Moving- thinking of making bed- plywood or solid?

[Matt Lau]

Hey guys,

I love woodworking, but mainly do very limited projects (like penholders or ukuleles).

I'll be moving out this month, and plan to make some of my furniture.
I have a moderately well equipped workshop nearby (tablesaw, benchtop planer, drill press, kreg jigs, bandsaw, router, hand planes).

First will be a bed.

Do you think I should use plywood, or something like pine for the interior parts?
I'm in California, where the humidity is pretty constant.

Also, I'm thinking of aping this bed from muji: https://www.muji.us/store/oak-storage-bed-single.html
I have some 8/4 flamed maple on hand...but I'm considering whether it's better to use that for a workbench in the future.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd use plywood for structural parts. It is less expensive, and doesn't need edge-joining to make wide parts.

That Muji bed is a little weird. It has drawers along one long side, but to get access to storage near the other side of the bed, you have to remove the mattress. Long drawers would be more convenient.

[Matt Lau]

I'm thinking of making a frame, and having roller supported drawers underneath that extend full way.

[Ralph Okonieski]

I recently made a bed (with drawers) for a relative. It consisted of two separate structures (not including the headboard and footboard) each with 3 drawers. The frame of each side was poplar with oak facing. The two structures were connected with plywood to stabilize the entire unit. Tried to upload a photo of the side structure but did not display correctly.

[Dan Hulbert]

I built our bed a few years ago and used a mix of Plywood and solid wood. Oak veneer for the base and mahogany for the visible parts. One wood of caution. Make sure the parts can get into the room. If you want a drawer base, make it in two parts so it can fit through doors. Particularly important for King Size.
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[Prashun Patel]

I made a bed this summer. I opted for solid wood (ash) for the frame for a few reasons:
- I was able to use thicker stock (5/4) which feels more solid.
- No edgebanding
- Widths for typical bed frames are easy to come by, so you may be able to use single planks without having to do any glue up.

For the web, I used furring strips, but plywood is just as good.
I made 2 internal rails, instead of a typical center rail. I made these rails from 2x4's.

[Jamie Buxton]

In many lines of drawer slides, ones of the length you'd like for a bed get kinda pricey. Here's one I've put in two beds recently. It is 32" long, and has 200 lb load capacity. https://www.thehardwarehut.com/catalog-product.php?p_ref=338408

[Justin Rapp]

I made a bed last year, however it's a headboard, footboard and side rails. No storage. Everything is solid hickory. If you have internal workings, by all means use plywood or if you want the panels in the head/foot board. you may need A1 finished both sides depending on what parts you will see.

[Matt Lau]

Nice!

I was thinking of using casters for the drawers.
My friend might leave me his old mattress and frame...or I might get an inflatable mattress and sleeping bag in the interim...and get a mattress later.

FWIW, I'm thinking of something modular. I'd screw things together on site from two or three smaller boxes.

[Jamie Buxton]

Be careful about casters. If you reverse the direction of drawer movement, the casters pitch the drawer sideways as the caster rotates around its vertical shaft. If you use them for under-bed storage, leave enough clearance to deal with this.

Drawer slides don’t need that clearance.

[rudy de haas]

1 - my first real project was a bed. I used plywood for the slats and two years later had to replace them with oak from the local box store because plywood bends/breaks/weakens. If I did it again all of the frame and structural elements would be hardwood (hickory in my case). Drawers,of course, get plywood bottoms - and I would never put casters because I would not expect the bed to move,

2 - if cost is an issue.. Ikea will sell you a medicore/decent bed set for rather less than you pay for the raw materials at retail.

[Jim Morgan]

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Here's a bed that I made a couple of years ago. It's a soft sided waterbed with storage underneath.
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The structural parts are mostly maple plywood.

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The bed is strong and stable.

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[Charles Wiggins]

Hey guys,

I love woodworking, but mainly do very limited projects (like penholders or ukuleles).

I'll be moving out this month, and plan to make some of my furniture.
I have a moderately well equipped workshop nearby (tablesaw, benchtop planer, drill press, kreg jigs, bandsaw, router, hand planes).

First will be a bed.

Do you think I should use plywood, or something like pine for the interior parts?
I'm in California, where the humidity is pretty constant.

Also, I'm thinking of aping this bed from muji: https://www.muji.us/store/oak-storage-bed-single.html
I have some 8/4 flamed maple on hand...but I'm considering whether it's better to use that for a workbench in the future.

Looks like a perfect project for plywood to me.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I made four beds, two of them with an extra rolling bed under them, using only high quality mahogany veneered plywood. 25+ years ago... and they are like new even after abuse of two kids, currently young adults.

It was easier, faster and cheaper than solid wood, although in my planned "retiree" home I plan to use solid wood... this time I am not in a hurry...

[Dan Rude]

Take a look at Charles Neil's videos. I know, I will incorporate many of his ideas for Hardware and slats. Dan