Hey guys...i just caught up to this whole thread on wood beds. As a cabinet/carriage maker, this is my cup of tea. The floors were not always one piece...they were usually white or black oak...cut in concentric widths out from the center with some milling to accomodate the metal strips and hold down bolts. I have original specs drawn out somewhere here. One piece floors came in when commercial plywood became cheap? to make. It was invented in the early 1800's or earlier but didnt make it to the industry until the late 20's or 30's.
Of course laminating wood has been around for centuries. The reason the one piece floor wont come out is because lots of them were put on the frame first. It actually served as a marker template for centring the body in some cases. Hope this helps...if i can find the spec drawings i will post them very soon...but thanks for taking on the challenge of the floor. I was going to leave mine until i saw you guys deep into it!
