Vintage Swan Twin Bed - How to hold the mattress/box spring?

Discussion in 'Furniture' started by FWIW, Jan 9, 2018.

  1. FWIW

    FWIW Well-Known Member

    Picked up this vintage twin bed with swan carvings on it. Believe its mahogany. My main question is how to support the box spring/mattress. There are no interior ledges to hold anything. I see an indentation on each end of both the rails like something would slide in there before you put it together, but I have never seen anything that would work. There is a single screw hole on each rail near the center.

    I am assuming I am missing something obvious here, and hope someone will enlighten me.

    I have googled it and can find the bed put together but nothing showing me what piece I am missing.

    Thanks in advanced.

    DSCN0001.JPG DSCN0002.JPG DSCN0003.JPG DSCN0004.JPG DSCN0005.JPG DSCN9976.JPG
     
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  2. FWIW

    FWIW Well-Known Member

    I do know I can install some brackets to solve the problem, but I was wondering what may have been used on this bed all these years as I only see something ever having been screwed in the center.
     
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  3. Barn Owl

    Barn Owl Well-Known Member

    I love it! Nice lyre carvings, too.
     
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  4. silverthwait

    silverthwait Well-Known Member

    Solution 1: I used to have an immensely heavy brass bed. It was made like yours. The bed came with slats that went from side to side (6? of them), upon which I put the box spring and then the mattress. Perfect! (Well, except that it made the be immovable henceforth!)

    Solution 2: My frightfully antique maple bed is a 3/4 size. It Does have the side rails with the little rope knobs, but if one uses them, one has a VERY sunk-in-the-middle Bed, and I don't like winching things to begin with!

    Rather than get a mattress made (which is hardly more expensive but I needed a double size), I bought a bed frame, a box spring, and a mattress. Under each leg of the box spring, I put one of those sturdy riser things (made for the purpose). Once that was in place, we added the box spring, a long bed skirt, and then the mattress.

    The height kept the headboard from flattening the sleeper, and also provided enormous storage space behind the bed skirt.

    Risers and properly sized skirts available at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
     
  5. bluumz

    bluumz Quite Busy

    I use one of these inside the frame of my queen bed.
    Measure carefully, of course! :)

    [​IMG]
     
  6. KingofThings

    KingofThings 'Illiteracy is a terrible thing to waist' - MHH

    Just have some supports cut to fit in there. 3/4 cedar decking may fit perfectly.
    Take it apart and measure carefully.
    The decking should be cut to fit by length snuggly as they will sag slightly in support of the box spring.
    Then fit them in as you reassemble the bed. :)
     
  7. FWIW

    FWIW Well-Known Member

    Im selling it so I am going to let the buyer figure out how they want to handle it.

    I was mainly hoping someone had an idea what previous owners have been using on this bed. Was there something that fit into the notches that sit behind the bolts on the side rails?

    Its just weird to me to see only one screw hole in the center.
     
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  8. KingofThings

    KingofThings 'Illiteracy is a terrible thing to waist' - MHH

    Yes. That is what I’m describing. They’ve probably been lost.
    I doubt that screw hole is of any consequence.
    If no one can use this bed as is you won’t get much for it.
    I would make it usable first.
    This won’t cost much at all if you’re careful with measurements.
     
  9. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    We had a couple of heavy duty angle irons cut, bent and then screwed in to the sides, inset....perfect.....!!!!
     
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  10. KingofThings

    KingofThings 'Illiteracy is a terrible thing to waist' - MHH

    Oh!
    I wouldn’t have done that. :(
    -
    But WAIT a minute!!!
    Are there only two slots not four???
     
  11. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    ~
    SLOTS??? It's a big old 4-poster with carved/bleached mahogany 7' posts - the bedrails are NOT old, and 4" x 4" so only 2 angle irons were needed....got a nice crewel work canopy on top too!!!!! It's stained....just not mahogany dark!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
     
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  12. KingofThings

    KingofThings 'Illiteracy is a terrible thing to waist' - MHH

    I was talking about the slots in this bed Aqui. There’s NO way I could know what your bed was built like.
    I figured yours was similar to this one. Screws into these old side rails would be subject to much pull out force and so I wouldn’t do that here especially when it’s designed to have strong cross slats.
    :)
     
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  13. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    I WAS wondering WHO you were aiming that question at.........and absolutely on your comment!!! Sorry....my misunderstanding!!:sorry:
     
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  14. KingofThings

    KingofThings 'Illiteracy is a terrible thing to waist' - MHH

    The first part was about your bed.. .with the assumption you had similar width rails. Had you said..... :)
    -
    The slots are in this bed. Do you see them?
    It would’ve been great to see further down towards the bottom to be certain there are two each side but odds say there are.
    Could get what’s necessary for two slats for less than $20 and the supplier would cut them.
    See? :)
     
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  15. Aquitaine

    Aquitaine Is What It IS! But NEVER BORED!

    YEP!!;):D
     
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  16. FWIW

    FWIW Well-Known Member

    Ya King, there are only 2 slots on each rail. Thats what I was trying to figure out how to make it work.

    The original owners maybe did a board on each end in the slots then a hook in the middle? Guessing that is what the screw hole in the middle is from.
     
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  17. KingofThings

    KingofThings 'Illiteracy is a terrible thing to waist' - MHH

    As I suspected so you can fit new slats! Yay!!!!
    If those can be as thick as I think they can then they should hold a box spring without any other support but...it will probably be prudent to fit those plastic risers under the middle of each. Then shim them to level and all should be fine.:)
     
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