290 replies to this topic

[Hodakaguy]

Time to finished off the bed build that I started earlier last summer.  

Last summer when I finished the aluminum adjustable bed frames camping season started and I threw some scrap plywood I had onto the frames and secured them with ratchet straps.   This setup got us through the summer but with winter here It's time to finish it off before hitting the open road once again.

Here's a shot of the bed frames in the van with the temporary plywood installed.




And the bare frames.








With the frames removed I took them into the shop to sketch out the measurements for the top boards.






With the quick sketch in hand I headed down to the store to snag a couple sheets of 1/2" Baltic Bertch Plywood.








Next stop was to visit my buddy Mike at VanLab, Mike is an up-fitter and has a commercial CNC router that made quick work of cutting out the bed frame tops.  Thanks Mike!

Transferring the drawings to cad.



 

Continued Below....

[Hodakaguy]

Continued From Above...

 

And setting up the Router to cut.








And away it goes.......This thing is soooooooo sweet!
 

Video Clip of the router in action:

Mike approves!






Quick test fit on a frame...yep that should work nicely.




While the second frame was being cut we went over all the edges with a router for a nice smooth finish.






Heading back home




Tops sitting on the frames, one extended and one collapsed.   The oval sections will provide ventilation to the mattress and prevent moisture/mold from forming.








Now to weld on mounting tabs, drill and counter bore the holes in the tops, seal the tops and assemble everything.

More to come.....

Hodakaguy

 

Edited by Hodakaguy, 16 January 2021 - 02:53 PM.

[Happyjax]

Merry Christmas Everyone :-)



Hodakaguy

Hodakaguy I love your builds!

Fragilè

Edited by Happyjax, 16 January 2021 - 10:00 PM.

[Hodakaguy]

Hodakaguy I love your builds!

Fragilè

Thanks Mate, Gotta love a classic leg lamp :-)

 

Hodakaguy

[Hodakaguy]

Time to get the tops mounted to the frames.  Originally I planned on welding tabs to the frame and using bolts to attach the two, after staring at it a bit in the garage I decided to use aluminum TRIC-nuts instead (Like Rivet Nuts) as they would be faster and cleaner than tabs.

Here I'm getting ready to start installing the TRIC-nut thread inserts.




I had a scrap piece of tubing on the bench so I installed one of the TRIC-nuts for a test fit and to show how it functions.

Here's the TRIC-nut.




Drilling the hole and installing the TRIC-nut.














Using a standard Rivet Nut Setting tool to compress the TRIC-nut




And BAM....instant threads.  Threads stayed nice and centered in the hole, perfect.






Next I clamped the wooden top onto the frame to prepare it for marking and drilling.






Measured and marked center line of the aluminum tubing them marked where I wanted the bolts to be placed.  Using a small pilot bit I drilled through the board and into the aluminum.








Next I up-sized the pilot holes in the frame to 3/8" to fit the TRIC-nuts.




And installed and set all the TRIC-nuts in place.




Continued Below....

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

 

Deburring the holes.








Next I drilled out the holes in the boards to 1/4" and counter sunk them for the bolts.






Test fitting the panel.  Fits great!








One panel down.....




And the second panel complete.




Next up all the wood panels were sanded to 240 grit in preparation for sealing.  I'm using OSMO Polyx-Oil (See Below) to seal the boards and you don't want to go any smoother than 240 Grit as you need some grain for the oil to soak into the wood.




I'm using OSMO Polyx-oil in Clear Satin to seal the boards.  OSMO is great stuff!  Human safe and can be applied without making a mess, love the natural finish it provides.  Stir the product really well before use and every now and then while you work.  To apply the OSMO you use a non abrasive 3M pad and apply a really thin layer of OSMO.  Work the oil into the the wood (Can go with or against the grain with the non abrasive pad).  Once the wood is fully covered you take a fresh piece of pad and rub it all down again until there are no "wet" spots left and your left with a nice smooth finish.  Wait 8-10 hrs and apply a second coat with the same technique and you have a nice sealed finished product.

Note: The links below are my Amazon Affiliate links, I make a small portion each time someone purchases from Amazon using one of my links, at no extra cost to the buyer. I only provide links to items that I personally like and use myself. i use the money to put back into my builds and support making videos/posts. If you prefer not to use my links you can search for the same items directly off Amazon. Thank you for the support!

OSMO Polyx-Oil: Available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2XKMgxo
3M White Application Pads:  Available on Amazon Here: https://amzn.to/3imLlgj






Applying the first coat.  Love the finish!








Hanging up to dry.




All the boards are now complete with the first coat, will apply the second coat in 8-10hrs.

More to come soon....

Hodakaguy

 

 

[goinoregon]

thx Hguy !  i have been using some water based poly on some baltic birch projects, and after 3 coats it provides a nice finished surface.  does the osmo give you a finished smooth surface after 2 coats?   with smooth finish ?

thx

go

[Hodakaguy]

thx Hguy !  i have been using some water based poly on some baltic birch projects, and after 3 coats it provides a nice finished surface.  does the osmo give you a finished smooth surface after 2 coats?   with smooth finish ?
thx
go

Yeah its completely smooth after the 1st and second coat, no further sanding needed. I used the same application process as in this YouTube video and it worked great! OSMO is great stuff! Here's the video link:https://youtu.be/LHmZox9WWSE

[Hodakaguy]

All together......

Up early the next morning to apply the second coat of OSMO to the boards, then let them dry. Later that afternoon I started the assembly process.




I used Loctite 243 on the bolts that thread into the aluminum TRIC-nuts, and Antiseize on the 4 bolts with Nylocks.














One panel assembled.






Here's a look again at the horizontal mounting rail. This rail can move up and down the vertical L-track to adjust the bed height. The bed itself will expand in and out as the bed goes up and down to accommodate for the walls being closer together as you go up.






Contined below.....

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

And both panels back in the Van. Pretty happy with how they turned out.



















And a shot of the Mule overhead storage bags.








Now I'll let the OSMO fully cure for a day or so then throw the mattress back in. Now on to a few other finishing details.

More to come....

Hodakaguy