BJORN'S CAMPING BED

With my lady's handicap I knew that we would have to have a comfortable bed if we were going to participate in any camping events. After researching period beds and talking to owners of rope beds I came to the conclusion that while they were suitable for fixed locations where the ropes could be stretched and tightened repeatedly, they were not good for weekend camping. 

My bed is a combination and modification of three beds. Made from #2 pine both for weight and period it has served us well

 An "ordinary bed" (item 167 pg 272 Roesdahl & Wilson "From Viking to Crusade" New York Rizzoli 1992 ISBN 0-8478-1625-7

16th century rope bed used as the model by the Weald & Downland Museum (England)

A modified rope bed by Sir Michael Nymandus von Falkenburg 

link to my wood working page  http://home.comcast.net/~rbull41/

"Cloth and Clothing in Medieval Norway" by Marta Hofmann

In the famous Oseberg barrow, remains of five beds were found, all of beech, one of them very stately with carved animal heads at the top of the head-boards (3).This bed has now been reconstructed with great accuracy on the basis of the many pieces found at the excavation, and measurements, photographs and observations made at the time by Professor Gabriel Gustafsson .

The best-preserved of' this simpler type belongs to the Gokstad ship from the tenth century. Its state of preservation made it possible to assemble it completely with its four corner posts. The only part lacking was the bottom, which could be reconstructed since all the holes for the slats were intact . This bed was exceptionally long, 227 cm, and 109 cm wide, while another bed from the Gokstad ship was only 140 cm long and 110 cm wide.

....Straw or hay seems to have been the common material to sleep on, but other similar material might have been used. In the Viking beds it must have been stuffed into a sack so as not to fall through. The same type of slatted base was common in western Europe. I In the beds with a solid base, the straw was probably placed directly on the bed, as it has been up to our time. The sagas mention the bed-straw, and it occurs in combination with lik, corpse (likstra -corpse-straw) meaning lying dead, or lying at death's door.

  While a rope bed needed heavy timbers to take the tension to the ropes, a slat bed could be made from thinner stock. Since a mattress of air was going to be used instead of a mattress of straw the slat placement would have to be closer than the "ordinary bed"  I didn't have a mortising tool and cutting mortises for all the slats closely spaced would weaken the sides so I used a rail inside the sides as I had seen in my research.

Using 4 1x4 for the posts allowed me to use drill and chisel to cut the mortises through one layer at a time. Then they were joined using glue and screw construction, countersinking the screw and pegging the end to give the appearance of period peg joinery. I first built a twin bed for my Daughter, my Lady found the recess slates caused the edge to cut into the back of her legs when she sat on the edge to get in and out. On the great bed I raised the slats to give only a minimum lip.