Problems rebuilding beds

[Penners]

they also say "be careful what you wish for", because it is usually disappointing

But not always...!

 

[Flyfisher]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words........

It's very kind of you to go to all that trouble Milday. Most people would have just found a suitable photo on the web.
:wink:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Ooooooooh, Joss! If I'd said that, you'd have told me off!!!

You are a Gentleman Penners, I aint no lady!

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol:

And I love the gold shoes Milady.

Joce - I don't know whether you;ve had a chance to explore the website that I linked to in my last post, but this could be quite interesting:

http://www.bishopsbeds.co.uk/shop_products/view/value-slatted-frame

They offer fully made-up slat sets made-to-measure. The above is the cheaper one. So all we'd have to do is work out how to mount the slat set on your bed-frames.

The photos I requested should help us plan that.

Hadn't had a chance to reply properly to your very kind suggestion - problems with Photobucket's slow uploading of my mobile phone photos and then today with family, but the value slatted frame looks great, and affordable! Many thanks. I think it might be tricky to get it to fit the frames but surely not impossible?

OK, here's the inside of the side rails. It looks as if at some point there's been two cross pieces to form a base (not supplied)

The inside of the curved end and the bracket for the iron side rails:

Another of the inside curve:

Hope that helps form some kind of a context for the fitting on of a slatted base. The width from side to side excluding what the rails take up is 91 cm.

The original brackets for the satinwood side rails have been supplied, it's like a projection on the rails and a groove on the bracket. There would need to be some unscrewing of the new cast iron brackets, filling and reattaching the originals but it looks feasible.

 

[LadyArowana]

Would it be possible to remove the "peg" from the new iron side rails and attach that to the wooden rails and keep the new bracket that looks solidly attached to the frame? It might mean taking those metal ends off the wooden rails, but possibly easier than taking off the brackets and being left with having to use filler and a weak joint.

 

[Penners]

The width from side to side excluding what the rails take up is 91 cm

I'm not quite sure I understand that. The critical dimension is (with the bed assembled) the width measurement from the inside face of one siderail to ditto on the other siderail. Is that what you've measured?
Assuming it is, let's assume you were to order a tailor-made slat frame like the one on that website. You would order it, say, 90.8 cm overall width (the 2mm undersize is just to ensure an easy fit between the siderails). The frame comes with the slats resting on two bearers, so as I see it, here's what you'd have to do:

* Order the slat frame the same length as the siderails of the bed (I think you said 5ft 10in), ready fitted with the appropriate number of slats.

* Order an extra slat.

* Screw the slat bearers to the inside faces of the siderails. This leaves a 5.5 inch gap within the curved footboard that the extra slat is going to fill (with a suitable small gap between it and the other slats).

* Screw some sort of support pieces to the inside corners of the curved footboard to support that final loose slat, ensuring that it ends up level with the rest of the slats. In all probability, all you'll need is a couple of blocks of wood, shaped to fit the corner curves and screwed to them. You can then drill and screw that final loose slat to those blocks. As I said, just be sure that the blocks are set so that the end slat will end up the same level as the others.

I must just add a disclaimer - obviously I've based all these suggestions on what I'm able to interpret from the pictures and dimensions that you've posted. I urge you to study the construction of the bed very carefully before you spend any money on my suggestions - just to make sure there are no glitches or wrinkles that make them impracticable!

 

[Penners]

The original brackets for the satinwood side rails have been supplied, it's like a projection on the rails and a groove on the bracket. There would need to be some unscrewing of the new cast iron brackets, filling and reattaching the originals but it looks feasible.

Yes, my above suggestions assume that you have ensured a happy marriage between the original siderails and the head- and footboards. Judging from one of your original photos at the top of the thread, you have the iron dovetail brackets to re-attach to the head-and footboards in place of the projecting iron brackets. You should then find that the dovetail grooves on the original siderails will simply slide down vertically on to these brackets.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Yes, that's right about the fixings. And also everything - else - you've explained it all so much better than I ever could. You see, our female brains are just full of kittens and shoes, that's the trouble.

I'm going to read all that out to Chris, who will be doing the work. He'll be able to check all the measurements properly and make sure your plan will work before we start ordering things. But he wouldn't have known how to go about it without a lot of head scratching, so I'm very very grateful for your help. It sounds like a lot of drilling and screwing but I'm sure it's all feasible.

LadyA, thanks for the suggestion of using the modern brackets, I fear it might make a mess of the satinwood rails though. Again, I'll ask Chris to make a considered decision about that.

Thanks to everyone's help, we should be able to get these beds back in business.

 

[Penners]

Be sure to let us know how you get on.

 

[Lime]

Taking a further look at the original satinwood rails it seems clear to me that the slots in the wood are relatively new and almost unused.
However the metal bolts protruding from the metal end fixings on the rails (see last picture in first post) used to support a metal bedstead framework that fitted snugly within the confines of the rails and bed ends.

 

[Moo]

That's prompted a thought -

Would it be possible to get a blacksmith to make a replica of the original metal frame, and somehow get a wire mesh thingy to fit it?
That way you'd have simplicity, authenticity and comfort.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I think Lime's onto something there, that sounds very likely to me.

I'll get a quote from my lovely local blacksmith, but I fear it will be a good deal more costly than Mr P's idea.

Will certainly update on this thread, but it's likely to be later this summer as we want to get the rewiring, replastering, wallpapering and painting out of the way.

Many thanks!

 

[Penners]

I think Lime's onto something there, that sounds very likely to me.

I'll get a quote from my lovely local blacksmith, but I fear it will be a good deal more costly than Mr P's idea.

I also agree with Lime's theory. But I'm afraid I wouldn't do as Moo suggests. Authenticity is all very well, but those metal-framed sprung bedsteads (whether mesh, coil spring or both) were abandoned for a reason. They are (as you suspect, Joce) expensive to make and they tend to go saggy in the middle, which isn't comfortable or good for the back (have I mentioned that I have a bad back?).

Just out of passing interest, I have noticed one other little detail in your first photos - at least one of those Vono angle-iron siderails has been extended by welding on an extra piece. I wonder whether one of the beds was modified for a very tall person.

I don't know whether you've heard of Vono, but they are/were a very old bed-making company - over 100 years old when they went bust in (I think) the 1990s. During WWII they used to produce huge quantities of "utility" beds. I think the Vono name was bought by some company or other, but I haven't seen a Vono bed for about 20 years.

 

[LadyArowana]

...but I haven't seen a Vono bed for about 20 years.

That isn't quite true Mr P, there is one in the picture I posted, underneath the pillow and gold shoes :lol: I went and looked at the label on the mattress and it says they are part of the hilding anders grouphttp://www.hildinganders.co.uk/ There is a union jack flag on the label, but since we bought it in Singapore I am not entirely sure that it wandered all the way here from the UK. All we bought was the mattress as the wooden sleigh bed frame was sourced separately.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Gosh that's interesting. I had no idea! And how observant you all are.

What puzzles me about the theory of the beds being modified for a very tall person are that these are twin beds. Two tall twins perhaps. I see from a sticker on the original side rail that a Mr Went had them in storage in the late 70s in Frinton on Sea, which from your detective work, Mr P, puts the iron side rails as between 1980 ish and 1990 ish.

How nice the original satinwood ones were kept.

I also have a memory of saggy metal bases from childhood, and I must say I find the combination of the bouncy wooden slats and a good pocket sprung mattress ( not hard) on our king size bed really excellent for my back.

Though nothing can compare to the comfort of one I tried in John Lewis recently, a ViSpring mattress at £4700!! Sadly funds won't allow.

 

[Penners]

...but I haven't seen a Vono bed for about 20 years.

That isn't quite true Mr P

Beggin' yer pardon, Milady, but I now know that I've seen one photo of a Vono bed in the last 20 years. However - just to set His Lordship's mind at rest - I've never been in your bedroom and seen said item in the flesh.

Oops! Did I just say "flesh"?

 

[Penners]

I find the combination of the bouncy wooden slats and a good pocket sprung mattress ( not hard) on our king size bed really excellent for my back.

Ah, be a bit careful with that combination, Joce. Pocket spring mattresses should only be used on slatted bases when the slats are very close together. The essence of the pocket spring design is that each spring can work independently of its neighbours, so if the gap between the slats is greater than the diameter of the springs, after a while you can get some springs pushing down in between the slats.

If you're dead set on a pocket spring mattress, put in extra slats and close up the gaps so that they're no more than 25 - 30 mm apart. But better still, use a foam mattress on your slatted base.

 

[skier-hughes]

Whilst sat outside reading my gardeners world, I saw an advert for www.foamforcomfort.co.uk who will make any size mattress from a variety of foams!

 

[JoceAndChris]

I never knew that about springs and slats- I'll keep a close eye on our main bed in that case! I'm surprised the Willis and Gambier sellers didn't say anything about springs versus foam. The slats are about 8 cm apart.

Thanks Skier - I was aware of the existence of those companies from my gypsy days but it's useful to have a link.

 

[Penners]

I never knew that about springs and slats- I'll keep a close eye on our main bed in that case!

"Keeping a close eye" is another way of saying "I'll wait and see whether the horse bolts - if it does I'll close the stable door"!

:wink:

Seriously though, better to put in extra slats to close up those gaps now. Then you know that the problem won't occur.