Which Plywood for Bed Slats

[sams93]

So I am making a rather large bed, and am planning to use flat 3/4" ply for the bed slats (With a central support). I can get hold of birch plywood at fairly reasonable prices, but ovbiously hardwood ply is cheaper.

Is there any reason not to use hardwood ply over birch ply for the bed slats which I will never see again until I move house and have to dissasemble it all....

 

[yetloh]

I can't see any technical reason why you should not use cheaper hardwood ply but I wouldn't simply for the reason that the surcing of so much of it is dubious and unsustainable, their is a reason why it is cheap. If you can source birch ply at what you describe as a reasonable price, then why not?

Jim

 

[Orraloon]

What ply used will not make as much difference as the difference between ply and solid wood. I would first check how bendy it is for the width its going to span. Ply will sag more than solid wood as half the layers have the grain running crosswise.
Regards
John

 

[sometimewoodworker]

So I am making a rather large bed, and am planning to use flat 3/4" ply for the bed slats (With a central support). I can get hold of birch plywood at fairly reasonable prices, but ovbiously hardwood ply is cheaper.

Is there any reason not to use hardwood ply over birch ply for the bed slats which I will never see again until I move house and have to dissasemble it all....

Plywood slats are a bad idea, as has been mentioned plywood is weak compared to a reasonable quality wood. Also 3/4“ ply is certainly not strong enough.

You can use it if you form it into “I” beams but by itself it isn’t strong enough, quit likely even if you use it in sheet form it won’t be strong enough unless you re-enforce it.

If you are dead set on using plywood then use construction grade material, hardwood and birch plywood are designed for aesthetic use rather than strength.

This is our bed

 

[KeenToLearn]

I know you may want to make it all yourself, but presprung plywood slats available which would save time/ effort? Link

 

[robgul]

I know you may want to make it all yourself, but presprung plywood slats available which would save time/ effort? Link

I was going to say exactly this - having made quite a few beds anything else doesn't work as well/isn't as comfortable

 

[Jones]

Ply slats will not be as strong as pine slats due to all the cross grain. Flexible pre sprung slats can make the mattress feel very different in a way you may or may not like.

 

[XTiffy]

Hafele list ready made bed slats amongst other bed fittings.

 

[pe2dave]

I made a double bed 50 years ago. 1" softwood slats. Still good today.

 

[Jameshow]

Hafele list ready made bed slats amongst other bed fittings.

As do IKEA I think.

 

[Sideways]

Just buy presprung slats from ikea. You can't make them for the same money.
They have a soft feel.

But a good mattress maker will tell you to put their matress on a solid base and to board over slats if you have them, so may be best not to use slats at all.

 

[Orraloon]

Just buy presprung slats from ikea. You can't make them for the same money.
They have a soft feel.

But a good mattress maker will tell you to put their matress on a solid base and to board over slats if you have them, so may be best not to use slats at all.

I thought the whole idea of slats was to allow the underside of the mattress to breathe.
Regards
John

 

[Sideways]

No idea.
Solid slab foam matresses are non reversible and don't breathe.
But proper handmade traditional matresses maybe do.
Both recommend a solid base.

 

[bp122]

When I made my boy's bed frame, I used softwood slats. But it didn't cost me a penny as I used slats from a bed someone was throwing away. This is strong enough for both him and I to be jumping on it

All I had to do was cut them to the correct length.

For no money, if you hunt around, you can get hardwood / softwood slats which are the right bits for the job.

Or you can go down the pre sprung slats.

Third option would be as someone said, use ply to construct an I-beam or T-beam, but this would be a less efficient use of materials for this application.

 

[steve66]

My double bed I made , off the shelf 3x1 pine slats with the central support you say you are going to use has worked well for me