Finally completed a bed for my 3 year old daughter. This was my first project in 20 years, so it’s taken me about 9 months of relearning techniques, practicing, finding the right tools, and just finding time really.
Originally was just M&T and half lap joins, but when setting up I decided it was a little too wiggly so I put 38mm and 17mm angle brackets to reinforce it.
Mostly construction lumber from local hardware shop. A few pieces “feature pieces”, Blackbutt and Macrocarpa. Finished with walrus furniture oil. The slats were cut down from someone selling off pieces of their bed on marketplace. (?)
Absolutely I knew the aesthetics wouldn’t be good, Those “nicer” boards were just someone’s offcuts I got, so you’re not far off with that assessment. I’ve never used a stain before, so don’t have anything on hand. For finishing, I just have walrus oil (free sample from the hardware shop) and shellac available, but If I had some money I would have gone uniform timber all over.
You can ebonize wood by applying Iron Acetate. Take steel wool and dissolves it in vinegar for a few days. (use a mason jar or whatnot) then apply to the wood with a rag. It "burn" the wood to a much darker color. I like to let rust form and use the rust as part of the stain. It gives it a deep red color.
Transtint dye works better on softwood like pine. Traditional stains tend to blotch pretty badly unless you use a seal coat like shellac underneath. Prestain conditioners help some by saturating the pores, but still don't work great in my experience