Lola, The Petroleum Falcon - Page 9

rockbender · 05-12-2015, 12:48 AM

Sorry - Just realized we were talking about a PH bed here! I was thinking it was a lower bunk - I should have caught on to the 39.5" measurement.

Everyone is correct about getting a low stack height. You want to maximize the space between your platform and the poptop for bedding storage, mattress, etc.

In our old van, I made my PH bed out of 3/4" ply. Two things to take into consideration here: First, use good multi layer ply. Second, make sure you run it the strong way, that is the grain running across the supports/transverse to the van.

If want some piece of mind, there are a few options:
Find some good 1 1/8" ply. This will be heavier, but should be plenty strong.

I've been getting some nice 1/2" sanded hardwood ply for about $35 a sheet. It is a bit more expensive than standard, but is notably stiffer and lighter. You could glue and screw two pieces of that together and be in good shape.

If you have the head clearance, my final suggestion would be to go with the 3/4" ply and screw 2x2 ribs along the bottom such that they are about 2-3" shorter than the ply on each end so they don't bear on the penthouse bed frame, like the ones built by CCV here:

Dia · 05-12-2015, 02:53 PM

OK, I submit for your approval 1 1/8 tongue & groove sheathing plywood. $50. Looks like a lot of plies.

I can run some angles around the edges, and/or use the metal braces pictured earlier running crosswise to help prevent tacoing.

rallypanam · 05-12-2015, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dia

OK, I submit for your approval 1 1/8 tongue & groove sheathing plywood. $50. Looks like a lot of plies.

I can run some angles around the edges, and/or use the metal braces pictured earlier running crosswise to help prevent tacoing.

More than adequate.. and most lumberyards can cut it to size for you. Maybe $1 a cut.

boywonder · 05-13-2015, 10:48 AM

Hi Dia: 2 x 10's will certainly work, but they are heavy and 1 1/2" tall, which doesn't leave a lot for foam......

2x4's will also work fine, again thick and heavy.

As Rockbender mentioned, slats with a bottom skin (even a very thin bottom skin like 1/8" BB ply) will give you a light, strong panel. I used cherry because I had leftovers and the rest of my trim is cherry, but I would consider using 3/4" oak slats and 1/8" BB bottom skin.

Oak is extremely strong/tough for wood. Oak slats would give you a light strong panel that is 1" thick, leaving another 4" for foam. The 4" of foam on my setup touches the PH when it's down. You need to glue the 1/8" skin to all of the slats and the perimeter. I would staple the skin to the slats; the staples will keep it together while the glue dries. The skin needs to be intimately bonded to the slats/frame. Use regular yellow PVA wood glue like tite-bond or Elmers, etc.

If you do a non-monolithic design, the slats should be 39.5" long.

A solid piece of 1 1/8" sub floor plywood will be extremely heavy.......If you are not planning on moving it once up in the PH, it will work fine. If you want to tie it to the ceiling or move it for headroom, that's another story. Just thinking about lifting that makes my hernia ache.

The various constraints are:

You want the thickness of the structure as tall as possible for stiffness.

You are limited to a total (structure + foam) height of 5" to fit under the PH

You (well me anyway.....) want it light enough to be manageable.

You can make the structural frame part taller at the expense of losing foam thickness.

Here are a few other considerations...

BB ply is void free, has 11 plys and is flat and accurate, but it's quite heavy.

You can also use 1/8" masonite or aluminum etc for skins......masonite is also heavy. You cannot easily glue aluminum to the frame, although you could screw it, but you would need lots of screws to get the skin to share the load.

I've never ripped apart an SMB bed, but there is a thread here with one partially pulled apart. I am under the impression that the SMB platform is slats with skins on both sides.

rallypanam · 05-13-2015, 11:56 AM

My two cents more..

On our old van we used 3/4 maple plywood, cut to proper width and then into two pieces. Worked great, we have a total weight, with dog, of almost 370lbs, without bedding, clothes, etc etc.

Dia · 05-13-2015, 02:02 PM

Thanks, everyone! Much appreciated.

My mad scientist side has kicked in and I have a cunning plan.... (You know, the kind that's usually followed by the words "Hold my beer and watch this!)

Items have been ordered, and we'll be picking up the lumber this weekend. There's a deadline on this cuz we've got plans for Memorial Day and they don't involve a tent.*

*Ok, they do involve a tent, but only for the teenagers.

boywonder · 05-17-2015, 05:40 PM

No worries, you can always sleep on the floor......

Dia · 08-09-2015, 08:48 PM

Installed the lower bed supports back in May, along with 2x10s for the PH bed. For my upcoming trip to Spokane, I need the lower bed finished as I'll want to sleep with the top down about half the time.

I spent part of today making a cardboard template (thank you Amazon for the boxes), so I should be ready for plywood tomorrow.

For the Spokane trip, I'm going to leave the platform in a single piece just for the sake of having it done. Later, though, I'll want to work out a more flexible solution involving piano hinges and/or cutting the platform into 2 or more independent pieces for easier loading and access to cargo.

It probably sounds like a small thing to get excited over, but I'm not at all handy. I've been determined to do as much of this myself as I can for the sake becoming a little more handy, and for the sake of feeling like it's MY van, you know?

At any rate, I'm pleased with myself for putting together the template and not making as much of a fool of myself as I thought I would.

The upper bed has a 2.5 inch layer of memory foam for padding. It's decently comfy up there, and plenty warm with our 0 degree bag.

Maybe after living with the plywood lower bed for awhile, I'll trust it enough to go plywood upstairs, but for now, my clunky 2x10s get the job done.

New purchases: a hitch step and a locking pin. It ain't Aluminess, but it'll do.

boywonder · 08-09-2015, 09:16 PM

You gonna post a few pics?

I bought a small aluminum hitch step (smittybuilt brand) and I use it heavily....best $22 I've spent in a long time.

Dia · 08-10-2015, 11:23 AM

Pics, huh? Lemme see... Ask and you shall receive.

First off, I needed some liquid encouragement, and fortunately the previous owner had installed a handy-dandy drink holder right where I needed it.

Then I needed to get my tools in order. The box cutter is to help me find the bolt holes that had been covered over in some sort of chewing-gum-type stickum, a foil and Saran Wrap layer, then a thin foam layer. And this under the felt chunks that are under the carpet. No clue if that stuff was home brew or SMB-standard.

Then I spent some time getting acquainted with ratchets, bolts and brackets. Hat tip to SCBrian for sending me the bolts! You guys warned me that this would take awhile without an electric ratchet, and yeah, it did. Especially the part where I installed the brackets backwards and in the wrong pattern.