How to Make a Danish Modern Daybed With Oak Slats

Building the Legs

• 1

  Cut six pieces of 2-by-4 lumber 8½ inches in length, using a circular saw. Measure 1 inch along one of the 4-inch wide ends of each piece, using the ruler. Mark this point on each piece of wood using a pencil. Measure 2 inches along from the marked point and mark this point as well, on each piece.

• 2

  Measure 2 inches down the 8½-by-4-inch faces on each block from the unmarked end. Draw a horizontal line across the block at this point. Draw lines from the marked points to the corners of the horizontal line. Cut along these diagonal lines with a miter saw. Cut along the horizontal line with a jigsaw to remove the triangular sections from either side of the legs.

• 3

  Draw a 4-inch-long line down the middle of the uncut end face of the legs. Make a 2-inch-deep cut in this line using the miter saw. Make a 1-inch-deep cut through the horizontal line on one of the 8½-by-4-inch faces of each leg, to remove a 2-by-4-by-1-inch piece of wood from the top of the legs.

Building the Frame

• 4

  Cut two pieces of 2-by-4 lumber 42 inches long using a circular saw. Cut two pieces of 2-by-4 to a length of 78 inches. Cut one piece of 2-by-4 to a length of 76 inches. Measure 4 inches in from either end of the 78-inch pieces. Draw a 2-inch-long line parallel to the 4-inch-wide edges of the wood at these points. Measure 4 inches along the 78-inch-long edge from the marked line. Draw another 2-inch-long line parallel to the first.

• 5

  Draw lines between the 2-inch-long lines on either end of each piece, running parallel to the 78-inch-long edges. Make 1-inch-deep cuts in the wood along each of the marked lines using a chop saw. Chisel out a rectangle of wood with the cut lines as the perimeter, leaving a 2-by-4-by-1-inch notch in the wood at either end.

• 6

  Measure in 3 inches from either end of the 76-inch-long piece. Draw a 2-by-4-inch rectangle on the wood at this point, just like the rectangles on the 78-inch-long pieces. Cut and chisel the rectangles to form 2-by-4-by-1-inch notches in the 76-inch piece that match those on the 78-inch-long pieces.

• 7

  Apply wood glue to the notches on all three pieces of 2-by-4. Place the notch of a leg in each notch on the 76- and 78-inch-long pieces so the faces on the leg and the long pieces are flush with one-another. Screw the legs to the pieces using three countersunk 3-inch-long screws.

• 8

  Turn the pieces over so the joint between the legs and the pieces is against a flat surface. Measure in one inch from either end of the 78-inch-long pieces. Draw a 4-inch-long line parallel to the 4-inch-long edges of the pieces at the 1-inch point. Make a 1-inch-deep cut in these lines.

• 9

  Draw a 4-inch-long line down the middle of each end face of the 78-inch-long pieces. Make a 1-inch-deep cut along this line with the chop saw. Remove the 4-by-1-by-1 rectangle you just cut from each end of the pieces. Repeat this process on either end of the 42-inch-long pieces. Apply wood glue to the notches on the 42-inch-long pieces.

• 10

  Connect the notches on the 42-inch-long pieces to the notches on the 78-inch-long pieces to form a rectangle. Reinforce the joints with three countersunk 4-inch-long screws per joint. Apply wood glue to both ends of the 76-inch-long piece. Connect the 76-inch-long piece to the middle of the 42-inch-long pieces, to form a center support for the bed frame. Reinforce the joints with three countersunk 4-inch-long screws.

Adding the Slats

• 11

  Measure the width of your oak slats. Divide 78 by this width plus 2 inches, to find the number of oak slats you require. Cut the required number of oak slats to 42 inches long using the circular saw. Place one oak slat across the width of the bed frame at either end of the 78-inch-long pieces.

• 12

  Screw the slats to the 78- and 76-inch-long 2-by-4 pieces in the bed frame using countersunk 2-inch-long screws. Lay the other oak slats across the bed frame between the two end pieces. Arrange the slats so there is a 2-inch gap between each slat. Screw the slats to the 76- and 78-inch-long pieces in the bed frame using countersunk 2-inch-long screws.

• 13

  Varnish the slats and the bed frame using an interior grade varnish and a paintbrush. Wait four hours for the varnish to dry enough to continue. Apply a second coat of varnish in the same manner. Wait 24 hours for the varnish to dry fully. The daybed is now ready for use.