After researching beds a few years ago, both headboards and frames, I came to the conclusion that the quality was not worth the cost. Most were built with rubberwood or particle board and for about the same investment of money, I could purchase true hardwood to build a bed frame that could stand the test of time.
The design was driven by a number of factors: tools on hand, material cost, portability, and of course aesthetics. This design is very simple and is designed with knock-down cross-dowel joinery to ensure that it could make it into any housing my wife and I would be moving to. The wood is red oak, with a Minwax Jacobean stain, finished with a Minwax Polycrylic clear satin protective coating.