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I have several inquiries regarding building a platform bed.
1. Maximum slat width (not gap width)
2. Side rail width
3. General Design
1. Does anyone know what maximum slat width could safely be used before it becomes a ventilation problem? There are a lot of articles that talk about maximum gap width, but not maximum slat width. This could be useful info to have because if we could say use slats that are 5.5″ wide, they would be stronger than thinner ones and that would open up lumber options. Sometimes, people give away piles of wood of various sizes, so having more options is a good thing.
2. For a queen-sized bed, do you think 1×8 pine board would be sufficient for side rails? I didn’t understand a lot of the lumber strength numbers for various types of wood and how to calculate a 1×8 piece of Pine versus say Oak and how much force/weight it could hold. If anyone knows how to calculate this, please let me know.
3. I am thinking about making side rails 1x8x80″, a middle support 1x8x80″ and end rails 1x8x58.5″. Slats would be laid directly on top of the side/end rails and screwed in. I might use a metal bracket on the inside of the 4 corners. Thoughts?