A headboard made of chain-link fencing is perfect for a heavy-metal industrial look (figure A). It's a great look for a boy's room and is practically indestructible. Materials:
Two 5' posts
Two 4' rails
Piece of 48" chain-link fencing about 4' wide
Two lengths of tension bar 48" long
Four rail end caps or fittings
14 tension-rod brackets
Nuts and bolts for all brackets
Two post end caps
Pliers
Hacksaw
S hooks (optional)
- Cut posts and rails to length with a hacksaw.
- To make the basic frame of the headboard, position the two end posts vertically on the work surface and place the rails horizontally at the top and bottom to form a square.
- Slide seven tension-rod brackets on each post. The two outermost brackets will attach to the rails at the top and bottom of the posts, the three inside brackets will hold the fencing in place, and the remaining two brackets on each side (figure B) will be used to attach the headboard to the wall.
- Attach a rail end cap to each of the four tension-rod brackets at the top and bottom of the posts, and fit the top and bottom rails into them (figure C). The top and bottom rails will be loose in the end caps until the fencing is stretched and attached to the posts.
- With the basic frame in place, you can attach the fencing. Chain-link fencing is woven together and can be unwoven to create the 3 1/2"-wide piece needed for the headboard. Use pliers to unbend the top and bottom of one connecting piece of fencing, and slide it out of the fencing to unweave the connecting piece (figure D).
- Slide a tension bar in each side of the piece of fencing (figure E).
- Connect one side of the fencing to a post by bolting the tension bar to the three center tension-rod brackets on that post. To attach the other side of the fencing to the opposite post, pull the fencing tight, slip the tension rod into the bracket, and bolt in place (figure F). This is a two-person job: one person pulls the fencing tight while the other bolts it in place.
- Bolt the headboard to the wall with the remaining two brackets.
- Add an end cap to the top of each post to finish the headboard (figure G).
- If desired, attach S hooks to the headboard and use them to hang a reading light or baseball hats.
A ready-made chain-link gate is an easy alternative to making a headboard from scratch. You can also make a shelving unit to coordinate with the headboard (figure H). Simply buy two 4' stepladders and paint or stain them as desired. Then use 1" by 12" lumber (it's cheaper than shelving), also painted as desired. Cut them to the lengths you wish the shelves to be, and lay them in place, attaching the top one with bolts that are long enough to go through both the lumber and the ladder. (The bottom shelf, which can be the full length of the board, can simply lie across the lower crosspieces. And if you wish, you can leave the two small "shelves" on the ladders -- generally used to support paint trays, etc. -- to serve as half-shelves on either side of a small TV, if you want to put one on the shelf underneath them.)
RESOURCES :
Fencing
Sew Easy Textiles Inc
Jersey City, NJ 07307
Phone: 201-798-7200
Fax: 201-798-0102
Email: seweasy@seweasy.com
Website: www.seweasy.com
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
