It also reminds me of my first true carpentry project, this half-assed bed I built for our funny little apartment on 2nd Avenue. We bought 2x4s and sheets of 1/2-inch plywood at Lumber Century, the odd hardware store at the corner of 97th and 2nd Ave, and carried them three blocks by hand, which was far more exhausting than expected. (Carrying all six pieces of our living-room sectional was far easier.) I believe we paid about $200 for essentially one sheet of plywood, ripped in half, and two 2x4s cut into four boards - a small price to pay for a thrilling if fleeting sense of accomplishment! My co-designer was a civil engineer whose experience with materials did not translate into expertise with furniture.
In the picture below, this bed was brand-new. Two simple platforms that could be easily moved in and out of an apartment. You can't see the mattress-snagging screwheads sticking out here and there, but I had screwed the whole thing together without guideholes (or measurements!). I never finished the project as intended by installing a cross-brace. Consequently, within weeks the whole thing was a sloppy, saggy mess.
But, we slept on it for four years. If the M15 stop outside our window wasn't going to keep us awake, neither was a shoddy bed! This past Christmas, we gave ourselves a proper bed - made of aluminum.
At least the bed didn't sag as much as the floor!
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