# Murphy Bed



## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

*Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*

We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.

I started with this drawing of the swing pattern:








Then I made a mock up of the pivot section and used the other end for the swing leg development.








I cut some steel and started making the components. I made a pattern of the swing leg and bent some tubing and solid round bar to combing for each curved leg. The tubing has solid in both ends and is welded together.
















After It was tried out and proven, I started on the full size parts. I did make one mistake in clearance for the gas spring. I only left a 1" space between the inside of the vertical wall and the outside of the mattress frame. It should have been 1 1/2" so I had to relocate the gas spring on a bracket in the corner.
This is the bracket in the inside corner and the shot of the pivot mounted without the wall on yet.
(You have to right mouse and hit view image to see that ball and bracket)









Most of the sizes of everything was planned. The walls are 3/4×13 x 85 1/2.
The bed board is 3/4×44 1/2×80 The Frame for the mattress is 3/4X 5 except the end which is 3/4×4 to clear the swing foot. It is designed with 1/4" clearance on the sides. 1" on the bottom and 1/2" on the top.

The handles and stops were the only things that were designed on the fly ( like I usually do things) but this had to be predetermined everywhere.

The pivot is 10 1/2" up from the floor. The travel of the gas spring needs to be at least 11 11/16- the springs are 12" travel and 45#. I had 90# springs and they seemed to be too much on my mock up so I returned them. I think the correct force for this would be around 70#. That was information that I could not find anywhere and it is not in the literature for the purchased packages and they would not tell me on the phone.
All the parts are made from 3/4 red oak plywood and edgebanded with 3/8" solid oak. The bed box is fastened together with Kreg pocket screws ( lots of them) . When it is re assembled in Az., I will put a bead of glue under all the frame sides before screwing it down. The frames also have blind dowels in them for locating before screwing them in place.

When assembling the bed to the sides, the outer frame has to be apart so the pivots can fit into the bushings and then get caps screwed on on the inside then the bottom, back and top box are screwed to the vertical sides to make the outer frame.

To assemble the gas springs, they hook over a 10mm ball on each end and the bed has to be pushed back about 3" into the frame to hook the top ends on without pressure on them. For that, the stops have to be removed before you hook them on. The stops have blind dowels and 4 screws each.

The handles were made last out of cherry and are blind doweled in location and have 6 screws holding each of them on.

Here is the finished bed assembled in the garage because my shop ceiling is too low.
The handles are spaced apart because there may be trim added to make the bed look like 2 doors with handles

















The stop:








The foot and its bracket:








The gas spring at rest:








The gas spring compressed








The mounting of the top box ( the bottom is not installed yet). I have 2 removable dowels on each side and six screws on each side:








Here is the foot pulled inside when the bed is raised into the store position:









I'll post this as a project when it is finished and installed at the High Chaparral in Arizona city

......................Cheers, Jim


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## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


This looks very interesting, Jim. I will be looking forward to further installments. Well done, sir!

Cheers!


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Great project Jim. Always wanted one at a young age. They look cool. Will be waiting for the final results.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


I like it…

Cool the way the legs fold into it…

Have to study it more… later…

Thank you.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


So, a Murphy bed is for swingin??? LOL Looks like you've got a good start on it.


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## sedcokid (Jul 19, 2008)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Great looking bed Jim, and a great lookin project too! Nice engineering job!

Thanks for sharing


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## Bob Collins (Apr 25, 2008)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


That's a great project Jim, shows your all round skills with wood and metal. Hope it is comfortable once it gets to AZ.


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## MShort (Jan 15, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Wow Jim,, You are the master at everything. Cool project.


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Nice work great design…


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Thank you all for the nice comments. This was fun to make but it took up my whole shop. Now comes the staining and finishing part . I hope the humidity drops for that part of the project…...

cheers, Jim


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Makes me tired just looking at it Jim (been working in the garden all morning). You are obviously a metal worker and a woodworker. A great combination as can be seen from this nice project!


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## harry1 (Feb 22, 2012)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Now THAT is a PROJECT! You really are amazing Jim. Should I advise you when the house next door comes back on the market, we could have a great time.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Thank you all for all the nice comments. If I was in Az, I could now put the bed together. It is all stained and clear lacquered. Thanks to the shadow of the motorhome, I finished the last piece( the bed board) this morning before the sun could get up high enough to blister the new finish.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


COOL way to handle the situation!


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Well done Jim.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Jim, you are one of.
I need a Murphy - I'll make it - and so on.
Look really fine, I look forward to see it, when finished.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## Number4 (Feb 28, 2014)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


I realize this is an older post, hoping you (Jim) are still picking up replies. I too can't find any info on the piston PSI.
You ended up using 70# pistons. This was for a twin and some quality wood that is also heavy. Have you found that with the mattress on, that the pistons have functioned well?

Where'd you end up getting the pistons and piston mounts?

Thanks

Sam


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## SomeGuy (Jul 30, 2014)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Jim,

I know it was last year already, but I have a couple questions about your murphy bed.

Did you use a bushing/spacer/washer between the two mating pivot plates? It looks like you made the pivot plates yourself; did you mill them, or weld parts that were pre-milled elsewhere? What were the dimensions of the pivot plate(s)? I though this would be better in a PM, but I joined just to ask you and I can't PM yet. 

Thanks,

Guy


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Thanks Joe, Tony and Mads!! It gets used 3 months out of the year.

Hi Sam. Sorry for the late post but for some reason, I don't get an E mail for every post to my projects/blogs any more. I don't know why. I did get one from Guy and now I can answer you.
I have the bed mounted vertically and I do believe the gas springs in there now are 95#
I feel they could be even higher- maybe 120# .The initial lift is still a little heavy- not a perfect balance like I wanted but I solved that by making a handle or hook to fit in the inside pocket where I can begin the lift with my back straight and it is easy that way and no strain on my back- all arm work.
I bought the gas springs from Lucid, in California: http://www.gas-spring.biz/
The have the female ball sockets on either end and then I bought the ball studs from them with a 5/16-18 thread on them. I made the plates with the threaded holes and all the mounting holes. I probably overdid the fasteners on this project, but I don't like things to fail- ever.

I looked at the hardware that they sell for Murphy beds and they don't tell you any of the specs. I even called one place and asked the force in their springs and the lady was downright rude and would not tell me because I was not buying their package. I guess they have invested the engineering in it but she could have told me nicely!! I made a mock up with the full size dimensions and mounted the springs in it to test it out.

Hi Guy. WELCOME TO LUMBERJOCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes there are steel bushings between the pivot plates. I made the plates and bored a larger hole in them, then I turned the bushings with a shoulder and the small diameter pressed into the plate and then I welded them in for insurance. One plate had the bushing welded in and the other has a stud welded in with a pressed in shoulder too. There is a screw and washer to keep them in but I might work okay without it. One thing I would do differently is make more space between the bed frame box and the inside of the wall frame. I made this one 1 1/2" and I think it would be better at 2 1/2 or 3". The reason being is that I originally wanted the gas springs to fit in that space in between , but with the plates and studs in there, it was too narrow so I had to go with the angle plate screwed on the inside and I relocated the mount on the wall frame to match. I did not engineer this entirely before I built it.

My original constraints were the mattress size and the horizontal width to fit on the wall. I scrimped for every inch to make it fit. I could have made the mattress box narrower to give this clearance with this same design sizes. I have 1 1/2" clearance on the inside around the mattress and I thought that was needed to make the bed.
The pivot plates are 1/4×4 x 4 and the bushings are 1 1/2" OD with a 3/4" shaft or pivot pin. The reason there is a 45 degree angle on some of them is that the scrap steel I had had these miters cut into them already!! Use what you have!!

Cheers, Jim


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## Ashiq (Oct 1, 2014)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Man you are just awesome. You have done a cool job. I love Murphy bed very much. Always wonder about there mechanism. By reading this I have come to know about Murphy Bed Kits and how to made them. Thanks a lot man for share with us.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Ashiq.. by the way…..............WELCOME TO LUMBERJOCKS!!

I have found the kits in Rockler and many other places and they were like $300 and I am frugal and have lots of machines so I made them. The gas spring was the hardest to figure out and none of the manufactures would publish the pressure or tell me when I called. I did it by trial and error.

I find one aspect of life that I live by and that ii : You appreciate it more if you make it yourself.
When I retired I made sure I had all the machines I needed to do that. I'm getting pretty old and weak now so I have to hire some stuff done. That bed was getting pretty heavy for me to handle at the time,too.

Cheers, Jim


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## benz1972 (Jan 3, 2015)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


I read your post about the #s for the struts and where you purchased them. Do you recall the length, or model number, etc. Thank you.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


I finally wound up using 95# gas springs from Lucid International in Los Alamitos,Ca. Their phone number is 714 484 3000.

Cheers, Jim


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## benz1972 (Jan 3, 2015)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Thank you.


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## Michelfr (Feb 1, 2015)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


you can use the software to help verinplus 3.00 lay your spring has a gas.
you can download the software Gas spring on this site:
http://creation.net23.net/index.php?affichage=accueil
http://www.everyoneweb.fr/verinplus
you can also do a simulation of your gas spring has online free:
http://creation.net23.net/index.php?affichage=simulation!https://storage.googleapis.com/aws-s3-lumberjocks-com/nj3bes7.jpg!


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## benz1972 (Jan 3, 2015)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Thank you


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## Lian (Apr 25, 2015)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hello.
I'm from Chile, and I do not speak English very well. I have a question about gas springs. I want to build a murphy bed like this, but I'm not sure which refer to the symbol: #. Kilograms are? 95# kilograms each gas spring? 
I would also like to recommend me to buy gas spring. I understand that used in this project makes it a little difficult to close the bed.
I would greatly appreciate if you could answer me. Congratulations on the project, very beautiful. Regards


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Lian. The # symbol is pounds and there are 2.2 pounds / kilogram, so the gas springs I use in this situation are 43.2kg. I think the springs could have been a little stronger for this initial lift that is a bit heavy now. I think I could have used 120 pound ( 54.5 kg) springs but they are $50 a pair so I did not want to have buy new ones again.

You would have to call Lucid to see if they ship to Chile. The company is Lucid International in Los Alamitos,Ca. Their phone number is 714 484 3000. They have a web site, just Google Lucid.

Good luck on your bed, Michelfr ( ABOVE) posted a site with a calculator to see just how strong a spring you would need with your design.

Cheers, Jim


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## bushmaster (Feb 25, 2012)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


I liked your vise project and then thought I would check out your other ideas, The murphy bed post caught my eye as I made one for my daughter and son in law at their home with limited toosl and money. Just hardware items. Yours astounding and well designed. If interested check out the one I designed and built.


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## Brien111 (Mar 1, 2017)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Where did you buy your hardware?


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Brien. I made all the hardware. I just bought the gas springs. I researched hardware kits and they were like $300 and up.
It is all heavy duty- turned and welded from steel..

Cheers, Jim


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## iammedia (Mar 22, 2017)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Amazing work!! I thank you very much for sharing.

I got a question for you. following your method, I am trying to build one. However, I am running into difficulty when it comes to choosing the right GAS SPRING. Do I have to calculate the weight of my bed frame plus bed to figure out the gas spring's capacity? my bed frame + bed is about 120 LB. What should I be looking in terms of the spring? Does the gas spring has to have the same weight force or more?

Thank you


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi iammedia. I really don't know how to calculate the forces. I just tried a couple and found the one that would balance the bed when lifting it. I use 100# and I think I could have used 150# and still have been okay. Check the site above from Michelfr to do the calculations for yours.

Cheers, Jim


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## Professorxavior (Jul 28, 2018)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


How did you determine the location of your Pivot? I see you say 10.5 from the floor, but how did you get to that number?


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Professor,
It had to do with the height I wanted from the floor and the depth of the frame it goes into on the wall. I mocked this up out of cardboard and then made a shortened wood model to check the pivot location in each direction and actually had a gas spring hooked to the model. The cardboard model with pins in it gave me that 10.5 dimension.
Cheers, Jim


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## ross_diadame (Aug 13, 2019)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


so i started a murphy bed and followed rockler's design with a bit of tweaking since our 3/4 plywood here is actually 5/8". I am having a difficult time with hinge. I bought a swivel and it is such a pain to attach. And i made side rail 8" instead of 6" and it messed up location for the pistons. I am planning to pay someone (i dont know how to weld) pivot plates like you did but that photobucket watermark is covering the photo. Can you please send me dimensions or how you made it?


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Ross. It has been a while since I made it and the bed is in Arizona and I'm in Michigan until December. I' ll look in my plans folder to see if I have a good sketch I can photo and send to you. i know it took some lathe workd on the metal lathe and welding to make them.

I'll look later today and get back to you.

cheers, Jim


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Ross. I design as I go on most projects. I make an overall drawing just to make sure I know the critical features and then build from sketches I make to fit the project. I found the packet from the Murphy bed and some of them only made sense to me when I was into the build stage. I took some shots of the sketches but can't guarantee they will be what you want for the pivots. I did not save the photos after I posted them on Lumberjocks but I did have some detailed ones of all the parts loose from the bed. I made sure that the pins that went through the wood for the pivot, turned inside another piece of steel and not in the wood so there would not be any sagging if it wore into the wood

The sketches that seemed relevant are below:


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## ross_diadame (Aug 13, 2019)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Thank you so much. This will help me a lot. I will probably make it in sketchup so they can visualize what it's for.


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## ross_diadame (Aug 13, 2019)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Jim, how about installing a roller bearing similar to what this guy did (https://youtu.be/SGYZGCYIgXQ). I think it is easier but i'm not sure if viable.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Hi Ross, you can put a bearing in there anywhere to make it move easier but I don't think you will need it. I could not get that You tube link to open..it said a 404 error

Cheers, Jim


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## ross_diadame (Aug 13, 2019)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Slovenian said:


> *Building a Murphy Bed from scratch*
> 
> We need a Murphy bed next winter in Arizona and I did not want to buy the hardware. That takes all the fun out of designing it yourself and costs $360. So I looked at a lot of bed designs and settled on one that used HD pivots, gas springs for counterbalance and a swing out leg support rather than the fold down kind.
> The parameters were a twin mattress (7×39 x 75), had to flip long ways and enough room inside for making the bed. Then I had to decide on the pivot points, the foot pivot center and the gas spring attachment points.
> ...


Thanks Ross, I opened it. I see how they do it. You would have to mount that clamp devise on the outside of the bed frame so you could tighten it. I was thinking of just press fitting the bearing in a piece of steel that you would screw to the side of the frame much like I did just for the steel plate with a hole in it for a bearing…but I have a mill to bore the steel. That should work for you. I would dowel and screw it in if using wood

Cheers, Jim!


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