Similar in style to many modern furniture products, this rolling coffee table conceals a full-sized bed.
Whether it’s a visit from friends or relatives, or a child who wants to host a sleepover, an extra bed can really come in handy. And if space at your house or apartment is at a premium (as it is for most of us), here’s a unique way to stow that spare bed. This coffee table conveniently rolls about on casters to wherever you need it. Then, it flips open into a bed that accommodates an average size adult. (If you are over 6′ tall, this bed is not for you … but for the rest of us, it is actually quite cozy.) Conversion is easy. Just hold the handle, swing the top open 180°, and insert the headboard. The folded-up coffee table “box” contains it all — mattress, sheets, comforter and pillow. You make the mattress from high-density foam rubber, which is readily available from most upholstery shops or can be easily purchased online.
Before You Get Started
Before you get started on putting the piece together, you’ll need to choose what set of casters you’d like to use. Here are some suggested caster sets from Rockler.
Designer Wooden Casters with Black Wheel, Beech #35377
4″ Heavy-Duty Polyurethane Casters #23030
Ball Wheel Caster with Swivel Plate, Locking #37675
5″ Heavy-Duty Polyurethane Casters #37138
Designer Wooden Casters, Maple #37882
3″ Heavy-Duty Polyurethane Casters #38865
Colored Profile Casters #30127
Making the Table/Bed
Cut the parts for the table to size and then lay them out piece by piece to make the assembly process as quick as possible.
Begin work on this project by cutting all the parts to size. Although a fully outfitted workshop will no doubt make the job easier, this entire space-saving project can be made with a couple of handheld power tools and a hammer. I decided on simple lumberyard 2 x 6s for the rails (pieces 1), although standard 5/4 stock would work just as well.
Start the nails in the main base, but before applying the rails, put a layer of glue on the edge and glue them up for a little added security.
The height of the rails is calculated so there is about an 11″-deep storage area for mattress and bedding when the unit is being used as a coffee table.
Once the rail edges have been glued-up to the plywood base piece, finish driving the nails through to complete the assembly.
For the bottom and top (piece 2), footboard end (piece 3), headboard end (piece 4) and headboard panel (piece 5), I chose 5/8″-thick veneer-core plywood. A lower quality plywood can also be used, but be sure to fill any edge voids before finishing.
For the coffee table bed diagrams and material list in PDF format, click here.
Before you cut the footboard end to size, buy the casters. You’ll need to know the exact height of your casters before cutting the footboard to final width. The footboard width equals the caster height plus another 6-1⁄8″.
Start the footboard handle installation by boring two 1″-diameter holes onto the piece with a spade bit.
Machining the other details on this table/bed is pretty straightforward.
Cut away the waste for the handle opening with a handheld jigsaw, then sand away any imperfections to smooth the whole handle out.
I drilled two holes with a spade bit, then used a jigsaw to “connect the dots,” thus creating the handle openings. Put together the main subassembly with glue, finishing nails and clamps.
To help you keep the footboard properly aligned, trace out a radius on the corners which will touch the floor, a spare spraypaint cap can aid in this.
While the glue cures, mark a centerline on the assembly in order to cut it in half, later.
Install your casters to the base and rails, using #8 x 2″ on the rail side and #8 x 3/4″ to the base piece, cutting down any parts of the screw that come through the inside.
Next, install the casters. Use 2″ #8 flathead wood screws to secure the outboard sides of the casters to the bottom and top (piece 2) and rails (pieces 1). You’ll have to use 1/2″ #8 flathead wood screws to secure the inboard sides of the casters to the plywood, or else these screws would protrude into the bedding area.
To make the coffee table into a folding bed, you have to have two pieces, so find the exact center and saw the carcass of the piece in half.
At this point, the “bed box” is still one piece. The next step is to cut the box in half. I decided to make use of my (just) sharpened handsaw to make this cut, because it’s a lot safer than using a circular saw or table saw for a large scale operation like this. The added control also makes splintering and mistakes less likely. Stand the unit on one rail and begin the cut. Then you can lay the box on 2 x 4 scraps, open side down, and cut across the plywood base. Finally, stand the unit on the already cut rail and make your final cut through the uncut rail.
Align the two halves of the bed box together, then clamp them up in place and install a strap hinge at both joints.
Rejoin the two box halves with two strap hinges (pieces 7). It is important that there is something solid to screw the hinges into, which is the main reason the rails are made of thicker stock.
