Taking a cue from the Vandwellers on Reddit, I've been working on a sliding bed conversion so I can more easily convert from a bed to seating. The center section of the bed has always been a table, but it was so awkward to raise and then sit down in the space that we never used it. I saw a picture of single bed that slide into a double in Vandwellers and had an epiphany; why not slide out from both seats to make the bed and ditch the table all together?
Here's what I started with:
First I replaced the table and the tops of the seats with 1/2" baltic birch plywood slats. Half the slats extend out on each side to make the bed:
Here the slats are extended and meet in the middle to make the bed platform:
Here it is with the cushions in place for seating:
Here's the first step in converting to a bed, slide the slats out and then toss the seat backs onto the slats:
Here it is as a bed.
I think the bed is more comfortable now, the slats seem to have a little more give than the solid plywood sheet they replace. It's a lot lighter than before, that's for sure. This has been a challenging mod, I found all the places where the bed area was out of square. You also have to build the sliders upside down from the top of the seats so it's confusing trying to keep all the measurements straight. I still have a few tweaks to make and I have to apply the finish but I'm looking forward to trying it out!
Bruce