Hacking the Ikea Neiden Bed Frame

While assembling the two Rast chest of drawers that I’d purchased from Ikea, I needed to be able to increase the height of my Neiden bed frame for them to fit underneath.

Here, I’ll be sharing what and how I did that.

Ikea Rast Assembly (Chest of Drawers)

For most of 2019, I was struggling to adapt to life inside a smaller bedroom and without sacrificing the generous accommodation of my double bed. That change may come in another couple of years, when my memory foam mattress nears the end of its recommended life expectancy (they generally say seven to eight years). When I moved in to my previous flat, I swiftly bought a 4ft high tallboy off Gumtree and those drawers gave me plenty of storage space for clothes. But I’ve struggled to accommodate both this and my poor man’s wardrobe (a clothes hanging rail) in my current place.

My decision was to downsize and, after weeks of online browsing and contemplation, I decided to return to Ikea (yes, I’m using that word again).

Chest of Drawers

All I’ve heard on the radio for the past two days has been an endless string of adverts for all the post-Christmas bargains to be had on the high street and online. I’m always sceptical but one thing I’m certain of is that I do not need a brand-new TV with all the latest add-ons and features! Yesterday, I braved the wind, rain and hailstones to pick up a bargain of my own, which I spotted through a local Gumtree ad.

After six-weeks of living out of black bags, I’m finally able to say that I have acquired a chest of drawers for my bedroom!

We’re Talking ‘Tallboy’

Last Friday, I did take a trip down to Yandles in Martock, Somerset for their annual Autumn Woodworking Show. Not for the first time though, I managed to leave without spending a penny (in both senses!). That’s not to say that they didn’t have a nice selection of timber on offer – there was maple, cedar, American cherry and sycamore, among others. Many of the boards were near-sap-free and the prices didn’t look too bad either. I just hate shuffling around confined spaces with hundreds of other people also trying to do the same.

So, while I couldn’t make a decision on which or what to use on the door panels to complement a bathroom cabinet (I already have the ash) that I was complementing, I’m back at the drawing board (Google SketchUp) with my mind set on an alternative project with which to end this woodworking year…

It’s a tallboy; a narrow, single-width chest of drawers for the storage of clothes.

For the Sake of Free Delivery!

If you’ve been following the Chest of Drawers I’ve just finished building on the UKworkshop forums then, you’ll know that shortly before completion, I ended up buying an extra tub of stain that I didn’t actually need! This has really gotten so – warning in advance! – I felt like a bit of a rant…