a twin/full size for my grandson. You just showed me how to complete the headboard! I think it is fabulous! Always DIY instead of buy! Thank you for sharing!

[@michelle_chevellemmm1581]

Awwww, "Olive" is Adorable!!! ❤❤❤ Great job on that bed!

[@lasharonbrown9454]

LOVE IT! Especially the upholstery belts for the slats. I’m gonna try this design for my camper.

[@amazingkvdaily7005]

The design of the foot of the bed is amazing

[@mbryan4964]

Hello Olive👋 Love this! Tiny homes with little to no closet or storage need elevated beds to slide full size storage bins under. What a smart and fabulous look even for taller legs. Just love this. Thank you so much.💓

[@JonnyBuilds]

🙏🙏

[@englishrose4388]

This was such a helpful video. Thank you for making it accessible to those who don’t have a full shop set up.

[@sybilmcclay2830]

I’ve been doing research on diy beds and I love this one definitely a contender thanks

[@gonsalomon]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea with us! I'm a carpenter myself, so I'll go straight for 4x4s for the bed legs, shaping them the old-school way: making a structure to support the mattress, then using a piece for the head and the foot, each.

[@brandonhoffman4712]

There's no way that jointery survives my bedroom activities unless that joint is fully glued, I'm a Viking, deep down somewhere under the nanny! And if that joint is fully glued its disposable, because it's not getting out of my room when I move. Maybe a bedframe involving a tusked tennon. but I think it's better to get a little more modern with some hidden bolts or a modern fastening system that can be taken apart.

[@brandonhoffman4712]

Also a 4x4 from home depot needs to sit for 4 years. 1 inch per year to dry wet wood. Home depot lumber leaks water...

[@gonsalomon]

@@brandonhoffman4712 ended up using 18mm MDF boards to put drawers beneath my bed, so I can keep a bit of clothes in them. But I did plan for the forces that would be made on the structure, so I'm chill

[@twistedpost1066]

Love the design!! I was looking to some ideas for a day bed with a Trundle for my neighbor. With a few mods from your bed design I think a day bed would look fantastic!!

[@torinhalsey6313]

The additive style castle joint really gets me to thinking about my next project. Thanks.

[@lindaburt6518]

Olive is adorable! That is an awesome build. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@Aardrijk1]

Thank you for this! It's a brilliant build and I appreciate it. Gonna try my hand at it.

[@cameronweems3328]

The reward of spending time doing this is well worth it even if there was no cost savings.

[@gXXrGoNe]

Its been said but I'll say it again, this is a great simple yet modern design. Great job!!!

[@allanog12345]

Thanks for sharing the detailed construction and cost for this bed frame. Great DIY idea! I hope Olive enjoys it too :)

[@erickrumpelbeck5901]

I was able to complete this project today with the guidance from the video! Overall achieved a similar result. A few people mention concerns about the strength of the end of the beam and the wood grain orientation. Indeed, the small piece broke off on one end during the test fit. It's easy for this to happen given the pleasant result of these pieces fitting together and the strain on the opposite end when fitting a piece. However, it glued back easily and I was happy that the end result didnt compromise strength at all. As mentioned, once the bed is assembled, there is a lot of strength in the design. There doesnt seem to be much force on the end piece surprisingly. Additionally, I'd recommend buying four or so additional 1x4's for the slats so that they are spaced out with less spacing between. Good luck!

[@the-wooden-beard]

I didn't do the same bed design, but I did find that using 2x4s instead of 1x4 bed slats improved the stability incredibly. It also seemed to remove a lot of the squeaking that would happen.

[@oldiniabal1464]

@@the-wooden-beard what mean 1x4 / 2×4? tickness and width?

[@the-wooden-beard]

@@oldiniabal1464 yes

[@oldiniabal1464]

@@the-wooden-beard thank you :)

[@dad1432]

It's the thickness and width of the lumber. "1x4" is one inch thick and four inches wide; "2x8" is two inches thick and eight inches wide. The actual dimensions are smaller, but it's complicated to explain.

[@JakeEllison94]

Awesome build! Very budget friendly for such an awesome build! If you don’t pull so hard before you staple the fabric on the headboard you can get it a little straighter and more uniform. But this is awesome

[@stradicfanatic]

Olive! Yep. Absolutely building this. Thanks a ton for taking the time to make this video!

[@malcolmreynolds7122]

Olive's Dad made a super cool bed project. I love the additive material handling.

[@305dutch4]

Wonderful project! I've looked at so many beds on youtube but this is probably one of the best designs I've seen! Great job! Loved the ending with Olive doing a walkthrough. Looking forward to seeing future projects on your channel.

[@JonnyBuilds]

Thanks 🙏

[@jotann3992]

Olive is sweet 💕 amazing joinery, thanks for showing us - those joints would make an amazing base for a glass topped coffee table or similar, so you could see the joinery!

[@karolsorrell827]

Yup, you're right! Olive!

[@donniegaskill1836]

Great looking piece!!! I never thought about using castle joints for the legs. Great idea...

[@hyankov]

Interesting approach to castle joints. I would have never thought of that

[@oldsoldier4u814]

Olive is a cutie!!! Oh - and the bed project was pretty cool - nice job!

[@inspiringbuilds]

Nice job with the build and thinking outside the box with the joinery! Keep up the great work as the goal is for us to continue to inspire others to build something awesome! 👍🏼

[@JonnyBuilds]

🙌🙌

[@piratetaylor29]

Very cool look and those corners are amazing. They do look supreme the way you glued them up and even the floor surface ends look nice too. Clearly a worthwhile project that beats the store inventory by a country mile. 🤣🇺🇸

[@chuckkern8663]

Today I start to build this for camping, using ‘Firewood’ for the castle posts(6), and shorter bed rails to easily fit in the back of a KIA soul. Thank you for the castle/interlocking joint ideas!

[@kristenyoung7853]

I just bought the "real" one, and love it! *Yours looks amazing too!* Hearing your breakdown of your cost makes me feel better about my purchase lol... if it cost them the same for materials, then add on the build cost, "free" shipping, ads, etc....i don't feel like any of it was a waste, since i don't have the required tools for the job. 😁 But still love watching build videos!

[@JonnyBuilds]

Congrats! The original Thuma bed is a great deal and a beautiful product. I would buy one myself.

[@overnightclassic2]

You can't look at his cost as a basis. Furniture companies get wood infinitely cheaper than we can and they manufacture using assembly lines which are incredibly fast and efficient. You should compare the cost of a thuma to other comparable beds and it is not cheap.

[@JustinGarza]

you might be able to do the completed project with just a saw, and a drill, and sandpaper. all his be fancy tools makes the job easy ...but it should still be doable without the fancy stuff.

[@JustinGarza]

in addition, you could buy all the tools... and all the wood, make 100 beds, and sell them online for about 600 each. thus undercuts the competition, and will start your business

[@richardmarden6485]

Thuma states" Each piece is inherently unique, featuring the natural imperfections of handcrafted, repurposed wood." Not even virgin wood. .Nice video Jonny Builds

[@BBSaar]

So much work! I no longer think the Thuma bed is overpriced. 🙂

[@whydoineedahandle269]

Did a nice job with the fabric. Very clean and neat. Reminds me of refelting a pool table

[@makenchips]

I love it when you use the term additive joinery great concept!

[@tooljunkie555]

I ALWAYS go for the "why buy when u can DIY" & Ty for titling the video properly instead of "the click bait" type of title like people do

[@ModernRemade]

Cleanest 2x4 project I’ve seen. Nicely done! +extra points for the Ridgeline 😉

[@nishithchristian5407]

That looks fabulous. Great job. Love it.

[@ito2791]

Beautiful! Awesome work! Thanks for sharing!

[@simviki]

The dog in the intro look straight into my soul.

[@nicracine]

Brilliant built! I love that the whole thing can be disassembled easily. Many books I've seen are just huge boxes to heavy to move anywhere. Not this one. I really love it!

[@jimgardner5129]

Olive is a cutie. So glad you included a centre support post.

[@nancystowell4877]

Gonna do this, will be using select pine for it's strength and lack of knots. Thanks for this beautiful bed design! ♥

[@raynoladominguez4730]

Olive is a beauty, so is the bed.

[@davidv6803]

Any chance we can get plans for this?

[@ninjacuberdk1466]

Olive. Thanks for the vid. Love those castle joints.

[@bklynjoe12]

Great looking bed, on my to do list! Thank you

[@jamesmorrison7847]

Nice work! I saw the bed online with the castle joint corners that you referred to in this video. This project isn't all that easy, but an amateur with moderate skills with tools can build it too. I think your material costs are about right.

[@mylou12071]

I was looking for something I can put together only when I have guests and set aside without taking up room. This is perfect!

[@mr.monberasai2557]

Can I Pay You To Make My Children Bed Fames Like That?

[@rhondakennedy819]

Love the blue. Be kind to each other. Stay safe. Love to all

[@jodrafting]

just want to say your videos Rock way better than the other Builders out there. the narration makes a huge difference

[@Rocky1115]

The fact that this would have cost less than $35 last year is infuriating.

[@fermorac]

Really? I'm from the middle of Mexico and here the wood it's sold, mainly, in 12" wide, 1" thick and 98" length pieces, that for around $6 to $8 USD, it's almost the same as shown in the video so, our prices are high?

[@peterwillis1547]

And $35 is infuriating compared to going on craigslist and getting a free one, or just driving around neighborhoods looking for Ikea furniture being thrown away. Or you could go into a forest and chop a tree down.... It's all about perspective.

[@felipedeornelas8054]

That's almost 10x cheaper. I don't believe it. Do you mean the entire project?

[@PH-wc8ll]

so wait.

[@randybobandy9828]

This never would have cost less than $35.... wtf are you on about?

[@FowlerFamilyFarm]

Nice build👍

[@JonnyBuilds]

Thanks man!

[@veganskillz]

I do want to compliment you on an amazingly informative and well produced build process. I will be referencing your video when I decide to build a version of this.

[@tmcaleer50]

Love this design! Wish I had the skill and tools to make it!!

[@skyp3gasus]

Love the design process and the making of these joints, putting and slotting them together is satisfying. To me the edges look a bit sharp and could possibly cut or make some splinters, maybe add some padding to the corners?

[@Tifatams]

Thank you, great vid, I've been trying to figure out how to make this exact bed with little tools.

[@kylekeenan3485]

This vid does not show how to make a bed with few tools but a whole carpentry workshop worth of them!

[@Tifatams]

@@kylekeenan3485 well I don't know what else you want....just pay someone to make it 🤷‍♀️

[@JkCanvas]

Nice job on the explanation and how to make castle joints easier.

[@AncoraImparoPiper]

Great built. I'll keep that in mind for my next custom bed construction.

[@guinness301]

Great Job! I had an issue with the "tabs" breaking off at the ends of the stretchers. I drilled a 5/16 hole from the underside and added a hardwood dowel to strengthen them and that seems to have done the trick. Thanks for the video!!!

[@samuelhow2347]

Think it would hold up build out of ash? No dowel added?

[@jeremyspecce]

Nice job, and indeed I see ads for this kind of bed every day! I feel like it might help the rigidity if the legs were actually glued into the footboard and headboard cross bars. This would not change the portability of the bed frame by much at all. Olive.

[@deanastafford5667]

If everything is glued together then it's not as portable or easy to take part and moved somewhere else.

[@skalpel303]

Very well done, and great showcase of steps as well. I personally have no tools or workspace, but It's seems easy enough for a novice to feel confident.

[@gmankillerk]

Love this. 👌🏿 probably the best and easiest version of the castle joint Iv seen yet. Thanks going to give this a go.

[@ianmib]

One thing the concerns me about this joint is the small piece at the end of the beam and the wood grain orientation......it would be very easy for it to snap off and render the joint useless. Even before assembled, a small impact on the end of the beam would make it pop off. I have cut variations of the joint previously for ‘knock down’ frames that can be quickly disassembled and reassembled without fasteners and is very easy to damage. Don’t cut it too tight or it’ll break during assembly. Be careful with this type of joint and handling your beams. Not sure I would use this on a bed, I’d like to know how it’s held up.

[@aherrera8382]

100% agree what about when things get heated up? I doubt it will hold up the first month for newlyweds. Just saying. Perfect bed for teenagers when their kids get into puberty and have their bfs or gfs just cut it tight so it will snap under any king of unnecessary rocking. No adult supervision needed.

[@CHIL2903]

Drill a hole(s) in the stub end and insert a dowel or two? Do you think that might work?

[@TomOConnell]

Wouldn't the pieces added to the outside/inside on the stretchers end up taking most of the racking load? They'd push against the outside of the legs since they're so tight before the joint inside the stretcher gets pressure on it.

[@benjaminfarthing3849]

Yep, I tried to build this. An end piece snapped off during a test fit. I let it wobble too much and it snapped right off. Maybe those ledges he uses would reduce the shearing force on the joints once the bed is built.

[@joshualioi5144]

What is a better bed build alternative

[@JohnLaudun]

This the bed I wanted to build last year. Thank you for the castle joins and the additive joinery. Quick question: If you had raised the slats up a bit, or had a slightly deeper apron, wouldn't it have been possible to run that central strut vertically and obviate the need for the central post?

[@DarkstarReborn]

Nice thought!

[@jonathanboyd144]

Vertical would help, but you are still talking about a piece of fast-growth softwood that is best in compression or tension along its length, and crap in lateral loading (resisting bowing). Trading it out for vertically-oriented plywood would be better (and resist twisting by building a "T" or "I" beam). But let's think about this. While removing that center post might improve the aesthetic, support sleeping bodies, and give you more spring during "jumping", it is begging that stinger to split, or where it connects to the rest of the bed frame to fail. This speaks to why many beds are built robustly, out of higher strength materials, and include a center post. Whether your mattress has a foundation or not, just add the center post with an adjustable foot (if you are one of us with wonky floors and don't want it tapping out a rhythm while "jumping".) All my beds have them in my home and I only see them if I am crawling on the floor or moving houses. I try to keep both to a minimum.

[@JohnLaudun]

@@jonathanboyd144 It was only on the second occurrence of "jumping" that I realized you were not, in fact, discussing jumping. Nicely done. And agreed on your structural points.

[@samuelnelsen8872]

@@jonathanboyd144 if you live near a home sawmill they can mill you rough cut hardwoods for about the same as store bought. Some may already have the stock you need that is properly dried.

[@lexhemart]

Going to make this! Thanks 🫒 Olive!❤️

[@1959WoodWorkingHobby]

Congratulations on the beautiful work. Thanks for sharing.

[@haledixon]

I'm gonna show you how to make it with "accessible tools and DIY techniques"... and first step is using a planer???

[@Pedrmadd]

"Today, I'll show you how to build these using 2x4s, accessible tools..." Step 1 - "I used a planer..." ($400-$500) 🥴 In all seriousness, really cool build! Just maybe not so accessible.

[@Christian-fx9ur]

Great build but it’s still cheaper to go buy the Thuma bed frame. If a person already has all that power equipment, I’m pretty sure they would be able to make the bed frame without this tutorial.

[@blonk333]

You could still use this method with out planing. You will just have rounded edges

[@volume311]

Valyōu Furniture sells an identical bed in more color choices as Thuma for $600 shipped

[@adammiscellaneous9309]

@@Christian-fx9ur My planar is only a hand held electric one, fine for this project. So you could say I do have all the tools, but I definitely appreciate this tutorial and didn't already know how to do it. I can't wait to be able to say I'm a pro with all these tools though, and my primary tool for learning these skills is right here on KZbin.

[@Christian-fx9ur]

@@adammiscellaneous9309 excellent feedback sir! I stand corrected. Thank you. Very good to know. I'm not handy and I'm probably a bit jealous of you guys that can make stuff. I sincerely appreciate your post. : )

[@andrewavellino6427]

Man olive for this type of stuff! who thought 2x4 lumber could become such a fine woodworking project,it's them castle joints and the inside taper that does it.

[@andyfarmer759]

Thank Olive foor a great video. I love the simplicity of the design.

[@murd777]

Using 2x4 wood, but having $15K in tools. Very smart! LMAO!

[@PFWoodturning]

Olive, glad you got Jonny to make you your own bed!!

[@zombinaagogo]

Hello Miss Olive! Thanks for sharing this, I've been wanting to make my own bed frame that's deconstructable and this helps give me an idea on what to do.

[@susanj711]

This is a great Olive bed DIY. The size I need too.

[@LezDerrin]

Nice work, thanks for showing. Olive is very cute.

[@willbmw]

Best design and build. I will be making this platform bed. Thanks for sharing!

[@jacquiemouton9053]

Olive. You make it look so easy. I love the clean lines (as you said) and the modern finish. Looks pretty good to me.

[@JonnyBuilds]

Thanks 🙏

[@helenmaupin626]

Very creative design/build. Thank you for sharing.

[@kreitv6391]

Wow... Nice way to make castle joints.. Planning to make my own.. Thanks for the video

[@Phyoomz]

This was just a lovely video. The use of the belt sander was great. AND the clamp used to hold the unsupported end of the bed frame for fitting was smart too.

[@midnightsun2010]

Olive is the cutest! Awesome build!

[@smwon1]

Olive! That was great. I love the bed frame! 👍

[@59342389494]

Nice. Clean job. Good and simple instructions. Best part no complicated tools to be used. Nice weekend project for sure.

[@heddita1]

Great…looks manageable…thank you so much for sharing your wonderful work ❤️❤️❤️

[@JonnyBuilds]

Thank you!

[@Rangeroll]

Olive!! I'm about to start on a King size Floating Platform Bed utilizing castle joints and French cleats. I want to be able to take it apart and fiancée wants it to be super fancy, so hopefully it turns out as well as yours did!

[@user-ev5ks7ee7w]

This is most DYI build I’ve seen good job

[@had3159]

Olive. The concept of DIYing the bed was pretty cool too. 👍

[@joek511]

I like it, it's a clean simple build. Already have the tools and plenty of hardwood, red and white oak, cherry and a huge pile of rosewood. I have a spare room that needs a bedroom set

[@TheWt6012]

You made my day! Been looking for any easier to make those legs....none beats yours!

[@bozardio]

Loved seeing the Ridgeline here. I have the same color and generation and was like whoa it's my truck! Great video!

[@jbb5470]

Olive, great build and video! I like this castle joint!

[@dukesilver2019]

Been wanting to do this for a long time. Thanks, you took all the guesswork out.

[@codacreator6162]

This is the process I’m going to use. Thanks!

[@hardlibra]

olive. great job! I need to make 2 beds like this for my boys. thanks for sharing your experience!

[@andrewmakestuff]

I've had photos of the expensive bed stashed for a while now wanting to attempt exactly this. Your build video was extremely helpful! The castle joints were keeping me from attempting it, as the material size was prohibitive from my current inventory of materials. The build up joint will suit perfectly, can't wait to give this a try!

[@JonnyBuilds]

Awesome! 🙌🙌

[@anonymousaccordionist3326]

With the price of wood now it might be less expensive to buy a premade one at this point.

[@andrewmakestuff]

@@anonymousaccordionist3326 If i was purchasing, true. I have a stash of hard maple but it's 3/4 stock. I hadn't considered build up construction that incorporated the joinery.

[@gracestephens2434]

I’m needing to replace my cheap crap-tastic aluminum Amazon bed frame I purchased 3 yrs ago. I was building my house at the time so I didn’t have time to build a decent frame. It’s always dropping slats out and the bed just ends up sagging because of it. I’m so happy I found this video. Because I have scrap walnut, cherry, maple, white ash lying around. Seeing this is making me want to figure out how to mash them up for that alternating leg pattern and then just make the rails out of cheap pine. So awesome I found this. Thanks for this idea.

[@craighulse9362]

Have been looking at getting a bed for a spare bedroom in my house but this video has helped me decide to make this instead. And olive is a beautiful pup

[@JonnyBuilds]

Thanks!!

[@mykolashatkovskyi576]

Outstandingly awesome, keeping in mind it's simplisity. Thank you.