This project is the first in our 3-tool series where Jessie Uyeda tries to make all of her furniture using a cordless drill, circular saw, and a random orbit sander. This DIY Modern Bed is made from a sheet of ¾” plywood, and 10 Ikea shelf brackets. We made it for a single mattress but it could be made to fit king and queen sized mattresses if center supports are added.

SUPPLIES:

¾” Plywood
Available at the Home Depot
We used ¾” thick furniture grade plywood from home depot. We had them make a few cuts at the store. This makes the plywood easier to transport.

IKEA Shelf Brackets
Available at the IKEA
We used 10 IKEA shelf brackets.

Minwax Polyacrylic
Available at the Home Depot
We finished the plywood with minwax polycrylic.

TOOLS:

RYOBI ONE+ 18 Volt Cordless Drill Available at Home Depot











RYOBI ONE+ Table Saw Available at Home Depot











RYOBI Orbital Sander
Available at Home Depot

INSTRUCTIONS:

Download the DIY 3-Tool Bed »

STEP 1: Procuring the Plywood
I started with a twin size mattress from IKEA. I took exact measurements to see how big to make the platform. Armed with these measurements, I went to The Home Depot and had the nice people there cut down a ¾” sheet of plywood for me: 11” off the length and 10” off the width. (See diagram below for specs)







STEP 2: Cutting the Long Supports for the Bed
I took the widthwise excess and cut it lengthwise into three equal pieces (roughly 3 inches wide) with my circular saw. To make this easier, I clamped it to my work surface with a straight edge. This way, I had a guide for my saw and the cuts I made turned out straighter. (See diagram above if this is unclear)









STEP 3: Attaching the Long Supports
I put the bed platform face down on my work surface and placed the supports on either side at the edges. I put a thick, even bead of wood glue on the underside of the support. Once I reached the end, I went back over it with a small paintbrush to spread the glue evenly. The glue makes the plywood slide out of place so I used three clamps (one center and one on either end) to hold it in place for the next step. I used my cordless drill to attach the support to the bed platform with 1 ¼” screws. I applied them in a zig-zag pattern; one every 3” or so.











STEP 4: Repeat Step 3 on Opposite Side



STEP 5: Cutting the Short Supports
I marked the last strip of 3” wide plywood to the exact length of space between the two supports at one end of the bed cut it with my circular saw. I measured the space at the opposite end of the bed before cutting the second piece.







STEP 6: Repeat Step 3 on both Short Supports





STEP 7: Sanding the Edges
I used my orbital sander and 80 grit sanding pads on all the edges of the bed platform to make sure they were flush (even). I then switched to 220 grit pads to make them smooth. I used a sanding block to soften or “break” the edges. This is achieved by placing the block on the sharp edge of the wood and drawing it across in a swift motion while applying medium pressure.







STEP 8: Cutting the Headboard
I took the remaining piece of plywood and marked it to the exact width of the bed platform and cut it with my circular saw.







STEP 9: Repeat Step 7 on the Headboard







STEP 10: Prepping the Bed Platform
After flipping the bed to be right-side up, I used a hand block to “break” the edges as I had done in previous steps. After all the edges and corners were softened, I wiped away all the sawdust with a clean rag before applying one coat of polycrylic.







STEP 11: Turning Shelf Brackets into Legs
I wanted to attach two IKEA shelf brackets together so as to create sturdy legs for my bed platform. I drilled five holes in the side of one bracket: one on the short side and two for each long side. The drill creates small metal burrs on the opposite side that are quite sharp. I remove these with tweezers.









STEP 12: Attaching the Brackets
I used this first bracket as a template to place corresponding holes on the second bracket. After drilling and removing the metal burrs, I laid a bead of construction adhesive all along the inside edge of one of the brackets and attached them with small bolts and nuts.











STEP 13: Holes to Attach Brackets to Bed Platform
I drilled four evenly spaced holes in the bottom of the now doubled bracket. After removing the metal burrs, the brackets were screwed to the underside of the bed platform in each of the four corners. We then flipped the bed right-side up to attach the headboard.











STEP 14: Attaching Brackets to the Headboard
For the two brackets that would attach the headboard to the bed platform, I drilled one hole in the center of the long flat side and two evenly spaced holes in the long diagonal side. Once again, I removed all the metal burrs. I then screwed the long, flat side of the brackets to the underside of the headboard leaving about an inch of overhang.











STEP 15: Attaching the Headboard to the Bed Platform
I then flipped the headboard over and lined it up with the edges of the bed platform and screwed it into place.









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