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Designing and Fabricating a Raised Bed Floor That Stands Out

Raised Sheetmetal Bed Floor

ARE YOU LOOKING to make your C10 stand out from the crowd? A way you can truly make your build one of a kind is with a custom bed floor that fits your project and your own unique style. With such a large canvas, you can really let your artistic side come out on full display. 

The steps below are just one of the many ways to get started and your creativity flowing! For custom sheetmetal work like we’ve shown here, you have quite a few ways to go about it. Most are just personal preference, meaning that beyond the basics, there’s no real “right” or “wrong” way to some of what’s shown. There are a ton of amazing fabricators out there who use many different techniques, so don’t be afraid to experiment with what works best for you and your build!

To make sure my new bed floor height is going to clear everything, I use a 360-degree laser level.
Once I have my height set, I sand all the surfaces to get a good weld for the support structure.
Weld in the main structure for the floor and add the cross supports.
Get your wheel tubs set in place and tacked in.
Something I like to do is make all my panels out of chip board before I start cutting sheetmetal. This helps ensure everything is going to fit and I don’t waste any metal. Plus you get good patterns left behind.
Once you start cutting sheetmetal, it always helps to secure it in place with either Cleco clips or sheetmetal screws. I like to use 16-gauge sheetmetal for bed floors.
Now that you have a complete floor, you can start the creative part of the project.
Start laying out the design you want to do in the floor. A few great tools to have ready are a chalk line, markers, and a couple straight edges.
Now that you have laid out a design as one solid panel, it will flow together when it’s finished.
Pick a place to start and get rolling.
My go-to die for projects like this is a 45-degree die. A ton of options are out there, so find the one you like the best and go with it.
Getting closer to have the main floor structure done.
By thinking ahead on layout, any of your added elements will have a nice place to live.
Build your interior side panels to start finishing off the bedsides.
You can leave the side panels flat or add a roll in to both improve its strength and look.
Build the faces of the wheel tubs to finish them off.
If everything came together correctly, all the panels should flow together.
As mentioned earlier, planning allows you to make sure added elements have a home in the finished design.
Here’s another look at the finished bed floor.

 

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