So I'm looking at this thread and I see the cribs at the bottom of this post. If I have old bed frames, is that going to be sturdy enough to make these? Not sure what sort of steel they are, but they look like they are roughly 11 or 12 gauge (with the painted coating, probably 12 gauge)
Was definitely going to do the x-brace mentioned in the thread, not sure if I'm going to bother with the notches that will let me adjust the height.
I've used old bed frame for projects along the way, and they are not very strong. The steel even seems to be softer... ie easier to drill, etc.
I would think not a good use.
Bed Frames are usually Hardened Steel or Spring Steel. I've burned up many drillbits trying to build things with free metal.
The bedframes I have are really springy. You can grab one end and twist it about 90 degrees and it snaps back.
In reply to buzzboy :
I agree with curtis's "springy" description, and have burned up bits on other free metal... but my personal experience with various bed frames metal, is it drills way easier than other metals. Counter intuitive to "springie", but just what I've seen.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Honestly, a lot of that is down to the shape of it and the length. The L-shape isn't the best for torsional stiffness.
NO, those wheel cribs are very very heavy, like 45#s. You can't really see it there but they angles are 3/16.
You want dimensions I can get them for you
The bedframe angle I've worked with in the past was very hard - not at all easy to drill, and nearly everything I tried to make cracked at the welds with not much force. I wouldn't trust welded bedframe to support an automobile.
Angle is one of the cheapest steel shapes to buy new, even at current prices. Angle prices at Home Depot are actually pretty comparable to the actual steel supplier around here, and more convenient.
Don't do it. When I was young and dumb, well younger at least, I attempted to make trailer ramps out of an old bed frame. They were not very long because the trailer deck was real low but they folded up and broke at the welds. And screwed up my front bumper when they failed. Bumpers are easy to replace compared to your head. Spend the money and buy good stuff.
Bed frame angle must vary by area... I've made of projects out a bunch, and it's all been way softer than similar angle from a supply house. I had noticed welds not holding well, but just blamed my lack of welding ability!
Any box store metal, anywhere I've traveled, has been about 4 times higher than a steel supplier. Course a steel supplier charges almost the same for a full length stick (20' typ) as they do for a 4', so that may skew the pricing 
some!
So I'm hearing I should throw out this bed frame scrap because it's made of some cursed alloy?
In reply to obsolete :
Drop it on by! 
too thin for structural work, but makes cheap brackets and such!
Bed frame rails are stronger than regular 1018 mild steel angle. There is no ATSM specification for such a product so it is usually described as a "medium carbon steel" instead of by alloy. The extra carbon is why it doesn't weld for beans. It does harden very well and can be tempered back so a few folks make blades from it.
The largest maker of bed rails in the US is Jersey shore steel. They do so out of old railroad tracks. Again, no ATSM specification for that product but it is much harder and has more wear resistance.
Do a spark test on bed frame angle and you can tell the difference.
Also, I know this is GRM and all, but nice clean steel from the yard is so much nicer to work with than recycled mystery junk. A 20 foot stick of 2X2 -.120 wall angle is only about 20 bucks.
You guys have weird ideas of where to lay your kids down.
Side note trivia: rail road track steel is extremely soft - except for the super hardened 1/8" top surface. Stuff is flexible as all get out as well!
I'd figure any of the thin bed frame steel I've drilled holes in has prolly been anywhere from 20 - 40 years old. May be a build date difference, or may be a reasonable difference. Just my personal experience.
Agreed on the "new metal ain't that expensive " for safety
You'll need to log in to post.
