Rail vs Solid Cut Out

[John Nordyke]

I'm getting ready to make a King Size bed frame with storage. For weight/transport convenience, I am going to construct from a series of sub-frames made with 3x3/4 birch ply. Subframes at right angles to one another will be fastened with pocket hole joinery. The material-conservative way would be to cut individual stiles and rails and fasten with pocket holes, but that is labor intensive. The less-labor-more-sheets-of-plywood way would be to rout out all the openings making each subpanel a single piece. Is there any consideration that suggests one approach over the other??

[Jim Matthews]

A series of box "frames" screwed together?

This would be very strong if the assembled subframes had a plywood panel fixed to the "top".

I would at least put a rug or carpet remnant under the works as a dust barrier.

If raised off the floor, some house wrap stapled to the lowest layer to keep out dust.

[Jim Becker]

You can build very strong structures that way and considering it MUST be modular for a king sized bed due to size, it's a good method. Pocket screws and glue for the frames will work just fine and once you put the deck on top, it will be quite rigid...a necessary thing for a bed for a "variety" of reasons. I agree with Jim that you need to consider dust control so that your storage stays reasonably clean.

[Lisa Starr]

I'd build the frames from 3" rips. Plan ahead and setup the crosscut sled to cut all of the same length piece at once. I think I'd be able to build the frames almost as fast as I could cut them from a solid piece. I'd always be unhappy with the grain running "the wrong direction" from producing it from a single piece. Of course, that's probably OCD on my part.

[John Nordyke]

Delicately put . I'm of an age where the heaving myself out of bed to pee in the middle of the night is the most dramatic threat to the frame's integrity.

[Ron Selzer]

Threw together a 8 drawer storage base out of white melamine in 1988 for temporary use in an apartment due to divorce. Still using it now, can be very flexible when transporting once set on the floor it is solid.
Have added drawer fronts and new end panel, headboard 13' wide, sides for original waterbed are in storage. Was not used for a few years in early 2000's due to buying that wife a complete Amish custom built bedroom set. Sent that with her when she left and drug the old bed out. Present wife likes me building furniture for her and encouraged me to finish that bed off with the wall to wall headboard, fronts for the drawers, etc. Which lead to a 7' high by 5' wide chest that had to be final assembled in the room, a 30" high by 60" dresser.
transporting is when you will have to worry about breaking/popping joints loose
good luck
Ron