Henge Bed 7, the Half-Ton Henge!
Queen Size (6' wide by 6'6" long)
Overall dimensions 7"4" x 7'10"
£2000
This baulk of timber, probably from some sea defences, was on the shore at Burbo Bank. It was 12" square and 14 feet long, and took a whole day to cut into moveable pieces and trolley off the beach.
Four of the pieces I cut into solid L shapes to make the legs of Henge Bed 5.
But the remaining four I wanted to retain their solid quality, becoming the corner "turrets" for a future grand design. Finally I was able to buy a beam of pitch pine, salvaged from a mill in Yorkshire. I now had the component pieces for my next Henge Bed. I weighed the sections at the first cut and they were something around 450 kg (70 stone) so I expect the complete bed with mattress and slats will weigh in the region of half a ton!
The cross-piece for the headboard is joined to the uprights with 6-inch deep mortise and tenon joints. As usual, I prefer to use traditional tools and muscle power wherever possible.
This picture illustrates the two completed joints which hold the headboard in place. To give a sense of scale, the whole headboard weighs in at 14 stone.
About half way there: this picture shows one of the corner buttresses and how the side beams will slide into it at right angles.
The beams have yet to be hand-planed and sanded; the cleaner stripe down the left-hand beam shows where it was once encased with an iron band, as part of a mill roof, to strengthen it.
This picture shows the two enormous halving joints which will secure the Henge to the main bed frame. On the left-hand buttress you can just make out one of the bolt holes which can be seen in the top picture on the beach.
Here we have the first loose assembly of the entire bed. I've put myself on the corner to give a sense of the size of the bed. I get the feeling it's going to need a big open plan loft apartment or a very large room to do it justice. The overall dimensions are 7' 10" long by 7' 4" wide and I imagine the mattress sitting just proud of the slightly raised turrets, at about 19/20". All that remains is some fine adjustment then planing, bolting, sanding and waxing.
And here is the completed product! My thanks to Keith at Albion Mill in Bury for allowing me to use his showroom to photograph the bed, and also for the loan of one of the Purr-O-Lux pocket sprung mattresses they make at the mill. He also gave me an excellent tip on how to "distress" the bolt heads, so they won't be as shiny when the bed is installed in your bedroom.
