I like aliteration as much as the next person… probably more, actually. But that’s not why I chose birch as my building material for this bed. Typically, if you can actually find a solid hardwood bed, it will be oak or cherry. Who knows, maybe even hickory or maple, but I’ve never heard of a birch bed or any other bedroom furniture. I figured if I was going to build my own furniture, why not do some research and see what’s what? Turns out, birch glues, nails and screws very well and it’s quite tough, overall. I figure if we are going to put a queen sized mattress and both our bodies on this thing every night, I would like it to be solid. And it is. I built this bed in July of 2003. Man, it was hot on that deck in July.