Milling the Pieces

• 1). Cut the pieces for your headboard using a miter saw. Cut two 4-by-4 posts 48 inches long and two pieces of 2-by-4 as wide as needed for your mattress: for a twin mattress 36 inches, for a double 51 inches, for a queen 57 inches and for king size, cut them 73 inches long. Cut two more pieces of 2-by-4 to frame your headboard center panel at 24 inches.
  
  
• 2). Unplug your table saw and remove the throat plate. Turn the blade height setting all the way up and wedge a piece of wood in front of the blade to keep it from turning. Use a wrench to turn the arbor nut in the center of the blade counterclockwise to remove it and remove the blade.
  
  
• 3). Install a 3/4 inch stack dado blade, combining the pieces as indicated on the chart for your blade and fit them onto the arbor. Turn the arbor nut clockwise to lock the blade in place and set the height of the blade to 1/2 inch. Replace the throat plate and plug the saw in.
  
  
• 4). Set the rip fence 1 3/8 inch from the blade and turn the saw on. Run the four pieces of 2-by-4 lumber over the blade to create a 3/4-inch wide by 1/2-inch deep groove down the center of one face of each board.
  
  

Assembling the Headboard

• 1). Measure down from the top of each post and mark it at 4 inches. Apply glue to the un-grooved faces of the two short 2-by-4s and nail them to the faces of the posts, with both edges flush with the edges of the posts and the top ends even with the 4-inch mark. Drive 2 1/2-inch pneumatic finish nails through the bottom of the groove on each 2-by-4, six nails in each piece.
  
  
• 2). Stand the two posts upright and place one of the long 2-by-4s on top of the short piece you just attached to the posts. Glue and nail this long piece on top of the short pieces, with the grooved edge down. Install 2-inch L brackets in the inside corners of the two corner joints you just created, using 1 5/8-inch treated deck screws through each hole in each bracket to reinforce the joints, and set them flush with the back face of the headboard.
  
  
• 3). Cut a 3/4-inch plywood panel 25 inches high and 1 1/2 inches shorter than your long 2-by-4s. Lay the post assembly flat and slide this panel into the three sided frame created by the grooved 2-by-4s. Glue and nail the remaining 2-by-4 to the bottom of the short 2-by-4s so that its groove fits the bottom edge of the plywood panel. Install L brackets in the inside corners as for the top piece.
  
  
• 4). Glue and nail a decorative deck post cap to the top of each post. Apply two coats of semigloss latex paint, or stain and clear finish all-in-one. Use a soft bristle brush and spread the finish evenly to prevent runs. Allow two hours between coats and 24 hours before installing the headboard for the finish to cure.
  
  
• 5). Stand the headboard against the end of a Hollywood style metal frame and mark the bolt holes onto the posts, centered. Drill through the posts with a 1/4-inch bit and drive 1/4-by-4 1/2-inch carriage bolts through each hole and through the metal bed frame. Fit a nut and washer on each bolt and tighten with a socket wrench.