Pirate Ship Bed by KirbysLunchBox - Scale 1:17 ish

[KirbysLunchBox]

I built a bunk bed / log cabin for my daughter when she came into her 5th year. It was a massive undertaking that took a year to build.  As my son also approached his 5th year, I asked what kind of bed he would like me to build. His response was a pirate ship bed.  While this has no connection to a real ship, a lot of the construction is similar.  I know I would have never tackled a project like this if I had not been for the posts of all the fine logs on this site.  I hope you find enjoyment in the process. 

The bed is a twin size single bunk about 4 feet off the ground. I used 4x4 posts and 2x6’s with a 1x4 attached for the primary frame.  The dimensions were set around an IKEA bed slat set. 
 

 

[KirbysLunchBox]

Test fitting the slats to the frame. 

I used your basic bed frame hardware, but I upgraded the primary screws to decking screws and had to grind and file the secondary screws flush to the brackets to make it all fit together right. 

The frame assembled. Could just add some simple railings and a ladder and call it done, but what fun is that!?

Edited January 15, 2021 by KirbysLunchBox

[KirbysLunchBox]

I have an app called Shaper3d that I use for planning. It is a 3D modeling app for iPad, but it has 2D sketching capabilities. It is pretty good, but is not parametric like solid works or catia.  When I built the bed for my daughter, I designed the whole thing in Autocad. I no longer have that computer though so I am making this work. 
 

I did a lot of the design work old school by making card board templates to get the lines of the ship. My goal is to not use any plywood, but the curves of the bow will require it. 
 

 

[Shotlocker]

How cool! Would've loved that as a kid! The closest I came to building something like that for our boys

was when they were already grown...a Viking ship for a cardboard boat race.

[KirbysLunchBox]

That is really neat!  How long did it hold together? 

[Shotlocker]

Hah, it actually made it through the race...about fifteen minutes. Noticed that it was considerably heavier when we

hauled it out - had split a seam and the starboard side was half full of water below the deck. Sadly, had to scrap it.

Lots of work for lots of fun!

[KirbysLunchBox]

I bet it was a lot of fun!  Great memories too!

[KirbysLunchBox]

Trying to minimize the number of curves in this thing, but the top of the quarter galleries are curved like the black pearl from pirates of the Caribbean.  That is about the only similarity to the pearl though. 
 

With the rough shape of the frames practiced in cardboard and a little mathematical checking in CAD, it was time to make some sawdust

 

 

 

I used a mixture of 1x boards to make the frames.  Combination of jig saw and table saw to make the cuts. Not very accurate, but close enough I think. 
 

 

 

 

 

Three windows in the gallery and three gun ports. Still freaking out about how to do the rest of it. Going to do some planking next. 

[Roger Pellett]

There are dozens of stories about the guy who couldn’t get the boat he built out of his basement.  Are you sure that you can get this into your house?😩

[hamilton]

I can't show this to my kids because otherwise I might be pressured into making one myself! No time and only half the necessary skill! This looks really cool and someone is going to be super happy!

hamilton

[KirbysLunchBox]

Roger,
 

Haha. Yes. I have a plan for that. When I built my daughters log cabin bed, it broke down into pieces to make it easy to move. This one is no different. My plan is for the sides, stern, and bow to all be separate pieces.

Hamilton,

 

Thank you!  My hope is that this might inspire others to maybe do the same some day.

 

 

[KirbysLunchBox]

Planking time... as you might have already guessed, no hobby store offers what I need for this build. Nothing scale accurate I think, but it looks good so I went with it. Using my table saw and a ripping blade, I sliced 2x6 pine boards into 3/16” thick planks. I lost half a plank to sawdust for every one that I made. Must have made 50lbs of sawdust doing this. It was everywhere! The results were very acceptable to me. I really liked the rough cut finish the blade made too. 
 

 

 

 

I made the mistake of not shifting for the planks for the gun ports, but that just meant I had an excuse to get a dremel oscillating cutter. 😬

 

 

[KirbysLunchBox]

A little work on the quarter gallery. This has to look good and also be safe and strong enough for my rambunctious son to not get hurt or be able to break. 

I cut down 1x boards into squares. 3/4” x 3/4”. I bought a dado blade for my table saw to make half lap joints for the window panes.  I then planked the outside for some detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by KirbysLunchBox

[KirbysLunchBox]

 The side of the ship that goes up against the wall is much more simple in construction. Flat sides, just have to mimic the profile of the “fancy” side.  
 

 

 

 

I also started the frames for the stern. Lots of figuring and staring and thinking went on.  But I got it done. 
 

 

I don’t know why this picture loads upside down, I tried flipping it before loading and it came in upside down both ways. 
 

 

 

 

 

The garage is a disaster at this point...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KirbysLunchBox]

Appreciate the likes!

[Shotlocker]

Kirby,

That has to be a very satisfying build. I imagine you occasionally step back and just look at your work and feel pretty good about it.

I know that I would. Great job. Looking forward to seeing it done and in place with maybe your son peeking over the bulwarks with

a pirate hat and a patch over one eye and a plastic cutlass between his teeth!

 

Gary

[KirbysLunchBox]

Thank you!  It has been quite the under taking. I have had many moments  of satisfaction and just as many of frustration trying to figure out how in the world I am going to figure something out!

[KirbysLunchBox]

Some work on the stern and port side. Stern windows took some time. Same process as the gallery, just more of them!  I am using the dado blade on my table saw to make the half lap joints in the window frames again. That thing is terrifying  no matter how many times I use it. I did get a bandsaw since the galleries and that made the curves of the windows much easier to make this time around. 
 

 

I also added a little detail to the top of the stern. I am sure there is a nautical name for it, but whatever you call it, really makes a difference in the appearance I think.  I rounded off the edges with my router. 
 

 

 

 

The whole thing is designed to bolt together for moving from the garage to a room and wherever.  The bolts are internal so I need to make pockets so I can access them.  I will either make covers out of wood or 3D print them later. 
 

 

 

 

 

The outside of the ship is planked, but the inside is skinned with 1/4” thick plywood.  The port side is simple and flat so I tried the technique on it first.  I laid the frame on the plywood and traced the outline. I then used my jigsaw to rough cut the shape leaving about an inch all the way around.  I glued and nailed it in place and then used my router and a straight cut bit with bearing to trim it flush. Messy and loud, but the result is almost perfect!

 

 

 

 

 

The bow is up next!

[KirbysLunchBox]

The bow had been a struggle point in my mind since starting this. I designed and redesigned it more times than I can count. I wanted it to look as ship like as possible, but not be too difficult to make and most importantly be strong enough to support my crazy kids playing in it. 
 

It consists of four half rings and a floor. I used ellipses for the shapes so they would taper into the sides smoothly. I rough cut them with my jig saw and finish cut them on the bandsaw. 
 

 

The stem is a piece of 2x4 that I notched to accept the rings. My cad software was critical for figuring out the angles. I was very excited that it fit on the first try (not typical)!

 

 

 

I used my drill press and a forstner bit to make pockets for 2” dowels for the railings.  Hoping that it will be strong enough. 
 

 

 

 

The bow will be detachable for transportation. I used two layers of plywood to make a bulkhead. 
 

 

A little test fit...

 

 

[mtaylor]

There's only one word for this.... amazing.  

[KirbysLunchBox]

1 hour ago, mtaylor said:

There's only one word for this.... amazing.  

Thank you!  Labor of love!

[mtaylor]

21 hours ago, KirbysLunchBox said:

Thank you!  Labor of love!

The results show that.  

[KirbysLunchBox]

Before I could plank, I needed to add some filler blocks and before I could add filler blocks I needed to fare the rings. I made a little jig to scribe a line on the rings to help. 
 

 

 

 

I used a hand held belt sander and a small block plane to fare down to the line. 
 

The filler blocks are roughly 3” apart from each other. Each one was custom fit using an old angle finder. Super fiddly, but it worked. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Ready for planking! 

[lmagna]

Hey Kirby, are you in the market to adopt a slightly long in the tooth retread kid?  I am enjoying your build and getting somewhat jealous that I don't have someone building me a pirate ship bed like this. It's like a child's dream come true. You will have to film us the unveiling event when he first sees it. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by lmagna

[KirbysLunchBox]

On 4/6/2021 at 5:44 PM, lmagna said:

Hey Kirby, are you in the market to adopt a slightly long in the tooth retread kid?  I am enjoying your build and getting somewhat jealous that I don't have someone building me a pirate ship bed like this. It's like a child's dream come true. You will have to film us the unveiling event when he first sees it. 

I think my wife might disapprove of the adoption. Lol. Thank you for the kind words!  
 

My son has been watching its construction. He recently announced that he is scared of heights and it looks too far off the ground!  I have watched him jump off the top of our playset before, so I think he is just nervous of something new?

[Keith Black]

Kirby, within a day he'll be having the bad guys walk the plank, be swinging from the yardarms, and demanding that "rum" and cookies be sent with the next stores. Great project, very well done.  

[lmagna]

6 hours ago, KirbysLunchBox said:

I think my wife might disapprove of the adoption. Lol.

I grow on people after a while................... Oh sorry, that's mold. Well my wife still tolerates me after forty years, I guess that's something. No pirate bed though.

[KirbysLunchBox]

6 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Kirby, within a day he'll be having the bad guys walk the plank, be swinging from the yardarms, and demanding that "rum" and cookies be sent with the next stores. Great project, very well done.  

Thank you!  Quite honestly, I would have never attempted this if it hadn’t been for MSW.  So much talent here. I am just trying to apply some of the techniques at a ridiculous scale!

[KirbysLunchBox]

1 hour ago, lmagna said:

I grow on people after a while................... Oh sorry, that's mold. Well my wife still tolerates me after forty years, I guess that's something. No pirate bed though.

Maybe if you ask nicely she might let you have one. 😉

[KirbysLunchBox]

Quality disclaimer:  I did what I did to get this thing done. No edge bending but it turned out ok I think. 
 

 

 

Pay no attention to the bunny....

 

 

 

 

 

 

The internal planking will be another story...