Mahogany Platform Bed

[Steve Benson]

Ok so im getting back into woodworking after doing it a lot as a kid i have made some bookcases and other things lately but now i want to make a platform bed. I have made a Sketchup drawing of what i want. It is about 100bf of Mahogany and has a pretty Ebony inlay i think.

Basically i want to know where i can get good prices on wood. The following is my board list.

2x - Side Rails - 92" x 8" x 1.5" - 15.3bf
2x - Bottom/Top Rails - 81" x 8" x 1.5" - 13.5bf
5x - Legs - 10" x 4" x 4" - 5.55bf
6x - Slats - 78" x 8 2/3" x 1.5" - 42.25bf
3x - Slats - 78" x 9 1/3" x 1.5" - 22.75bf
4x - Inlay (Ebony) - 88" x 1/4" x 1/4" - .153bf

Also i would like to know the best way to join the slats in middle, basically the Slats are in 3 groups of 3 and the sides and top/bottom will all go together by fitting together but the slats will be in groups of three do you thing i should do loose mortise and tennon or tongue and groove. The 4 Boarder boards will have a ledge routed into them so the 3 board slats will sit on top and the 2 outside slat groups would have a routed ledge supporting middle slat group and middle slat group would have a leg in middle.

Does anyone understand what i am saying and is this the best way to do this?
Thanks Steve
BTW the wood would have to get to Norfolk / Va Beach Area of VA. There are no lumber suppy stores around here besides woodcraft and they dont have the amount i need.
Thanks Again

[Jamie Buxton]

Welcome to the Creek!

If materials cost is an issue, you may want to consider using some other wood for the slats. Honduras Mahogany (aka "genuine mahogany") is fairly pricey -- around 8 or 10 bucks per board foot in my dealers. Many people now substitute various woods from Africa, sometimes called African Mahogany. They're related to Honduras, but they are different. They're generally several bucks less expensive per board foot. And for the slats (which are invisible) you might consider ash, which is more like $3 per board foot. It is a fine hardwood, and is great in bending applications like this.


As for your design, your slats are substantially thicker than most people build. A more common approach is to make the slats only 3/4 thick or less, and have them span only half the bed's width. Down the middle of the bed there is generally a rail which is tall enough to take the weight without bending. The rail often has a foot or several, to help it out.

[Steve Benson]

the thickness of the bed and slats is an aesthetic look as well i figure the platform may have to hold up to 1000lbs and i am hoping it will do that.

[Brandon Shew]

Steve,

I like the look of the bed, but I hesitate to ask why it would need to hold 1000 lbs... If you want it to hold 1000 lbs, you will need to create a middle support beam. There is no way that any grouping of slats could support 1000 lbs in the middle of the bed without some serious sagging. Also - mosty people and bed designers have a center support beam that uns from top to bottom and run slats across the width of the bed resting on the beam. If you want it to hold 1/2 ton, then you need to have a support that touches the ground in the dead center of the middle support beam to hold the weight.

As others have suggested, replace the middle slats that will not be visible with another hardwood like oak or ash to reduce the cost. Also - you can space the slats a couple of inches apart and still get comparable holding capacity which means that you could use a little less wood.

Another recommendation would be to make the bed so that it comes apart. you won't be able to get it in a standard doorway if you make it in one piece with M & T joinery as you say for the slats. The slats on most platform bds are removable. Look at some of the platform beds like these to see how they are doing the joinery/construction.

Anyway - if you are in the Norfolk-Va Beach area - call Yukon Lumber on 22nd street in Norfolk. Their selection is much better than Woodcraft and they always have 1-2 varieties of Mahogany in stock. Prices are better too. I'm in VB and would be glad to consult if you want to aalk to someone local - just PM me.

[Steve Benson]

Ok so, it wouldnt need to hold a 1000lbs all the time but that would be like the max load. Normally when people are it it it would need to hold like 300lbs. Also i dont really understand how it would sag if the left and right group of 3 slats are supported on all 4 sides and a leg in the middle. I agree i could use a cheaper wood for the slats and i might but for now i will leave it mahogany.

[Frank Drew]

I agree about checking out Yukon Lumber, and also with the recommendation not to use your primary wood as the secondary (slats, anything else hidden); that's not, IMO, a good use of diminishing resources.

And I'm not going to touch your proposed occasional 1000 lb. active load....

[Brandon Shew]

Ok so, it wouldnt need to hold a 1000lbs all the time but that would be like the max load. Normally when people are it it it would need to hold like 300lbs. Also i dont really understand how it would sag if the left and right group of 3 slats are supported on all 4 sides and a leg in the middle. I agree i could use a cheaper wood for the slats and i might but for now i will leave it mahogany.

Looking at the design, I'm not sure how each slat is supported on 4 sides except to be supported by other slats that are eventually supported by the side or front and back rails. Even if the middle slat is supported by a leg in the center of the slat (middle of the bed), you could have some sag. What you need is a center support beam (with a leg inthe middle) running perpendicular to the slats to provide support for the slats in the center of the bed. I have two platform beds in my house and have looked at plenty when we were shopping for those two.

Before you sink the money into it, it would behoove you to go to a local place like Decorum or Scan World (or possbily Haynes) where you can see the construction of a typical platform bed firsthand.

[Steve Benson]

Ok the 1000 lbs is based on the 340 of me and my wife and our 4 kids which will eventually be bigger, 1000lbs was just a conservative #. Basically i think i will try out some of your ideas and post a new sketchup drawing later today. Ok so if i make the slats pictured 1/2" thick and put a few slats 1/2" thick perpendicular to them like only 4" wide and only about 5-6 of them. Set them in groves on the side rails with 1/2" of wood on a lip still supporting them and layed the slats on that. Think that would work? and i will re-arrange some layout so that the slats will be completely covered by the mattress so i can use a diff cheaper more sustainable wood.
Thanks for help will post updates later.
Steve

[Steve Benson]

Ok one last question quick, i dont really like the look of Oak what is another cheaper strong hardwood to replace the slats. I like walnut but i believe it will be to dark, i was hoping for something that will end up just slightly lighter and less red than mahogany i was planning on doing what they do on woodworks to make the Mahogany darker if that helps.
Thanks

[Steve Benson]

I finally finished my mods of the beds using peoples suggestions. Still looking for a good cheaper wood that isnt walnut, cherry, or oak. Thanks for help
Steve

[Brandon Shew]

. Ok so if i make the slats pictured 1/2" thick and put a few slats 1/2" thick perpendicular to them like only 4" wide and only about 5-6 of them. Set them in groves on the side rails with 1/2" of wood on a lip still supporting them and layed the slats on that. Think that would work?

That would be stronger, but I think that you would get some flex still because the bottom most supporting slats are laying with the wide part parallel to the bed top and not perpendicular. Not only thst, but you would end up using more wood that what I was suggesting.

What I was suggesting was more of a structural support bar that runs the width of the bed and crosses underneath all of the top slays so that the slats rest on the support beam. Take a 2"x4" sized piece of wood and stand it up like an "I beam" or a floor joist and run it across the middle of the bed underneath the slats. Rest the ends on the frame and put a leg in the middle of the support beam to hold the weight and prevent flex in the center. If you do it that way, it will be stronger than your revision and you'll use less wood.

By the way, I really like the design aesthetics. It looks nice. I wouldn't worry too much about the color of the wood on the slats. They will be completely hidden by the mattress and you won't see them anyway. If it still bothers you, I would suggest staining or dying oak, ash, or even soft maple. Yukon also carries lacewood/leopardwood which you may like, but it is more pricey than the others (but it might fit your color description).

While this isn't the best example, picture laying slats across this bed inside the little recess lip with the beam in the middle acting as a support...

[Steve Benson]

I totally understand now, let me try that out thanks.

[Steve Benson]

Final rendition i believe, thanks for all the help

[Brandon Shew]

Final rendition i believe, thanks for all the help

That looks solid to me. You could even get rid of the bottom slats all together and run the "beam" underneath perpendicular to the top slats. It would save some wood and be just as strong.

Post some pics as you are building it. That's a really nice design and what makes it even nicer is that it is your design - no plans involved. That's the only way that I build. Post some pics as you build it - I'd love to see how it turns out.

[Sean Wells]

Hickory? Sapelli?