Bed platform weight reduction ideas

[DCMikeD]

I have a 48x80 convertible couch/bed in my minivan conversion and I am looking to reduce some of the weight of the platform. The platform is 3/4 inch plywood, 4 equal size panels (20x48) held together by piano hinges.  
My first thought is to drill holes in the platform in a swiss cheese pattern.  Has anyone done this?  I'm trying to decide about hole size and spacing for optimal weight reduction without compromising the structural integrity.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

You can swiss cheese, but I think that change rather than modification might be a better approach.  Instead of one super heavy thick layer shift to two layers of thinner plywood or plexiglass.  What's underneath the plywood?  Is the plywood easily removable?  What do you have more of right now time or money?  How are you set for a work space?

 

[user 423]

My platform is 33x80 and I did drill 2" holes but they mainly are for air circulation. You may want to calculate how much weight you would eliminate. Unless you drilled a lot, I don't think you'd save much.

 

[theBest]

I have a 48x80 convertible couch/bed in my minivan conversion and I am looking to reduce some of the weight of the platform. The platform is 3/4 inch plywood, 4 equal size panels (20x48) held together by piano hinges.  
My first thought is to drill holes in the platform in a swiss cheese pattern.  Has anyone done this?  I'm trying to decide about hole size and spacing for optimal weight reduction without compromising the structural integrity.

How are bridges built to increase their holding capacity, increase their structural strength, while using the least amount of materials?

 

[DCMikeD]

You can swiss cheese, but I think that change rather than modification might be a better approach.  Instead of one super heavy thick layer shift to two layers of thinner plywood or plexiglass.  What's underneath the plywood?  Is the plywood easily removable?  What do you have more of right now time or money?  How are you set for a work space?

Do you mean one solid layer on the bottom with the panels sitting on top that?  That is a really great idea and I wish I had thought of it (or thought to ask) before putting a bunch of time and money into this thing.

 

[MrNoodly]

What's the frame like? A perimeter with some cross bracing? Wood? Metal? How thick? How many cross braces? Side to side or lengthwise or both? Do they align with the hinges?

I ask because the way the frame is built might give us more information on how much the plywood actually contributes to supporting the mattress and you. Three-quarter inches might be overkill. For example, the frame for my twin bed has a perimeter of 2x2 fir with four 2x2 cross braces covered with 1/4" plywood. The legs are steel tubes. It's plenty strong.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

Do you mean one solid layer on the bottom with the panels sitting on top that? 

That really is up to you, there are a lot of possibilities.  You could have two sheets of material lying one on top of the other.  You could bolt or screw them together if one piece is your goal.  You could have a single bottom piece and split top.  I would say that seams over solid would have more strength.  The bottom layer can be more than one piece.  The bottom could be two or three vertical panels and the top could be three horizontal panels.  You cold keep things relatively secure with a bit of hook and loop.  I don't know how much ease of access is a factor, removing two layers could be tedious.  There is no utopia, we just try to make things better as we go.
I hope that helped.

 

[BelgianPup]

Check out "metal mesh bed frames" online and see if something like that would work. Double bed size weighs about 26 lbs. Also provides ventilation.

 

[DCMikeD]

What's the frame like? A perimeter with some cross bracing? Wood? Metal? How thick? How many cross braces? Side to side or lengthwise or both? Do they align with the hinges?

I ask because the way the frame is built might give us more information on how much the plywood actually contributes to supporting the mattress and you. Three-quarter inches might be overkill. For example, the frame for my twin bed has a perimeter of 2x2 fir with four 2x2 cross braces covered with 1/4" plywood. The legs are steel tubes. It's plenty strong.

The frame is wood 2x2's with a perimeter and cross braces that align with the back and middle two hinges when in couch position.  The main goal is reduce some weight of the panels to make is easier to go from bed to couch modes.  Since the bed/couch is a full 48'' wide the panels are heavy and difficult to adjust.

 

[tradesman]

A 2" diameter hole removed from 3/4" plywood is approx. 2/3oz. A 3" hole is almost 1.1/2oz. If you drilled 44 -2" dia. holes (about the maximum amount in a 20" x 48" panel), you'd lose about 2# per panel.
Switching to 1/2" plywood you'd save 4# per panel and not have to drill any holes.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I just recently redid mine. My initial plan was to do what I always do. Bolt some 4x6 beams at either side of the van, then make a platform out of some decent birch ply and 1x2 stiffeners. Then I read some things talking about ventilation and weight.
I realized I always did have kind of icky smelling matteresses in those vans.
So I got a Skorva strut at Ikea. It's a telescoping steel thing that just happens to clip in to the access holes for the side door slide track.
Ended up using 4 of those and 6 slats. So far it's held up excellent with no shifting. Even though I havent bolted anything down!

Lots of ventilation underneath. Not as much clearance as I'd had with my old method. It's about 2-3" thicker.
But it took me 10 minutes to put together.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

1/2" birch plywood. Very strong with little flex. Will save lots of weight.

 

[DCMikeD]

1/2" birch plywood. Very strong with little flex. Will save lots of weight.

Do you think the 1/2" could hold up to 300 lbs (2 people) with 48 inch wide panels and a frame underneath that is 42" wide?

 

[VanFan]

So I got a Skorva strut at Ikea. It's a telescoping steel thing that just happens to clip in to the access holes for the side door slide track.
Ended up using 4 of those and 6 slats.

These look interesting, and I will keep them in mind for a future build.  Noticed they are available through Amazon, along with (presumably) compatible brackets, as an alternative to driving to Ikea.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

You can order delivery from Ikea from their website.