This project is largely similar to the sapele bedframe, with the notable differences being the slat construction of the headboard and the use of birdseye facades. For the thicker components, where solid birdseye maple would have been impractical, I laminated thick enough birdseye maple boards onto hard maple backing to allow for compound curves such as the top of the headboard that would be impossible with a typical veneer.

Birdseye maple is one of the many varieties of figured maple, and like all highly figured wood, it takes special care to prevent “tear-out” of the chaotic wood fibers in the process of bringing rough lumber to finished product. Like sapele, it exhibits a property called chatoyancy where its appearance shifts with viewing angle, and photos cannot do justice to the in-person effect.