# What's with those beds they use to make where the headboard was all rods? Do they still make them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 7, 2022, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602 "2022-03-07T09:27:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/1 "2022-03-07T09:27:12Z")
You know, the ones where the headboard is basically 5-15 straight metal rods pointing upwards, I haven’t seen those in forever. The only times I see them now are in old pornos where a woman will grab onto the bars while the guy is doing her from behind, which is what I always thought the purposes of those bars were for. What happened to them, do they still make them? Is there a reason they fell out of favor? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/2 "2022-03-07T11:12:58Z")
You mean like [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/Brookside-Ada-Traditional-Metal-Headboard-with-Vertical-Panels-King/1003235978)? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/3 "2022-03-07T11:24:53Z")
Yes but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in the wild that wasn’t a children’s bedroom in the early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/4 "2022-03-07T12:37:57Z")
How often do you see other people’s beds? I don’t see many bedrooms “in the wild” at all. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/5 "2022-03-07T12:46:06Z")
I can’t access FairyChatMom’s link for some reason, but I assume you’re just talking about a Victorian-style [iron bedstead](https://www.google.com/search?q=iron+bedstead&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB976GB976&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDm-zMg7T2AhWJTcAKHcAHDo0Q_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1779&bih=914&dpr=2)? Because they are still readily available. I bought one with my first house, as it felt really grown up. Turns out it’s just really uncomfortable to lean against when you want to read in bed. Maybe that’s why they’re not so popular any more. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/6 "2022-03-07T15:56:45Z")
Our bed has a beautiful metal headboard that has spindles. It’s bronze in color and is scrolled on the top. Look up metal headboards on Amazon - there are 100s. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/7 "2022-03-07T15:57:51Z")
I’ve seen a few of them in the wild and have used them as described in the OP, so no they are still being used. One of the uses of a headboard is to keep pillows from sliding off the bed, that and you can stack up pillows against them so you can sit up in bed. This type of headboard serves both purposes just fine. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/8 "2022-03-07T19:29:16Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Look up metal headboards on Amazon - there are 100s. Indeed. On or off Amazon. I did a fast google on “metal bed frame headboards” and turned up lots of brand new ones for sale. Different people like different things. If you don’t want shelf space built into your headboard, those will work fine for the purpose of keeping mattresses and pillows in place, and apparently significant numbers of people like the look of them. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/9 "2022-03-07T20:01:34Z")
Is it too early to point out that Amazon is also a fine source for silk scarves to accessorize your bed? Yes? Then I won’t. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/10 "2022-03-07T20:13:54Z")
Yes, they still make them; searching for [“metal headboard” on Wayfair](https://www.wayfair.com/keyword.php?keyword=metal+headboard) yields dozens of varieties. We had a brass headboard for our bed when we got married in the early '90s; we replaced it with a wooden headboard when we bought a new, Mission-style bedroom set in '96. That headboard has “rods,” as well – but they are made of wood. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/11 "2022-03-07T20:21:18Z")
([History of Victorian beds – The Cornish Bed Company UK](https://cornishbeds.co.uk/pages/history)) I recall reading that the iron bedstead was considered a more sanitary alternative - important in a climate where woodborers were common. See the commercial link above. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/12 "2022-03-08T01:00:23Z")
Have you tried Tinder? ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/13 "2022-03-08T01:02:41Z")
You’re on the right track. Much more discreet than a solid wood headboard with handles bolted on. Especially back in Victorian days. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/14 "2022-03-08T01:04:59Z")
I have one. I bought it about a year ago, at one of those chain furniture stores. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/15 "2022-03-08T01:12:30Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > . That headboard has “rods,” as well – but they are made of wood. Our headboard has wooden slats narrow part pointing to the front. For leaning to read we have back pillows, triangular pillows that are perfect for sitting up. I don’t see anything quite like what we have on Amazon. They were made by my wife’s mother and aunt who were excellent at such things. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-those-beds-they-use-to-make-where-the-headboard-was-all-rods-do-they-still-make-them/960602/16 "2022-03-08T01:20:38Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > ([History of Victorian beds – The Cornish Bed Company UK – Cornish Beds](https://cornishbeds.co.uk/pages/history)) > > I recall reading that the iron bedstead was considered a more sanitary alternative - important in a climate where woodborers were common. See the commercial link above. _“ Probably the iron bedstead saved more women from childbed fever than the doctor’s black bag.”_ -The Ascent of Man, episode 8: The Drive for Power