Bradywgn71 1,040 Posted October 3, 2019 Nice work!! Thanks for sharing. A sleep platform is still on our bucket list! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 5,879 Posted October 4, 2019 working on the sleeping platform... piano hinges attached with t-nuts should make for joints that can handle plenty of weight, but also makes for a lot of work! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 5,879 Posted October 4, 2019 (edited) pro tip: when measuring or planning each part, always err on the side of leaving more clearance! i found myself in the bad habit of doing the opposite - i.e. i'd keep thinking i could squeeze in another 1/4" of something here or there. it nearly bit me in the ass a couple times already on this project. for example, the new drawer comes much closer to my tailgate table than i had expected... fortunately it does open, but only barely. i had been waffling about the overall width of the base early on and should have gone with the smaller number! so the lesson learned is that an extra little bit of storage or whatever probably won't matter, but missing a little bit of clearance might make all the difference when everything comes together. Edited October 4, 2019 by theksmith 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 5,879 Posted October 5, 2019 (edited) the sleep platform is almost complete! it still fits my standard 25" width inflatable mattress pad and section of foam just right. i've just got to finish some stops to hold it in the folded and upright position behind the back seat. the whole platform is detachable thanks to some aptly named take-apart hinges from Sugatsune. the 3 sections fold up like an accordion. the 2 supports for it are about 43" long and are also removable. they store easily between the rear factory cage and hard-top. these vertical supports rest on the folded down rear seat and quickly attach to the back of the drawer case with some additional take-apart hinges (but in 4" heavy duty flag style). i routed grooves into the front-most portion of the platform that these supports lock into. the interlocking along with those heavy duty vertical hinges keep the supports from twisting or folding over. i don't have a plunge router, but was able to make do with my little Ryobi edge trimmer using multiple passes (going a little deeper each time). me testing the whole idea out on the garage floor: the rear floor/base and drawer case are a total of 8" thick. this works out perfect with my 4" inflatable pad plus 1" of foam to bring the top of the sleep surface even with the center armrest - giving just a little more width to set the pillow on. getting up on the platform from the driver's side rear seat still works fine, and everything is actually more stable and rigid than i expected. i'm glad i didn't go any taller on the drawer though. i have just the right amount of space between the matress and bottom of my rear shelf for my feet to not be cramped. i just need to wrap up a few minor details on the sleep setup and then i can work on the new fridge slide. Edited October 5, 2019 by theksmith 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgaz 752 Posted October 6, 2019 (edited) Very Nicely done Kris! I love your design using the forward supports and the take apart hinges. Lots of thought went into this build. And craftsmanship! Question: What is the purpose of the two staggered holes in your platform over the drawer itself? Observation: If you have a problem with the tee nuts snagging on your bedding (or interfering with anything else), you could unseat the nut and slightly recess it into a counterbore. A forstner bit makes a flat bottomed hole that would serve well as a counterbore. You wouldn’t have to go too deep which is good, considering your use of 1/2” plywood. A forstner bit might be a bit tricky to pilot in an existing hole, but I have a lot of real counter bore bits with different sized , replaceable, pilots and I think we could find something that would do the job. If you’re not having any issues, please disregard the above paragraph. Again, nicely done! Edited October 6, 2019 by jgaz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 5,879 Posted October 6, 2019 (edited) thank you Jim, indeed i have spent a lot of time planning this all out! those holes in the top of the drawer case are access to the screws that hold the whole assembly to the Jeep. there are actually 3 and they mirror the 3 screw heads that you see on the driver side here: that top plate has to get screwed on before everything can go into Jeep... i had to put its pocket holes on the outside of the drawer case since even my right angle drill wouldn't fit inside of it for final assembly. Edited October 7, 2019 by theksmith 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 5,879 Posted October 7, 2019 On 10/5/2019 at 7:42 PM, jgaz said: Observation: If you have a problem with the tee nuts snagging on your bedding (or interfering with anything else), you could unseat the nut and slightly recess it into a counterbore. A forstner bit makes a flat bottomed hole that would serve well as a counterbore. You wouldn’t have to go too deep which is good, considering your use of 1/2” plywood. A forstner bit might be a bit tricky to pilot in an existing hole, but I have a lot of real counter bore bits with different sized , replaceable, pilots and I think we could find something that would do the job. good tip, i think i have them snugged in really well but it would have been a nice touch to have recessed them for appearance even - i think i'll leave them alone at this point though. i did switch away from stainless t-nuts and screws though. those worked well in the last version with the soft plastic Starboard, but i kept getting folded over prongs when trying to use stainless in plywood. i also had problems when seating them with the screws galling. i haven't had any problems since i switched to regular zinc plated steel hardware. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ob1jeeper 858 Posted October 7, 2019 2 hours ago, theksmith said: i did switch away from stainless t-nuts and screws though. those worked well in the last version with the soft plastic Starboard, but i kept getting folded over prongs when trying to use stainless in plywood. i also had problems when seating them with the screws galling. i haven't had any problems since i switched to regular zinc plated steel hardware. The reason for this issue is that unless specifically heat treated (read that $$$$), most (*) SS fasteners are approx double the ductility, and 1/2 the tensile strength of std grade 2 steel fasteners. (*) disclaimer: Did not mean this to be a blanket condemnation of SS fasteners, as they certianly have thier place, particularly in high corrosive environments, (when properly sized & matched to similar non-galvanic components). Just wanted readers to understand that for the vast majority of the uses in the types of things we typically construct for our overloading projects, that SS is an un-necessary expense, and may even be an inferior choice... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 5,879 Posted October 8, 2019 i re-used the same thin magnetic catches from my previous platform to keep the sleep platform sections together when folded up. recessed 1/8" x 1" aluminum strips rest against a couple rubber stops that i screwed to the FrontRunner shelf. i used 1" round furniture leg glides for these. the whole platform wedges pretty securely between the seat-back and the shelf. however, after a test drive on a good washboard road, i did find that it could still slide to one side and loosen up on the take-apart hinges just enough to make a slight rattle. to prevent that i added these small black right-angle brackets to each stop. and with that, the sleep platform is all done except for final painting. i also started making the fridge slide last night - the end to this whole project is finally in sight! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ob1jeeper 858 Posted October 8, 2019 5 hours ago, theksmith said: i re-used the same thin magnetic catches from my previous platform to keep the sleep platform sections together when folded up. recessed 1/8" x 1" aluminum strips rest against a couple rubber stops that i screwed to the FrontRunner shelf. i used 1" round furniture leg glides for these. the whole platform wedges pretty securely between the seat-back and the shelf. however, after a test drive on a good washboard road, i did find that it could still slide to one side and loosen up on the take-apart hinges just enough to make a slight rattle. to prevent that i added these small black right-angle brackets to each stop. and with that, the sleep platform is all done except for final painting. i also started making the fridge slide last night - the end to this whole project is finally in sight! Lookin' Sharp Kris... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
