Headboard: Part I

 <---I have this...
but I want this--->

The headboard/footboard we have is my husband's from when we merged (I had a full, he had a queen. He won that one.) It is a mission style...which is not my style. So, for awhile now I've had my eye on this guy from PB.  Unfortunately, the price tag on one of those is a little steep.

Enter my husband and father-in-law:

I showed them what I wanted (a queen size Raleigh headboard from Pottery Barn) and they got the measurements and headed to Home Depot.

Their supplies included:

2 4'x8' pieces of plywood at 5/8" thick

2 4"x10' pieces of pine at 1/2" thick

2 6"x 6' pieces of pine at 1/2" thick

Finishing nails (quite a few)

Wood glue

First, they did some cutting. Both boards of plywood were cut from 8 ft to 6ft 3in. One of the large boards was cut on the other direction from 4 ft to 3ft. Both 4"x10' pieces were cut down to 2 4"x4'5" boards each.That is four total pieces.One 6"x6' piece was cut down to a 6"x5'3" board. The other was cut down to a 6"x4'7" board.

Phew...that's confusing. Let me tell you what you should have now.

1 5'3"x4' plywood

1 5'3"x3' plywood

4 4"x4'5" pieces

1 6"x4'7" piece

1 6"x5'3" piece

 Now you are ready for glue and nails. They laid the 2 pieces of plywood down with the matching 5'3" sides together. The 4' piece was at the top of the headboard and the 3' piece was at the bottom (with the idea that the seam would be behind the mattress...although it will be covered in fabric...). The 6"x5'3" was glued across that seam and then nailed into place. The other one was placed on the 4' piece of plywood flush with the top edge of the headboard. Shown below:

Use wood glue for that one and then nail it down as well. Next they put a 4"x4'5" piece butted at a right degree angle to the top board. They did that on both sides. Those were glued down and nailed. For extra support (because of my *future*adorable nailhead trim), they added the other two 4"x4'5" boards, one on top of each of the others.

Whoa...have you followed me so far? After all that was finished, we drew on the curve we wanted at the top. My father-in-law trimmed it off with his jigsaw. Finally, he sanded it with a belt sander across the top to make the curve smooth.

Aren't they handy? My dad said, "I see your minion pool is growing.." Uh oh! That could ruin my excuse for not being as good as Martha!