Materials: Malm bed frame, 4"x2" pine, 2"x2" pine, coach bolts
Description: When I lived at my old place I had loads of room to hide junk so didn't need underbed storage and I liked the Malm bed frame because it was low.
But when I moved I found myself short of storage space and contemplating buying another bed so I could store stuff under it.
Instead I paid £25 for materials and set to work to lift the Malm from ground by 7".
I started off by building the new frame by cutting the 2x2 to the length and width of the bed. Then I mortise and tenon the long piece to the centre of the two short pieces, to create a large I that the bed would sit on. I did this because I thought it would have a degree of rigidity. So far I haven't seen need!
Next I cut 4 pieces of the 4x2, 5" long, and coach bolted these to the corners of the I frame. I recessed the bolt heads so the bed could sit flush on the I frame. I also used dowels to stop the legs from swivelling, so you had two dowels and a coach bolt holding the legs to the frame. Very Sturdy!
With the bed up ended on the headboard, I aligned the I frame to bed and attached it using more coach bolts. Two to the headboard, two on the footboard. Again I recessed these bolts but this time for neatness.
And then I landed her on her four new feet! I was going to stain it to match the bed but I rather like the two-tone look!And the beauty is, if I want to bring her back down to earth, I can just unbolt the I frame and there is no scarring!
~ Nikki
