Ash timber for a bed build ?

[worsley947]

Good evening clever folk out there, could I use ash timber to make a king size bed and what timber would you suggest for making the slats
If not which timber would you suggest as we want it in a light wood
I look forward to your reply
Many thanks
Dave

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Ash? Why not? It's an attractive wood. It's good for your slats, so long as straight grained (which it probably will be) - it's used in cart wheels, shovel handles, axe hafts, all sorts for its strength, flexibility and ability to absorb shock.

 

[joinerdan]

I built a bed recently and bought the pre sprung slats from ikea, cost £40 for a super king. Bed frame made from pine. One thing to note, the slats creaked and squeaked where they rubbed on the ledger they were sat on. In the end I fitted some rubber strips under each slat. No more squeak!

 

[AndyT]

I'd also recommend getting the pre-made slats from Ikea. I bought some for a single bed I made a few years ago and they were less than buying the materials would have been, plus they come with a built in upwards curve so they don't sag. I used some long-life EPDM self-adhesive draught excluder strip along the battens on each side, where the ends sit.

Use your nice ash where it shows!

 

[rxh]

I made this one from ash and used ordinary PAR softwood for the slats.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

I do not wish to seem controversial, however, I cannot understand why everyone accepts, or wants woodedn slats on their beds?

POW were forced to sleep on wood slatted beds, a luxury compared to a damp concrete floors for sure but as a modern bed?? why do we want them. I suspect due to the clever marketing ( to deliver a cheap and inexpensive bed)

I have slept on more sprung base MOD transit beds, with a 2" thick foam mattress then I care to recall, however, one thing I remember is the comfort of them compared to my own 10" 'luxury' mattress at home.

How many of us suffer sleeping problems, including aching joints, backs and especially shoulder and neck problems. We are all getting bigger and heavier yet we strive to sleep on a rigid (or near) base.

After all, we spend approx 1/3 of our lives in bed, might as well be comfortable.

David

 

[AndyT]

David, you make a good point that the base and mattress need to be thought about together, to get a comfortable combination. But I can reassure you that there are plenty of mattress options about which work best on a firm base. When we bought our last mattress, we moved it off the display sprung divan and onto the shop floor to try it out - and it's perfect.

Firm bases also tend to last longer than metal sprung ones. A firm base needs to have gaps in it to ventilate the mattress and allow natural dust to fall through. (If you have to use solid plywood for a base, there are special ventilating mats available to go between mattress and base.)

 

[DiscoStu]

The slats in our bed are about 8" - 10" wide with about a 2" gap between the boards. A decent mattress is essential with any bed. You spend 1/3 of your life in bed so best to spend out on it.


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[Phil Pascoe]

We have a large deep memory foam mattress. If you feel tempted to buy one of these, try to try one out first. Swmbo loves it - I think it's about the most uncomfortable thing I've ever slept on. Unfortunately it cost an arm and a leg, so it's here to stay.

 

[bugbear]

Good evening clever folk out there, could I use ash timber to make a king size bed and what timber would you suggest for making the slats
If not which timber would you suggest as we want it in a light wood
I look forward to your reply
Many thanks
Dave

Ash for both frame and slats - ideal.

BugBear

 

[woodenstx]

jumping in on this as I plan to make a king size bed in the coming months.
Our matteress is knackered as its atleast 10 years old, but its on flat slats that have no give. Littleuns bed is a meta frame with spring spruce slats and a much newer matteress. The sprung slat bed is comfy but feels like its got a hill in the middle (maybe because the small person hasnt enough weight to sag it all in properly). I dont want the hill feeling in our bed.... Should I opt for sprung slats or regular slats, or will the matteress choice decide that for us?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have seen light weight ones sprung upwards - it seems to be so that they flatten out with weight on them rather than sag. It shouldn't matter with heavier slats. I must admit if I were making one I would have storage under it and a solid base. (assuming a nice Sealey contract mattress, or similar).

 

[custard]

Good evening clever folk out there, could I use ash timber to make a king size bed and what timber would you suggest for making the slats
If not which timber would you suggest as we want it in a light wood
I look forward to your reply
Many thanks
Dave

Ash is a great choice. And you're lucky to be close to some good timber yards, English Woodlands Timber have always been friendly and helpful when I've bought from them,

http://www.englishwoodlandstimber.co.uk

 

[Bluekingfisher]

We have a large deep memory foam mattress. If you feel tempted to buy one of these, try to try one out first. Swmbo loves it - I think it's about the most uncomfortable thing I've ever slept on. Unfortunately it cost an arm and a leg, so it's here to stay.

Exactly the same for me, wife, small and light, loves the memory foam, me bigger and heavier, absolute nightmare, worst thing ever. They cost a fortune, so until I can figure a way to get rid of it, it is my penance for being taken in by the sales pitch.

We even had a comfort station test session not long ago, whereby lying on a bed with sensors identified where the weight is displaced on any given bed. The weight was all on my upper body, neck and shoulders. The slatted beds with similar mattresses came back with the heavier weight shown on the upper body. Sprung bases distribute the weight more ensuring less pressure on the neck.

I will never buy a slatted bed again, poor design, cheap to produce yet expensive to buy. If you are a small individual you may get away with a slatted bed.

I am sure any one on the large side can testify when they get up in the morning feeling stiff and sore if hey sleep on a slatted bed.

David

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I wasn't taken in by any sales pitch - mine was bought without my knowledge.

 

[BearTricks]

I was under the impression that a firm base was better than soft because it keeps the spine straight instead of forcing it in to an unnatural curve.

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[Lons]

I built our kingsize bed at least 20 years ago though it's just pine (ash would be an excellent choice btw), and the base is solid ply with loads of 25mm holes drilled for ventilation. Andys' comment about ventilation mats is very interesting as I haven't heard of those so will google that.

The bed has been excellent and so far we've changed the mattress 3 times and not had a problem with any of them. All being at least 9 or 10" thick, sprung and with top layer memory foam and all being specified medium to firm. I've had back problems for well over 30 years and a laminectomy op 27 years ago and I don't have sleeping problems.

I've just ordered out next mattress after much more research (http://www.sleepingduck.com/uk/?gclid=C ... wwodDqAGSg) so win win all round for us. Solid memory foam doesn't appear to be the way forward despite the hard sales pitch. Choosing a mattress in a shop is useless unless you're buying the base as well as you can bet your life it will be different on your base.

Bob

 

[Bm101]

I built a bed recently and bought the pre sprung slats from ikea, cost £40 for a super king. Bed frame made from pine. One thing to note, the slats creaked and squeaked where they rubbed on the ledger they were sat on. In the end I fitted some rubber strips under each slat. No more squeak!

No need to boast. 8)

 

[AndyT]

This is the sort of under mattress mat I was talking about. Often used in boats, caravans etc where there's a potential for condensation under a mattress.

http://www.practicalsurfaceware.com/product-categories/airmata-anti-moisture-mattress-spacer.html

 

[no idea]

I built my king size bed using ash for both the frame and slats. In hindsight I would have made the slats from spruce/pine/tulipwood (basically something cheaper but thicker than the ash). Finished with Danish oil and beeswax, the ash looks lovely.