Bend wooden bedframe back into shape?

Question

I have a wooden bed frame, for which one of the sides is very slightly bent out (as shown in the picture). I would like to get it straightened because the slight bending out means that the slats that support the mattress on that side aren't held in place as firmly, so occasionally fall out. The bed is about 7 years old and unfortunately the shop that sold me the bed has gone bust in the meantime - so I don't think there's any reasonable chance of getting a replacement.

Is there any reasonable way to fix this? I don't know that much about DIY, but wood doesn't seem like a good material for simply bending back into shape.

(NB. Picture shows the bottom corner of the bed at the front of the picture not fully in place, with a gap showing. Don't worry about this - the bed was disassembled for room redecoration and I haven't yet fully reassembled it, hence the gap)

Answer 1

For a slight bend (warp) like that you can try setting the board on blocks at its ends and weighting the middle. Overcompensate somewhat (weight to the point that it bends slightly the other way. Heat may help, but should be moderate and dry for a finished furniture piece - this is not something to attempt steam-bending on. But if you have a hot attic you can do it in, that's perfect. Let it sit for a few days that way.

Alternatively, if the holes in the slat rail are not engaged by pegs on the slats (which would, of themselves, serve to pull the sides together and keep slats from dislodging) it might be simplest to run wire, strong string or small rope between the sides at several holes in the middle to pull this side in towards the other one.

Answer 2

A pair of screen door turnbuckles would work well. Mount them from below with stout screws piloted into the wooden rails, one from the headboard and one from the footboard at 45° angles. Start with them just threaded in a few turns, then you can tighten to straighten the side rail.

The centerboard should keep the head and foot boards from bending.

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Answer 3

As @Ecnerwal says in the 2nd part of their answer -

Tie a bit of rope/twine/string to the hole on rail on both sides of the bed and use the twine to pull & prevent the sides from moving outward. (you might need to drill a hole, or insert a screw to tie to) Then the slats won't drop thru between the sides when you get on the bed.

The key is that this is cheap, easy, doesn't require many tools and doesn't alter the bed significantly - useful if you're a tenant.

Red line in image shows where the rope should go (obviously the other end is tied to the other side)

Answer 4

I'm really amazed nobody suggested the fix I had to apply. My rails would tilt outward towards the bottom and fall off, so when I got married my father-in-law came in and screwed the slats to the bed frame rails. There's not a lot of stress they're having to face so the rails should fall in line.

Not only would that solve your warping problem, it would solve the issue of the slats falling out.

Answer 5

First, fix the corner where we can see the exposed dowels. That's not helping you at all. Clean out the old wood glue, and then add more, and clamp it up overnight. Check the others too - if they're loose, re-glue.

Then I'd add a stringer or two that goes across the bed frame, at the middle. This could be relatively light wood, or even a strap of nylon banding into a cleat/hook which is screwed to the inside of the side-rail.

Lastly, I'd explore reinforcing that side rail where the slats rest. If you sister another length of wood on there with screws and glue, once its pulled straight by the stringers then you should be good.

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Extra - consider getting your 7 year old to help. This is a great project to get them understanding how things work - after all its their bed and they are in it 1/3 of the day. And if something doesn't look perfect, well its not fine cabinetry.

Answer 6

I have solved this problem with a pair of truck ratchet straps and a couple straight mending plates. Attach the mending plates on the bottom of the shelf formed by the bent out bed frame rail; run the webbing loosely between the mending plates and the wood. In other words, don't tighten the mending plate screws to the point where the webbing cannot move easily.

Tighten the ratchet straps; don't over do it. You'll need a total of 4 mending plates and associated screws. Make sure the mending plate screws are short enough to not poke out on the top of the shelf, interfering with the slates. Once the ratchet straps are tensioned, consider tightening the mending plate screws a little.

You may want to take the opportunity to reinforce the center support; if the bed does not have one, consider adding a vertical support to the center rail. In addition, take a look at a generous carpet protector caster cup.