Introduction: Hybrid Pipe Bed

Hi All,

First off, thank you for the creators of the Pipe Dream and Aluminum Pipe beds for my inspiration.  I decided I wanted to do something like them but make it a hybrid.  It has taken a lot of elbow grease, many wandering visits to Home Depot, numerous phone calls and tons of frustration.

Background: My original idea was to use aluminum pipes to create a frame large enough for a queen but use crossover slip-on pipe fittings so that I can easily adjust and take it apart whenever I want since I move a lot.  I wanted the head legs to be longer than the tail legs and the base to be a couple of inches longer and wider than my bed.  I really wanted to avoid Home Depot at all costs but I couldn't find a place that sold aluminum pipes.  The total cost ended up being around $400 for the Kee Lite fittings, $100 for the EMT pipes, $20 for the leg caps, $30? for the wood slats.  I have practically no proper tools and live in a teeny studio so I was as restricted in doing a lot of things I really wanted to do.  I also planned this project horribly because of my impatience among other things.

Step 1: Prep Work

Galvanized pipe was out of the question for me as it was too heavy for a wooden floor so I ended up using EMT pipe at Home Depot after hunting around everywhere for aluminum.  Unfortunately, I didn't know that EMT pipe does not have the same outer dimension (OD) as galvanized pipe before I bought the speedrailers.  I wasn't too worried about it supporting me as I am slim for my size and I am using a 12" memory foam bed from Walmart.

I used a multi-tool and allen wrench. 

I would recommend a leveler, tape measure and a helper.

Step 2: Speedrails

I used DenVogel's aluminum bed suggestion and bought Kee-Lite fittings (also not available locally) from Simplified Building Concepts.  I couldn't find anything cheaper.  You can also try Hollaender speedrails. 

I went with 18 L45s (I left one out of the pic) because I wanted the pipes to stick out the ends.  Yes, that means twice the price when I could've just bought some elbows but I wanted the look. 

I also bought 5 flanges (one extra for the middle), a regular 35 Kee Klamp for the middle, and I have no idea what they are called but 4 tops for the four legs at Home Depot in the electrical section.  The three socket cross was extra support for the middle where I am planning to stick a vertical pipe through so my bed won't sag.

BTW, you can't really tell but if you look at the 35 versus the L45s, the Lites do look a lot better than the regulars.

Step 3: Pipes

This is where everything went wrong.  I couldn't find Aluminum until the day after I bought these 9 EMT 1-1/4" pipes.  I suggest just doing a search for "aluminum pipes" if you want to find a manufacturer.  I actually found a place but I totally forgot about it because I got frustrated.  I also didn't plan the measurements very well because numbers confuse me  You can also try using fencing posts which Home Depot also sells.

I ended up with these at Home Depot and I didn't even use them all.  They sell them by 10' pipes and if you find someone nice (good luck.  Tip, use yelp to find a good location), they will cut it for you.  Beware, they are a lot thinner than galvanized pipe but look so much nicer.  So I went cheap (bad idea) and shrunk my 4 length-wise pipes so I can use the leftover as my end legs.  The other 5 were just cut in half.  I fit everything into my FIT which was one good thing.

After many back and forths, questions and wandering around Home Depot I ended up using the 1-1/4" clear tubing as a spacer to make the EMT pipe actually have an OD of 1-1/4" to fit the slip-on fittings.  Lost yet?  I did find EMT couplers to make the pipes 1-1/4" but they were expensive and I would've had to cut them and glue them to the pipe.

4 - 80" (used 3 for length)
10 - 60" (used 6 for width, 2 for head legs)
4 - 40" (used 2 for the tail legs)

Step 4: Elbow Grease

After many hours of elbow grease I got this headboard and tailboard assembled.  I took the plastic tubing and cut it lengthwise to fit inside the slip-on fittings.  Then I split it open and cut about 1/4 of it off otherwise it wouldn't fit around the pipe.  I wrapped the tubing around the pipe and basically forced it through the slip-on fittings.  Every.  Single.  One.  Not a great idea in the long run but I didn't feel like going out again to a plumbing store to find something better.  There's apparently tape that can do that.  I was also hoping to find rubber tubing that would be a spacer.

The headboard is all 60" pipes.  Don't ask me what the measurements were, I just randomly put them on.  Notice the bottom pipe has a speed rail in the middle.  This is for the 80" pipe to go through and provide support for the wooden slats.

The tailboard legs are 40" and 60".  Again with a slip-on fitting in the middle for the 80" pipe.  Note that the bottom slip-on fittings are wrong.  I had to yank, disassemble, and switch the legs.  Too tired to re-photograph.

Step 5: The Frame

This picture is to show the 80" lengths attached.  Hopefully it is a little clearer now.  I may eventually get a little pipe to go through that middle slip-on fitting to the floor to provide an additional column of support and two width-wise to connect to the other 80".  Also bad planning, that middle length should actually be a few inches longer because I didn't take into account the way the cross-over slip-on fittings add extra inches because they are on different planes.  Just look at the bottom pipe of the tail and you'll see what I mean.  That middle pipe isn't actually going all the way through the slip-on fittings.



Step 6: Almost There

I bought 10 12" length 1x4 and they were supposed to be cut at 5-1/4" lengths.  But of course if you get paid minimum wage it's hard to understand that so some will be longer than others.  I went with this because I wanted the ability to expand or contract the gaps to let through air since I have a memory foam bed and it can get hot during the summer.  Also went with 12" because I can get two slats out of them for one. 

They actually don't lie flat because the middle pipe is millimeters higher than the two on the outside.  Again, too tired to fix it because basically it would require more sweating and a hammer.  Also the middle slip-on fitting is higher so I just placed the slats around it.  I may eventually do something to secure them in place because they are perilously looming on the edge.  But it's ok because I have the middle pipe for extra support.

BTW, that map on the wall is to document all my travels.  I have an America and Europe one on the left. 

Step 7: Yay! Finally! Finishing Touches

I readjusted the vertical position of the width pipes on the tailboard to make it match the height of my bed.  Also realized I had two extra slip-on fittings so I added another width pipe. 

To add protection, I took my extra plastic tubing, cut it to the length of my flange, split it down the middle, splayed it flat, cut it to fit the radius and put it under my flanges.  Also had to add another little strip to fully cover the flange.  Hopefully it'll keep the bed from moving around.

I added the tops to the legs to make it look a little nicer.  They just screwed on.  Wow, one thing that actually fit correctly!  I actually got lucky because when the pipe was cut, it created a thread on the tip of the pipe.

I tried to make everything straight and then tightened it.  It does move around a bit when I force it but it seems to be holding.

I was limited by time, money, living on the third floor with wooden floors so I couldn't make a lot of noise, lack of knowledge and lack of patience.  I also didn't have any help except this website.  A tape measure would've been nice though. 

I will probably upgrade this next year to longer aluminum pipes to make it look more like it's on a platform (it's only about an inch out) but thinking of taking this thing apart is already making me depressed.  At least now I know what I want because I can visually see it and make measurements.  Also trying to figure out what I want to do with the headboard.  I was thinking of adding two pipes to create an "X".  Will also probably add some led lights to the bottom.

So basically this instructable sucks and I wouldn't recommend you follow it.  But hopefully it'll inspire other ideas as the other two beds inspired me.  Anybody brave enough to try using scaffolding or fencing pipes ?