opinions on wood beds?

[HerLonghorn71]

i talked to Stacy David from trucks t.v at a show in edmonton and he said that after you varnish the wood spray a clear coat(automotive clear)on it.It will help protect it a bit and the shine will be greater.

[classicchev]

No, thats not one of mine, I dont want to post pics of Curtis' wood, Ill wait and let him post those. I have all the board stained, that Quater cut white oak is going to look unbeleivable in that shiny black beast.

[classicchev]

Im spraying Acricote, a PPG product on Curtis' wood. Acricote is a product that all trailer builders, or at least a lot of them use on there frames. also a lot of rail cars are done in Acricote.tough as nails.

[Sillyoldman]

I used Varathane Marine Spar varnish. Six coats as a matter of fact(maybe a little over-board heehee). Mar-k has finish comparisons at their website.

[armyavncowgirl]

Originally Posted by Randy70C-10

Noooo, can't have that! Hey, the metal part of your bed looks really straight and solid. (where can I find one? )

lol you mean the bed or the rails for the wood? lol

[armyavncowgirl]

Originally Posted by classicchev

Make sure you test fit the wood, predrill all the required holes before you apply any finish. Also make sure you seal everywhere, including all the holes that are drilled. Wood iwill "RUST" just like metal, except it turns black. Ill post a couple shots of bedwood for you. Good luck

SWEET bed! thanks for the tips

[armyavncowgirl]

Originally Posted by Sillyoldman

I used Varathane Marine Spar varnish. Six coats as a matter of fact(maybe a little over-board heehee). Mar-k has finish comparisons at their website.

dang! that looks very nice! thanks for the pics and tips guys! i cannot wait to get started on that project!

[MOTHERTRUCKERS]

If you want the wood to really last take it to a woodworker and have them cross spline the underside 3/8 deep by 3/4 wide and install (glue)oak cross grain splines, make the first cut 2 inches in from each end 5 per board evenly spaced for a swb or 7 lwb, it will keep the boards from splitting and cupping over time. Cove the bottom of the boards where the bed to frame bolts are to hide them under the wood, The countersunk offset washers are a water trap that will eventully cause problems with the clear coat from expansion and contraction of the wood and clamping the wood to the frame is a no no. Throw away the nuts that came with the strips and use nylock nuts on the strips and just snug them up 1/2 to1 turn after contact, The idea behind this is to let the wood kind of float between the metal parts so it can expand and contract with heat and cold on it's own (metal expands and contracts at a different rate) block sand the wood first then sand all sharp edges of the wood (clear coat will not stick to a sharp corner) on the edge under the strips i cut drains in the edges to help water trapped under the strips drain off, wipe the wood down with alcohol or acetone to remove the moisture and mix your first few coats at a 50/50 reduced rate to let it get a grain deep grip using a brush, when you see an even shine (no bubbles)on all the wood you can start to build the finish to the desired look you want. I use PPG DCU2021 automotive clear because of the uv rating and set the wood in the sun to expand the grain before bringing it in to coat in the paint booth. I'm sure there are different opinions on this and would like to hear them.

[StingRay]

Like stllookn says use a spar varnish. It's intended for outdoor use on boats. I'd do both sides of the boards and all the edges too to completely seal the boards. It'll help keep moisture levels from changing in the boards which leads to cracking and warping of the boards.

[67-Cowboy]

Wow! I'm so glad I found this site. Here's my 2 cents worth. I've just spent the last 3 years building a custom 7,000 ft plus mansion with about 12 different kinds of wood in it. The old builder who owns the place swears by the spar varnish. We used "Helmsman" on the 50'x20'portico, some of the wood we did 3 years ago still looks like I did it yesterday. So what I'm gonna do is take my metal strips to the powdercoat shop and have them coated; then I'm gonna put my purpleheart(wood) in and bolt it all down. Then I'm gonna take it back apart and coat the wood with about 7-10 coats. And you can bet if I'm ever out cruising and buy something to haul home I will put plenty of cardboard under it first.

[Longhorn Man]

I wouldn't use cardboard to protect the floor. Imagine placing cardboard on a freshly painted black hood. It'll leave fine scratches.
You could maybe have ply wood with rubber on the bottom, or nice CLEAN carpet placed in the bed upsid down...

[72MARIO]

Here is a pic of my White Maple floor made form rough cut lumber.. I have over 50 hours in it. 6 coats of Varnish. I forget the name of it but's a Marine Varnish for Boat decks. I most likley wont put a cooler in the box for a few years. Oh and I polished all the bolts in my drill. I was just retest fitting the tubs before paint in the pic. I welded the bedbolts to the cross sills during the test fit. If I was to do it again I might have just bolted the cross sills down and routered the wood out to clear the bolt head.

[72MARIO]

Oh I should add I Varnished bothsides and inside all the holes. The way I coated both sides was to put the board on it's face(top) on a smooth surface and apply the varnish then flip it over onto 2 boards that have finishing nails sticking up 1/2" out of the board. NEVER put the face down on the nails. At that point I would apply the top coat.

[armyavncowgirl]

COOL! Thanks for all the tips. It's nice hearing different views and methods people have used. Gives me a better idea what I can do with it. The bed on your truck looks real nice 72Mario! Really brings out the paint job with wood that smooth. Thats my intent

[1971 Cheyenne]

what kind of wood is that? Good job!

Originally Posted by classicchev

Make sure you test fit the wood, predrill all the required holes before you apply any finish. Also make sure you seal everywhere, including all the holes that are drilled. Wood iwill "RUST" just like metal, except it turns black. Ill post a couple shots of bedwood for you. Good luck

[72MARIO]

Thanks,

[classicchev]

Brian, thats not one of my bedwoods, but it is Red oak, and probably just a clear coat on top, no stain.

[mtdave2]

wow nice bed, but with one that nice, you couldt haul anything but a bikini team, or sail boat fuel! i think im going to rubber line mine .

[GMC AMI]

If you have a nice oak bed in a truck, which I only have one, you would not leave out in the rain and the sun or haul anything except a**! Solve the problem and have a truck for every job! LOL, gotta love a sweet oak bed, just not realistic for a work truck.

[stllookn]

MOTHERTRUCKERS, Did you mean to say "cover" the cross sipes with the "u" channel cross braces under the bed? That does make sense but if you really seal the wood with varnish it should minimize the cupping over time. Why take the chance though...I am going to do that.

[MOTHERTRUCKERS]

If anyone wants pictures of what cross splining is email me. motrucker@prodigy.net I have a couple of sets almost finished not installed yet.

[junkyard truck]

Hey, you might consider Marine Epoxy Resin, it's clear or you can tint it to color of your choice, it's 2 part and tough as, well epoxy and for boats both above and below the water line. Just another option to confuse you.
I spent 4 summer camps at North Fort Hood in the 49th armor, when it was just tent city, but been all over Fort Hood.
Good luck, Larry

[armyavncowgirl]

Originally Posted by Mike Files

If you have a nice oak bed in a truck, which I only have one, you would not leave out in the rain and the sun or haul anything except a**! Solve the problem and have a truck for every job! LOL, gotta love a sweet oak bed, just not realistic for a work truck.

i agree. but, with that being said, the purpose of me putting in that wood bed is to restore this truck......not to make it a work truck Its best to have a spare if you do haul stuff. thats what my junk SUV is for lol