Bed Frame Question

[Kent A Bathurst]

Make a torsion box.......

John

John - I admire all of your work and knowledge, including this one. Clearly, it is possible to over-engineer the heck out of anything if one tries. I should know - I do it at every opportunity.

Hat's off on this one.

[Jim Becker]

A king sized bed without a center support is going to require a really, really, really stout structure to avoid sagging and bouncing and cracking apart. (And I mean just from normal movement, "mattress olympics' aside) They are even common on queen sized at this point.

[Mel Fulks]

Agree with Jim. My method would be a wood cube or two UNDER the bed .

[Brian Runau]

I used two side to side supports equally spaced with an adjustable foot. Use nylon foot, not rubber. Rubbed stained an area rug. Top of the Support can be designed with same height as side supports so your 3/4 osb can go on top, no slats. Brian

[cody michael]

We have a queen size bed in guest room that has 5 1x4 pine slats the slats are also full of knots, looking at em I would think they wouldn't hold up but we've had the bed for about 25 years we used to sleep on it every night. It's been through a few mattresses and some large couples sleeping on it no problem. So 1x4 Ash will work no problem you wouldnt need any OSB if you have a box spring.

I am planning on getting rid of the box spring, otherwise it will be like 5ft tall lol. I have seen some pretty wimpy looking slats that have held up though.

[cody michael]

Make a torsion box and solve all the issues. No need for mid support and 100% support for the mattress. I built a torsion box about 3" thick for a Murphy double bed and it sags not one little bit. I used poplar for the internals and 1/4" plywood for the skins. I'm not sure how thick it would need to be for a king size bed, but I bet not much, if any, thicker.

John

I will think about it, they are amazing, I built a shed door as a torsion box, it feels like a bank vault lol. I would need to make it in at least 2 boxs though to get it up my stairs.

[Ted Calver]

I remember a couple of bed building videos posted by Charles Neil a few years ago that had some good info. He made T-slats that were super strong and eliminated the need for a center post. I used the idea a few months back to build slats for a friend's queen size bed and they really worked. He also has a good video on using bed bolts.

[John TenEyck]

I will think about it, they are amazing, I built a shed door as a torsion box, it feels like a bank vault lol. I would need to make it in at least 2 boxs though to get it up my stairs.

Yes, you would need two, just like the box springs for a king sized bed. The advantage of two units is there will be a double rib down the centerline where they meet, adding to the stiffness. And, if desired, it would be easy to add an adjustable center support, or anywhere else, by means of a dado in one of the center ribs into which the support is bolted or screwed before adding the other torsion box. Adding a spline or other means to join the two boxes together would make them behave as one unit, too.

John

[Curt Harms]

Sorry I wasn't clear. OSB over top of slats, my mattress needs a solid foundation, I don't think just slats would be enough. I was going to do slats, probably ash since I have a lot and then osb or plywood over top to make a smooth surface.

I guess it depends on the mattress. I've checked into memory foam mattress and like Jonathan it seems that the mattress directly on slats is okay, I don't recall what slat spacing was recommended. A sheet of OSB can't hurt though.

[Jim Becker]

I would not use OSB or similar for this kind of project for multiple reasons...splintery which can damage a mattress being one of them. While most mattresses today are designed to work fine on platforms, having ventilation under them is also a good thing which is why slats are so popular. The slats can be heavy Tee-shaped like was mentioned eariler to handle more load, but even then, I remain convinced that a center support for something as large as a king sized bed is a good idea. The robotic vacuum will deal with it just fine.

[Scott Bernstein]

I made a queen size bed with hickory. The side rails of the main frame are 8/4 x 12" wide boards. The headboard and footboard are also 8/4 hickory using frame and panel construction. The side rails attach to the foot and headboard with mortised bedrail hardware from Rockler...just slide in to lock. I have only four legs with no center leg. My slats are 4/4 poplar boards. In the mid-span I have a 8/4 x 8" wide white oak board going from the head to foot. It attaches with sliding dovetails to the center of the header & footer and supports the slats very well. The bed is SOLID. I'm quite sure I could park a car on it. I don't know what it weighs, but probably hundreds of pounds.

SB

[Mark Kanof]

I used one of these for a king size bed as support under the slats. We are a few years into that bed and so far so good.

https://www.knickerbockerbedframe.co...l-slat-system/

[Alan Lightstone]

I remember a couple of bed building videos posted by Charles Neil a few years ago that had some good info. He made T-slats that were super strong and eliminated the need for a center post. I used the idea a few months back to build slats for a friend's queen size bed and they really worked. He also has a good video on using bed bolts.

I miss Charles. Great to take a course from, or just e-mail with questions. Always fun.

That video was very interesting too.

[Ted Calver]

I miss Charles. Great to take a course from, or just e-mail with questions. Always fun.

That video was very interesting too.

Not sure about using bondo to secure the bed rail nut though. I think I'll just leave it open, or use a bolt cover.

[Jim Dwight]

I've made 7 beds that I remember all platform beds without a boxed spring. I built a torsion box structure for one my son and his wife now use and it is very firm. I don't know what they weigh but neither of them is small. But that requires more height. I built the bed to a plan that assumed a boxed spring so the torsion box used up that space. My more recent beds have had either slats or 3/4 plywood to support the mattress but never both. 5 of the beds I've made are queen size, no kings. I haven't done the calculations but I think the plywood deflects more. I haven't had any issue due to the lower "breathing" of the plywood support under the mattress. I've never put in a center support. I haven't made a king yet but my daughter and son-in-law are talking about one.

I think your ash slats are plenty stout and may not need to be T shaped. I don't think bed slats need to be as sturdy as a shelf or a house floor. If it deflects 3/4 inch I don't think you'd know it. The resulting angle is slight. But less deflection will translate into a firmer feeling bed. So I think it depends some on how soft your mattress is and how firm you want the bed to be. If you want to put something on top of the slats you can but I would not do it for structural reasons. You might even think of using 1/4 masonite or 5mm plywood. T shaped ash slats are going to give you a very firm bed. If you space them around an inch apart I don't think you really need anything but the mattress on top. I made my daughter a full sized bed with 3/4 baltic birch slats spaced about an inch apart when she was still in college. That bed is now in her guest room and my ex wife and I slept on it. The bed was small for the two of us but there was no noticable deflection due to our >350 lbs combined weight. I'm sure they deflected some but we did not notice it.