Laney Shaughnessy sent me some photos of an amazing race car bed he made for his toddler. I would have loved to have had something like this when I was a kid, although I think I would be too excited to sleep.


The inspiring part is that Laney is a new woodworker and had the drive to make something like this. I asked him if he followed any plans. Nope, he just studied examples of what he liked and went from there. That’s all I ever do, too. Google pictures of what you would like to make and figure out how to reverse engineer it. It’s really a lot of fun and makes the project totally unique. 


He’s also got a great approach to woodworking. Never look at anything as a setback. Acknowledge a problem and figure out a way to correct it. It’s all part of the creative process.


Now this would be an awesome Christmas gift! Here’s Laney’s story. It’s a detailed insight into the woodworking and learning processes that we can all relate to.

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Creating an idea.

Well it’s that time of year again, only this year is different. I have a new family to share the holiday’s with. A beautiful woman, and three very amazing kids, the oldest being 7 and the youngest being 4 months; the one that this year’s project gift is for is the 2 year old. He is at that age where it’s time to transition from the crib to a toddler bed. Now Joshua is all about cars and trucks. So I decided to venture into the unknown for me and make him his very own race car bed. Here is how the story goes.

Where to start? I decided the best place to start was the internet. I was sure I’d find some kind of plan or design out there to help me with the task I set for myself. Little did I know the real task was going to be finding the design or coming up with a layout.. I came across a few places that sold a full size blue print for a car bed but the plans were around .00 and I just couldn’t see myself buying a plan that I’m sure I wouldn’t quite be able to understand. I told myself  I just need an idea of where to start, so I found some pictures of car beds that were close to what I was looking for. I sat at the computer and studied the pictures of the components and how the car was designed and any other information I could take away from the photos.

And so it begins.


I needed to make some kind of template for myself so I made a quick sketch of the car’s shape on a piece of paper and headed out the door to the big L box store for some materials and supplies. I knew I needed some ¾ inch MDF for the car’s body because of its shape ability and sturdiness. I knew I wanted a red race car for the color, so I picked up some Valspar Interior/exterior High Gloss enamel (gloss red and Gloss black), Valspar tintable primer tinted to grey. and a few 2×4 pieces of lumber for the supports for the mattress platform . I ended buying some inexspensive ¼ inch luan plywood to make the template. After loading everything up, I headed home to jump right into the project.

Draw out the template and cut it.

There are six basic components to the car’s frame. The body — which has two parts to give the sides depth — the two wheel wells, and the two tires. Once you cut out the components you just simply repeat the process for the other side of the car.

I drew in the windows and windshield so I could get a better idea of what the final product would look like. One problem I came across was the wheel wells. My cuts were rough and my arches were not perfect. I would correct this during the actual process to make sure I had a nice clean look. Once I had the template done, it was time to cut the MDF and the components for both sides of the bed.

I cut the tires on the table saw using a technique I found on the internet for circle cutting on a table saw, which worked very well. All of the edges of the MDF should be rounded over except the bottom edge because it will sit flat on the floor. This brings me to another problem I encountered. Well, more like an error then a problem: the main side of the body does not need to be routed on the back edge. This way when it is put together the outer side frame will round over into it to give it a flowing look, instead of a double rounded over edge. I ended up filling this edge in with a wood filler to build it back out. That’s the thing about wood. Once you cut it, route it or whatever you do to it, you can’t put it back so you have to improvise and fix the error. Ok, back to the build…all the sides are cut, routed, and sanded smooth, it’s time to assemble them.

Notice the 2×4’s and the back board. The 2×4’s serve two purposes: a way to attach the sides to the back board to give it some sturdiness, and as added support for the headboard shelf. The same goes for the front.

Making sure you have a level work surface is very important, so that there is no wobble when the bed sits on the floor. Notice the open area in the front of the car. The grill and hood still need to be put on. An option here is to extend the nose out during the initial cuts and use this space under the hood for a toy box with a hinged hood. I decided against the toy box because I wanted a snubbed nose sports car.

Attach the sides to the 2×4 by lumber using wood screws recessed so when the outer sides are attached there is a tight fit. And don’t worry about the screws; they will be hidden by the outer sides.

It’s really starting to take shape I have attached the headboard shelf and the spoiler and now ready to attach the outer sides. But first I wanted to attach the back of the headboard self which I used my new Kreg jig to attach the back to the sides and the spoiler using pocket holes.

The front grill and the hood was next.

I routed out the headlights and the grill area about 3/8 inches deep. An alternative here is cutting out the grill area and putting in a plastic insert to give it a realistic look. Once again, I decided to take the simpler route. As you may notice, there is an awful lot of filler on the front. Poor planning and a crooked cut was the culprit there. After all, as Steve would say, “I’m only mortal”. This whole venture was a learning process for me; I was learning as I went. After all was said and done, there are some things I’m sure I would have done differently for better results.

I routed out the tires to make the rim’s shape and painted it with Chrome paint and the gloss black enamel. Only mistake here was painting the tires too soon. I decided I wanted to rout all the way through the MDF so that the tires looked more realistic.

It’s getting late in the day, but I attached the sides and the wheel wells so I could get a coat of primer on to set up overnight. Time to call it a day and get some rest.

Day two.

The paint is ready to be applied. Now is the time to tape off the window, windshield, grill and headlight areas to protect them from the red paint. They will be painted later in the day. Blue painters tape works well for this, but you can use any masking tape of your choice.

Once the first coat dries, apply a second coat and remove the taped off areas to reveal the primer colored areas to be painted next. Once everything is painted install the tires and this bed is ready to ROLL!

Once last personal touch. My stepson’s name is Joshua, so I added the grill emblem to personalize this racing bed.

Idea to reality.

And that is the story of how my car bed went from idea to reality. A lot of trial and error, I learned a lot about paints, materials, as well as some of my weaknesses and strengths. It was a fun project and I know one little boy who can’t wait to go to bed at night! That was an added bonus for his mom and me.

Laney Shaughnessy
Ocala, Florida

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Laney, thanks again for taking the time to share your project with the world. I hereby dub thee, Sir Mortal, and more importantly, Awesome Dad. 


If you feel the urge to write about your project or life itself, I’d be happy to give you space as a guest blogger. Drop me a line at zrammedia (at) gmail (dot) com. 

Woodworking for Mere Mortals

Filed under: Category Woodworking | Tags: Race,toddler by Admin