Platform Bed...

[Greg Cuetara]

I started a thread in the off-topic forum about buying a new bed. The LOML decided that we should get a sleep number bed. It is basically a glorified air mattress with a lot of bells and whistles. It requires full support under the bed.

I could have bought their 'foundation' and legs but it would have been about $500 more. I figured that I could build a nice frame with a headboard and footboard for much less. I decided to make the frame out of fir. I bought some 4x4 posts from home deposit and a few 2x12's of fir. For right now I figured that I just wanted to save some money where I can. I might remake the frame out of cherry in the future.

I have the headboard, footboard and rails already built. I am trying to figure out how to build the platform right now. BTW the bed is a king size.

Originally I was going to put a rail down the middle and then run 2x4's from each of the side rails across the top of the middle rail then put plywood down on top of it all. I was thinking of putting the 2x4's at 12" o.c. I have some leftover 1/2" exterior grade plywood I had from some roofing I did this summer and was going to use it.

Another option is that I have some 2x6's kicking around and was thinking that I could rip them in half and use them instead of 2x4's.

Most of this I want to just screw down so that it can easily be taken apart if we ever move.

Is there a way I could make a torsion box which would be lighter and stronger in this situation but still be easily taken apart?

Thanks for any advice.
Greg

[Ed Peters]

Another option is that I have some 2x6's kicking around and was thinking that I could rip them in half and use them instead of 2x4's. The idea of using the 2x4's was bad enough, ripping 2x6"s into 2 pieces with a cross section of about 2.7" (optimal) is obviously worse in my opinion.

Is there a way I could make a torsion box which would be lighter and stronger in this situation but still be easily taken apart? The bulk of the strength achieved in a torsion box is due to the fact that the skins are glued in place making the seperate components act as one.

Thanks for any advice.
Greg

A better idea (in my mind) would be to fabricate a couple of boxes with drawers to act as the base as well as providing some additional storage for those items seldom used but impossible (?) to live without. Making them as seperate assemblies makes them easy to move when necessary and breaks the project up into easily manageable chunks.

Ed

[Greg Cuetara]

hmm. Ed not sure if you are just doing a gut check here or not. If I assume about 50 pounds per square foot and use 2x4's I have a stress of about 600 psi with an approx. allowable of 1,163 psi. This would give the bed an overall load of about 2,000 lbs. If I push the load up until failure it would give an ultimate capacty of about 4,000 lbs. I know I might need to go on a diet but not sure I am close to 4,000 lbs.

If I were to rip a 2x6 in half and consider it to be 2.5" x 1.5" I would come up with a stress of 824 psi. Still under the allowable.

All this is not even considering that I will be screwing plywood to the top of these members which will create composite action and increase the load capacity.

Not sure I am really keen on building storage under the bed just yet. Don't really have time but that might come in the future.

Greg