I liked the writeup + seeing it come together, but this project struck me as pretty wasteful.
How big of a bed do you really need? (even if "you" is two people).
Making an emperor bed
61–70 of 131 posts
Re: Making an emperor bed
#62Re: Making an emperor bed
#63> After performing some not-so-rigorous tests on some of my extra buckling column gel, I came to the conclusion that the best way to address this was zip ties. The gel is thick and firm enough that if you push down on it you can't feel a zip tie near the middle of it. How about plain old-fashioned sewing? > I decided to go with a 7" layer of latex foam as a base as it is form-fitting and relatively cool This got me t…
Honestly I don't remember why I decided against sewing but the zip ties are wider and would presumably therefore involve less pressure on the materials. My knowledge of thermoregulation is very minimal so I have no insight there beyond these materials feeling cool to me.
Well, if your current system is good enough, don't fix it. But many kind of stitches and threads exist, from leather stitches to laces.
Re: Making an emperor bed
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
Great to see someone that took the time to do the research! If I may ask, what's your opinion of my DIY mattress? Mine just consists of two 12x100x200cm pieces of PU foam cut into a triangle shape (I live on a boat.) The 12cm thick PU foam rests on some wooden slats. The foam has 25kg/m3 density and 4kPa compressive strength, if that matters. My girlfriend and I both find it very comfortable, and all the guests I've…
Sounds good to me. 12 cm is not very thick, so I assume it's quite firm yet comfortable enough to side-sleep? I don't like foams too much because they tend to release VOCs. But I reckon that a boat might be more humid than a regular home, so it might be tricky to get other materials to work well except wool, horsehair or kapok. Perhaps you could find a Hästens shop near you, walk there and try one of their 8 cm horse…
It's actually not firm at all! Very squishy. You do sink in slightly. You wouldn't be worried about back issues with something made entirely of soft foam? FWIW it's very comfortable night after night and I don't run into any back pain, but I'm still young, so maybe that'll take time to manifest itself? Back issues are my main worry.
And yes, boats are generally more humid than most homes - especially when left alone, they get extremely humid.
And yes, I am Dutch, I guess you could tell by my username :) I'll have to check out a Hastens sometime.
Re: Making an emperor bed
#65I highly doubt that the extra surface area is worth the poor quality an most likely comfort of the improvised mattress. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t buy into all expensive mattresses being better than cheap ones, however, crappy mattresses do exist, I have experienced plenty, and they still all looked better than this.
Not to criticize, but you sound like a can’t-put-the-Kraft-single-cheese-on-if-it-didn’t-come-out-of-the-package-right person. To each their own. This bed might not look “clean” but it does make sense structurally and the author has a complete working knowledge of how his bed works and can do any repair he wishes. It’s the author thinks it’s good, then he can deal with it.
No offence taken as I am actually a pretty handy person. When I choose what to build myself however, I decide, or at least I hope I do, based on what my skills are and how expensive bought or ordered things are. Beds and mattresses are not in the expensive category. Things like isolating your attic or redoing your bathroom are expensive to get done, so I do those things myself. This week I am replacing the shower, sink and cupboards in the bathroom, which saves me between 2000 and 3000 euros. For beds and mattresses you can just go to IKEA and making them yourself would probably save you a few hundred at most.
"how his bed works and can do any repair he wishes". How beds work is not hard and mattresses are not for repairing.
The most important thing though, is that you have fun building things, so who am I to judge.
p.s. There must be a name for the linguistic construction: "Not to criticize, but".
Re: Making an emperor bed
#66> After performing some not-so-rigorous tests on some of my extra buckling column gel, I came to the conclusion that the best way to address this was zip ties. The gel is thick and firm enough that if you push down on it you can't feel a zip tie near the middle of it. How about plain old-fashioned sewing? > I decided to go with a 7" layer of latex foam as a base as it is form-fitting and relatively cool This got me t…
Every night when I’m on Facebook too late I get advertised this:
https://www.healthyback.com/chilipadtm-cube.html?gclid=EAIaI...
Re: Making an emperor bed
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds good to me. 12 cm is not very thick, so I assume it's quite firm yet comfortable enough to side-sleep? I don't like foams too much because they tend to release VOCs. But I reckon that a boat might be more humid than a regular home, so it might be tricky to get other materials to work well except wool, horsehair or kapok. Perhaps you could find a Hästens shop near you, walk there and try one of their 8 cm horse…
It's actually not firm at all! Very squishy. You do sink in slightly. You wouldn't be worried about back issues with something made entirely of soft foam? FWIW it's very comfortable night after night and I don't run into any back pain, but I'm still young, so maybe that'll take time to manifest itself? Back issues are my main worry. And yes, boats are generally more humid than most homes - especially when left alone,…
If you side sleep, I don't think you'll run into too much trouble. To be sure, lay on your side and ask someone to check your spine is straight. Your hips should sink in a bit, but not too much.
Else, if you are a back or tummy sleeper and it's squishy, you should try to switch to something more firm.
If what I suggested is too radical, try natural latex, which is quite firm.
A good entry point to the (pretty lacking) sleep ergonomics literature is:
Re: Making an emperor bed
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
I disagree. If you hang around The Mattress Underground, where lots of mattress aficionados and professional sellers post, you will quickly become aware that most beds are pretty mediocre and overpriced. There's lots of in-depth discussion on their internals, and it's pretty disappointing. It's not surprising, as there's a lot of information asymmetry in the bed market. Customers don't have a good understanding of in…
Are you able to comfortably side sleep? How thick is you wool mattress?
It's around 7-8 cm. I usually add a folded wool blanket on my side. This setup is very comfortable for side sleeping and back sleeping.
I also found it key to use a small buckwheat pillow.
If you side sleep, a very good alternative and cheap setup is a buckwheat mattress.
I'm quite light (~75 kg) so heavier people should probably have a few extra cm. Wool compresses a lot and requires periodic shaking to keep shape.
Re: Making an emperor bed
#69I liked the writeup + seeing it come together, but this project struck me as pretty wasteful. How big of a bed do you really need? (even if "you" is two people).
That's a fair complaint.
I could say I like the size because it's beyond my wingspan and however low the pillows end up in practice, my feet never overhang the bed. And that is true and is a reason I like it. But I definitely like the size because it's ridiculous. On the other hand if this bed lasts me longer than a standard mattress then it will cancel out anyway, especially since I know how to replace individual components if they fail.
Regarding waste, I was mostly upset at having to throw out the foam and fabric from the mattress toppers that the bucking column gel came inside. Everything else at least contributed to the bed. I was unable to convince them to just send me the gel. So they shipped me gel wrapped in waste. I talked to a local shelter but they can't accept pre-opened bedding due to health and safety concerns, so I had to throw out a ton of useless junk.
I have some leftover gel (by design based on the sizes of the sheets) but I've given some to a friend and plan to use more for a backpack.
Re: Making an emperor bed
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have no write-up, so probably not a terribly interesting comment. But my wife and I decided to make our own 100% wool mattress several years ago by stitching together five italian officer blankets with wool batting sandwiched between each layer. By far the most comfortable mattress I've ever slept on. We've had it for maybe 5 years now I think.
I would like to do the same! Could you please provide more detail on sourcing materials and the construction?
> I have no write-up, so probably not a terribly interesting comment.
That would require a write-up.