Futon Design: How to Build a Wood Futon
what you'll need
- Pencil
- Chalk box
- Tape measure
- Saw horses
- Jar lid
- Skill saw
- Jig saw
- File
- Sanding block
- Screw gun
- Two sheets of 3/4 inch plywood
- Three door hinges
- 3/4 inch wood screws
- 1 1/2 inch screws
- Eight feet of 2 by 2, number two fir lumber
Futons are great because they can be a couch or a bed. Here is a simple futon design to make your own platform futon frame out of wood.
Step 1 - Layout
Begin with a full sheet of plywood. Lay it out on saw horses and snap a chalk line dividing out a 27 by 75 inch piece. With the other half, lay out a 21 by 63 inch piece. This should leave a 21 by 33 inch piece and a 21 by 27 inch piece.
Using the 21 by 27 inch piece, draw a center line creating two, 13-1/2 by 21 inch pieces. Begin at one end of your center line and lay out a groove, one inch wide and eleven inches long.
Using the 27 by 75 inch piece, draw rounded corners on the two corners on the same 75 inch side, using a pencil and a jar lid. Along the opposite 75 inch side, mark the center point, and the points twelve inches from each end.
Repeat this exact layout with the second sheet of plywood.
Lay out four 21 inch long pieces out of the 2 by 2.
Step 2 - Cut Out
Cut out all the straight cuts with a skill saw and round the corners with a jig saw. Tune up the edges with a file and sand paper. Make multiple passes with the skill saw to create the one inch groove.
Step 3 - Assemble the Base
Begin with the two 21 by 63 inch pieces, and the two 21 by 33 inch pieces of plywood. Using corner butt joints, assemble a frame 21 inches tall, 33 inches wide, and 63 inches long. Secure the corners with the 2 by 2 blocks and screws.
Step 4 - Assemble an X
Use the two 21 by 27 inch pieces. Insert one groove into the other, creating an X with the two pieces of plywood. Place the X, face up, in the center of the base. The X should be 21 inches tall.
Step 5 - Assemble the Platform
Create a 54 by 75 inch platform by screwing the two remaining pieces of plywood together with door hinges. Center the hinges over the center mark and the marks twelve inches in from the edge. Place the platform either flat over the base, or folded with the back leaning against a wall.
This platform futon frame is low cost, light weight and portable. It can be used as a bed or a couch.