DIY Bed to Bench Project
George VondriskaDescription
This turned out to be one of the most unique projects I’ve ever done. A customer wanted me to turn her husband’s forty year old childhood bed into a bench. I had no idea what she was talking about, but a little poking around on the web showed me that this is a fairly common thing. The approach will be idiosyncratic bed by bed, but you’ll find tips in this video that can help if you want to take on a similar project.
Assembly starts with disassembly
The first step was getting the bed apart. My goal was to make the bench with no new wood; completely recycle the old pieces. That meant being very careful as I took things apart. Tapping here, pulling there, paying careful attention to stress on the pieces so nothing bad would happen. Lots of patience, and it worked out ok.
Rebuilding
A common approach to the bed to bench idea is keeping the headboard intact, and turning the footboard into the two bench ends. I took that same approach. I was able to reuse a lot of the original mortise and tenon joinery, and used dominoes where I needed to create new joints.
Finishing
The customer wanted the finish refreshed, but not completely redone. Not knowing what the original finish was, dewaxed shellac was the key to this. It sticks to any finish, and any top coat will stick to dewaxed shellac. It’s the perfect between coats finish.
Projects, Projects and More Projects
What direction do you want to go next? WWGOA has lots of ideas available; more DIY projects than you can shake a stick at. I’d put bed to bench in the furniture making category. If you want to do more of that, be sure to check out the furniture making videos.
Share tips, start a discussion or ask one of our experts or other students a question.
Already a member? Sign in
14 Responses to “DIY Bed to Bench Project”
Explore Videos by George Vondriska
You may be interested in
Premium Membership
Unlock exclusive member content from our industry experts.
- 24/7 Access to Premium Woodworking Videos, Projects, and Tips
- Step-by-Step Instructional Demos, Plans, and Tutorials
- 50% Off Video Downloads Purchased in the Woodworkers Guild of America Shop
- 2 Printable Woodworking Plans
Unlock exclusive member content from our industry experts.
- 24/7 Access to Premium Woodworking Videos, Projects, and Tips
- Step-by-Step Instructional Demos, Plans, and Tutorials
- 50% Off Video Downloads Purchased in the Woodworkers Guild of America Shop
- 2 Full-Length Video Downloads to Watch Offline
- 2 Printable Woodworking Plans
Gold Membership
$370 Value
Get everything included in Premium plus exclusive Gold Membership benefits.
- 24/7 Access to Premium Woodworking Videos, Projects, and Tips
- Step-by-Step Instructional Demos, Plans, and Tutorials
- 8 Full-Length Video Downloads to Watch Offline
- 3 Full-Length Woodworking Classes to Keep for Life
- 7 Printable Woodworking Plans
- Discounts on Purchase-to-Own Content in the Woodworkers Guild of America Shop
- Access to Ask the Expert Program
- Exclusive GOLD LIVE Streaming Events
I made a bench from a headboard a friend had and then gave it back to her as a gift. She loved it and still uses it.
George you did a great job. (as always) I watch your vids a LOT for "how to dos" and have learned so much from them. I have been in woodworking as an after retirement ( registered nurse) hobby for about 12 years. I also do upholstery for my self and as an occasional job for friends. You did a nice job on the cushion.
Strong work, George. Bench looks great. Gonna be an awesome gift.
You are right in that this is an intimidating process. I built my youngest nephew a toddler bed from solid walnut, and when he outgrew it, my sister wanted it turned into a bench/toybox. This bed had come out beautifully so imagine being faced with turning one of your own creations into something else! I did basically the same that you did with the various parts, but did need to add new wood for the lid/seat. My sister is ridiculously happy with the end result, so, success!
Just how do you "PREDRILL" a hole? I understand holes which have been predrilled, meaning that they have been drilled earlier in the process and are existing.
Having gone through this exact same process myself, and feeling the entire time that I had NO IDEA what I was doing (only diff was that the bed was metal and I only used the headboard), I can really appreciate this one! Great job! I'm only sorry you didn't put the "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law" tag back under the seat cushion! Thanks, George, for all you do!
I liked your video. I would be reluctant to do that work for a customer, but for myself I would not hesitate to do something like this.
<strong> Ticket 21518 How much does converting a bed into a bench costs?
Thanks for the video. I was wondering why you sprayed shellac first before you sprayed a top coat.
Great work. I think it turned out better than 'Okay'. What do you think about the idea of canting the back (previously the head board) back at a small angle by making the bottom rails on the sides slightly shorter than the top rails on the sides and cutting the back edge of the side panels at the matching angle? Naturally the cut angles on the rails would also have to match. But the bench might be just a little more comfortable.