Rope Bed
Charles Foster
I find myself the confused owner of a very
old rope bed frame. It has a simple headboard
and footboard, and appears to be made from maple
(~4" diameter pieces; the four `posts' have
sections which were turned on a lathe). It
came from my Grandfather's home in Massachusetts.
While I have not assembled it, it looks to be
about the size of a wide single bed.
I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone
who has any information about rope beds, such
as how they are rigged, when they were used,
and value. My news server is often down
so replies via e-mail would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Charles...@trw.com
Richard Burton
>From: fos...@beethoven.sedd.trw.com (Charles Foster)
>Subject: Rope Bed
>Date: 28 Apr 1995 19:31:32 GMT
The first thing you must get is a bed 'key'. They are made of hard wood
(oak or maple), 3-4 inches square or round and 1-2 feet long. They have
a 1/2-3/4 inch slot cut into them for about one third of their length,
similar to a clothe pin. Opposite the slot will be a round handle driven
thru a hole at a right angle giving the 'key' the shape of a 'T'. This is
the tool that is used to tighten the ropes in the bed every night (hence
the phrase "sleep tight and......."). The remainder of the phrase has to
do with antique poison powder dispensers that you may or may not
wish to include in the rope bed lore.
Richard
John W. Hall
>In article <3nrfqk$r...@venice.sedd.trw.com> fos...@beethoven.sedd.trw.com (Charles Foster) writes:
>>From: fos...@beethoven.sedd.trw.com (Charles Foster)
>>Subject: Rope Bed
>>Date: 28 Apr 1995 19:31:32 GMT
>
>
>>I find myself the confused owner of a very
>>old rope bed frame. It has a simple headboard
>>and footboard, and appears to be made from maple
>>(~4" diameter pieces; the four `posts' have
>>sections which were turned on a lathe). It
>>came from my Grandfather's home in Massachusetts.
>>While I have not assembled it, it looks to be
>>about the size of a wide single bed.
>
>>I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone
>>who has any information about rope beds, such
>>as how they are rigged, when they were used,
>>and value. My news server is often down
>>so replies via e-mail would be appreciated!
I picked up a three-quarter size cannonball rope bed years ago, restored
it, and made new siderails to accept a modern length mattress, but kept
the rope. I slept on that bed for about fifteen years and found it very
comfortable. Don't bother trying to use a box spring, they are not
needed and add all kinds of silly hight to the bed. Measure between the
rails and you will probably find that a standard mattress of one size
or another will fit.If the space seems odd ball you can probably eith jam
the mattress a little or allow a little gap. It's not critical. 3/4 size
seems to have been quite common, what we call full size beds were quite
rare. But I have found with my bed that while it is 3/4, if I were to
build a spacer so the mattress could lay out over the rails, I could use a
full size mattress. (Rope beds do have a tendency to sag in the center so
they are best for single folk or newly weds unless you do the modification
as I did to take out the sag.)
To set up your bed figure how much rope you need by figuring
out the pattern ( back and forth, side to side and up and down, head to
foot), and go buy that length plus a few feet in half inch(check the hole
size in the rails it might take bigger but chances are not smaller), sisal
rope. Don't buy polypropylene or nylon or any other synthetic, a) because
it isn't authentic, and 2) because it will stretch from now till forever
and won't work. Once you have your rope, tie a knot in one end and tape up
the other end so it is sort of tapered and won't unravel. Go out in the
yard and lay out all hundred and fifty feet of line and get it nice and
straight, no twists or tangles, then drag it back in and start laceing up
your bed. Unless it is a very high quality bed there won't be any bolts or
anything else to hold it together, so it helps if you have a friend to
help hold things together.
Start at one corner and feed the rope through the holes (or around the
pegs if it is that sort of bed), the pattern becomes obvious. Just get
all the rope run through all the holes and when you come to the end whittle
a peg that can be driven into the last hole to lock the rope in place, but
don't drive it in hard just yet. Now go back to the beginning and with your
friend pull all the slack you can from each hole. I found if I braced my
feet against the rail and pulled, held it till buddy on the other side took
up the slack, it went quite smoothly. Then tap the locking peg in to the
last hole. New rope will stretch quite a bit so you will have to go through
the tensioning process every week or so, then every month or so until it
settles in. It will stretch and shrink with seasonal changes so if you can
haul out as much of the slack in the summer when things are humid, it will
be drum tight in the winter. I made a bed key once and found it was a
waste of time and was hard on the rope. I'm not so sure our ancestors
bothered much with such things.
We still have my cannonball bed but it is now in the guest room. I
finally made some modifications that the purist might not approve of, I
installed bolts so the frame is held rigid and the rope is not being
depeded upon to hold the whole thing together. Over the years I found that
since the joints were never really held tight the wood was wearing badly,
so while the bolts are not original, they help preserve the bed. Secondly I
fitted a sheet of three quarter plywood to lie just inside the rails on the
rope. This eliminates the sag problem and eliminates the abrasion between
the mattress and the ropes that can wear out the mattress pretty fast. Even
without the plywood I think you will find a rope bed quite a comfortable
sleep. Good luck
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"This is not as easy as it looks, but it is more difficult than it
seems." Eugene Ormandy
The Rev. John W. Hall
Anglican Parish of Canterbury
Canterbury, New Brunswick, Canada
Gaylene Keene-Bartlett
In response to the request for info to be posted just for info
sake I am posting the following:
Documentation regarding the age of the bed would be awful nice
and would no doubt add greatly to the possible value of your bed
Kovel's 1995 price guide lists the following
Bed - hired hand's, Federal, Turned posts, American......138.00
Bed - Poplar, Knob Finials, peaked head and footboards, rope...138.00
Bed - Post, Federal, Ring turned, Square head posts,
Red paint, 61 3/4 in................................3850.00
Bed- Post, turned, Maple, Bottle finial, Rope,
Footboard, 56 x 74 x 52..............................990.00
As you can see, the values vary widely based on many different
factors. Generally rope support beds are older than plank support, but,
if handmade, you can't be sure. First, I would have this item appraised
to see 1) type of wood
2) Type of joinery
3) type of hardware, if any
4) method of construction (made made, machine turned etc.)
5) probable age of piece.
Once you know this information you can try tracing this piece in
your family records. Ideally, you might find a bill of sale to your
great x 3 grandfather and establish the date of purchase as well as the
name of purchaser. Failing that, finding a mention of the bed in an old
will or other type in household inventory would be wonderful. If this
piece is REALLY old and you can trace it - the value goes up.
I hope this info is what you were looking for.
Gaylene
>
>I find myself the confused owner of a very
>old rope bed frame. It has a simple headboard
>and footboard, and appears to be made from maple
>(~4" diameter pieces; the four `posts' have
>sections which were turned on a lathe). It
>came from my Grandfather's home in Massachusetts.
>While I have not assembled it, it looks to be
>about the size of a wide single bed.
>
>I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone
>who has any information about rope beds, such
>as how they are rigged, when they were used,
>and value. My news server is often down
>so replies via e-mail would be appreciated!
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Charles...@trw.com
rta...@pica.army.mil
(David01568) wrote:
> First, do NOT refinish it, assuming it has old paint or finish. It's a
> mistake too many of us have made in the past, thereby destroying the value
> of a lot of pieces.
>
> Rope or cord beds were made up through the 1840s, probably later in really
> rural areas.
>
> <<snip>> in either case, you use
> ordinary, fairly thin hemp or other rope from the hardware store,
Recommend at least 1/2 inch sisle rope ... NOT nylon or poly
tie one
> end around a knob or the rail or something, then string the rope back and
> forth the long way of the bed, then basket-weave it the short way.
And ... Tighten, tighten, tighten ... After you've woven it all and
tied off the end, go back to the starting point and tighten each run of
rope as tight as you can. A peg tapered at one end so that it'll fit in
the holes in the rails and wedge the rope to keep it tight as you pull on
the next section works real neat. Move the peg to each successive run as
you snug it up to keep it good and tight. When you get to the end, kind of
pound on the ropes all around to even out the tension and if you find any
looseness, go back and tighten somemore. You'll have to check them
periodically, say, once a week or so, and as they stretch and loosen up,
just retighten them as above. The same goes for the bed that has the nubs
or buttons on the rails around which you loop the rope rather than passing
it through holes, except that you can't use the peg to hold them tight as
you progress. You just have to hold the one section tight with one hand,
pull the next section tight with the other hand and with the third hand
.... (oops) ... you get the picture.
... Tie
> the loose end and you're all set to throw a matress on top. If two people
> are going to share the bed, you may find that a piece of plywood (yeah,
> cheating) on the ropes, under the mattress, makes for happier bedfellows.
.. Cheating or not, it does everything a little less "saggy."
--- RBT ---
David01568
I sez: Hate to disagree with my esteemed fellow poster, but a bed key (to
tighten the ropes) is not necessary. I have one, but find it a pain to
use. It's much easier to use your (preferably gloved) hands to pull the
ropes tight, and re-tightening is seldom necessary.
I'm also interested in any PERIOD references to the "sleep tight" phrase
urban legend. I've only heard it from dubious sources, such as little old
ladies running DAR house museums.
