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I will construct a simple wooden bed, nothing fancy. The main concerns for it are quietness when moving, and stability to allow adding small hooks, latches and whatnot to the sides.

Sketches of simple beams-across-beams and boards-across-beams beds

It'll be either of the two designs above. Is the assumption correct that creaking is caused by wooden surfaces rubbing against each other, and not by screws agains the wood? If yes, is it reasonable to add felt pads where beams/boards connect, like so?

Connection of two beams showing green felt pad in between

Please note that the looks of it are only secondary, my main concern is its functionality. Wide boards can be added to the sides later to conceal whatever method to reduce noise. I'm currently limited to a very basic set of tools, but can invest into new equipment if needed.

Is this a good idea? What better ways are there to make a bed quiet?

There are two similar questions:

How can I prevent a wooden bed frame from creaking?

How do I stop a bed frame from squeaking?

which seem to be related to a different kind of bed frame where the mattress is held up by a slatted frame resting on legs.

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    that's what causes the noise, and yes, that would help, but with caveats. It's better to keep the boards from moving with extra screws. felt is a flat ball of lint; it would be better to use a knit or weave that can't "smush out" over time. i would also first wet the cloth with rubber cement to prevent stretching, sliding, and fiber seperation.
    – dandavis
    Apr 2, 2018 at 20:41
  • @dandavis could thin rubber sheets do the trick too? or better yet, what criterion does a material have to fit in order to be useful for this application? If you could put your comment in an answer and add some more information, I'd gladly accept it.
    – Orphevs
    Apr 2, 2018 at 20:54
  • thicker materials prevent vibrations, which conduct sound, both from the floor into the bed boards (like a guitar) and from the bed to the floor (heh). you mainly want tough, maybe rot resistant. Most rubber sheets will likely rot, dry, or crack eventually. Denim is cheap in roll remnants, or something like ugly colored canvas on sale for $1/yd. thin carpet would work too; i used "putting green stuff", using a prybar to temporarily lift, and a putty knife to shove/stab it in, to silence joists on a floor i couldn't rescrew; worked amazing.
    – dandavis
    Apr 3, 2018 at 1:04
  • @dandavis Thank you, I will go with denim. Out of interest, what do you mean by "putting green stuff"? The artificial lawn used in minigolfing I see on google's image search would go flat faster than a pad of felt, wouldn't it? Or what do you mean?
    – Orphevs
    Apr 3, 2018 at 1:36
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    yep. tbh, that was as a teenager using what was around, not what's ideal...
    – dandavis
    Apr 3, 2018 at 1:42

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