Help with Aerobed frame?

[me]

Maybe you guys can offer some advice?

I'm 48 yr old male suffer from GERD. This means I need to have my bed head abt 6 inches higher than my feet...maybe even a bit more.

I'm going back to college soon and will be moving. Have gotten rid of all heavy furniture that requires two people and a truck to move. Want to live light and mobile.

My problem has been how to develop a bed that allows this.

I recently bought an Aerobed from Costco and it would work fine if I could figure out some way to raise the head up higher than feet.

Link to Aerobed

the idea that maybe a light wooden frame that breaks down for transport would work. In other words.... create something like a water bed frame where the air mattress sets down in the box frame.... thus allowing me to put some support under the front of bed to raise it up abt 6 inches

However....I'm NOT a woodworker at all. Have no woodworking tools at all

Could I buy something like this? Or have it made? If yes Id need some plans.

Bottom line...any advice or help out there on how to go abt this?

Maybe just buy a waterbed frame and use the air mattress instead?

[bremen68]

I have a few ideas for you.

You could purchase a standard bed frame (with a footboard) that would fit the size aero matress that you purchased and elevate the head of the bed with blocks under the feet. I'm thinking you could use anything from decorative pavers to blocks of wood. 6" wouldn't be harsh and agle. If you're bed would be on hard surface flooring there might be a sliding problem....Not sure if that would be the case though.

Another option for building something would be to make a rope or slat bed. Here's a site that shows the plans for making one....

can go as basic or expensive as you like. Depending on if you want to tighten ropes on a regular basis I'd think you'd proably want to install rail runners on the side of the bed and use slats for your support instead of the ropes. The materials are relatively inexpensive, they're really easy to make. The tools are a measuring tape, jigsaw, and a drill with some bits. I made one of these beds in one evening.

Modify the plans a bit to angle the rail runners and there ya go... You have your elevation.

Just my humble mumblings.... Good luck!

[cselby]

Do what every other college kid has done. Steal cinder blocks from a nearby construction site and use for furniture building or in your case, bed raising. When you move out the blocks stay behind and the next tenant can have the advantage of a semi furnished room.

[me]

Hi and thanks for the help!!

Elevating the bed isn't hard as I've a pair of what looks to be plastic flower pots but you set them inverted on floor so that the top bed legs fit in them and are elevated.

So how to elevate it really isn't my problem. Cause that's what I'm doing with traditional mattress now

But.... there are sliding problems. After several nights the mattress slides down and you need to hoist it back up

So..... I need some kind of "box" for the actual mattress to set in regardless if the mattress is an air mattress or traditional heavy cloth mattress.

My "idea" was a box that came up on say abt half or two thirds of the mattress. That way its contained but you don't have that hard edge right there at top of mattress to bump against or set on. Instead you just get a "lip" all around that keeps mattress from slipping down.

HEY!! Now there is an idea!! might just work!

I take it the entire bed is held together by rope tension? No fasteners at all right?

Again.... I need something VERY easy for one person to transport and haul around. I don't want to have to depend on friends to help me mover or anything.

I don't suppose I could buy this bed already made and cut out could I?

[me]

How is that going to raise the bed head without the air mattress sagging or bending in the middle?

[me]

here is what I was talking abt in other post

They are called bed lifts

I need is some kind of portable "frame" to contain the air mattress.... I can still use the lifts under front/top edge of bed to elevate

[bremen68]

The rope bed shown on the link I showed does rely on just the tension of the ropes to hold it together. A slight modification to this would be to drill a hole in the tongue of the cross boards and pin them in place.

When it's broken down you have 8 pieces of lumber to transport. 4 legs, 2 rails, and 2 cross beams. If you choose to do planks instead of rope you have three or 4 of those too. When you attach the rails or drill the holes for the ropes you can just alter the angle and then you won't even have to prop it up.

[me]

Not sure what you mean by "rails"

What are the rails for?

[bremen68]

Instead of drilling holes for the ropes in the side of the bed you attach a rail along the same place with screws and glue. You can then run boards across to support the mattress.

It's a preference thing. If you don't mind tightening the ropes occasionally (about once a week or so) then they should be fine and you'd have less lumber to haul around. You'd probably need at least three additional boards to use as cross planks to support the mattress.

I'm thinking w