Need strong plywood for bed

[Steve Hayes]

We have a camper that uses very thin 3 ply 1/2 plywood for the bed. It cracked over the weekend and I need to replace it. Any suggestions for a stronger material? I was thinking of baltic birch but is there anything stronger? Needs to be at least 6' in length.

Thanks
Steve

[Jamie Buxton]

Can you tolerate thicker plywood? Use 3/4" ply. You can use cabinet-style plywood with a hardwood face veneer, or construction-style ply, which is likely to be all-fir. The construction ply is likely to be not flat, but if you have other structure to hold it flat, plus the weight of mattress and sleeper, it'll get flat.

[Jason Strauss]

Steve,

If the underside of the bed is not visible, I would not use the baltic birch - too darned expensive. You can probably get a full sheet of 3/4 ply at the BORG for around than $30. It would likely only be sanded on one side, but again, if you can't see it, no matter. That would be plenty strong for your needs. Just my $.02. Good luck!

[Doug Hepler]

Steve,

Consider screwing and gluing some stiffeners to the underside of your plywood, in the manner of a torsion box. . I should think that weight would matter in this application, and you can't beat a torsion box for stiffness and light weight.

On that theme, you could consider replacing it with an interior flush door, if you can accommodate the additional thickness. They are less expensive (I suppose) lighter and stronger than plywood of equivalent area. Of course, a flush door might be impractical or at best a real pain to cut to size.

[Chuck Saunders]

1/2" MDO plywood. Strong, solid better than what you had before with no need to overwork.