Whats the best wood for bed?

[fonfixer]

I'm rebuilding the bed on my truck which includes new wood. There was enough of the old wood left that I was able to get the deminsions. What would be some good choices for wood? I got new bed strips, frame to bed bolt set, end cap, and strip bolt set that should be at my door next tuesday. Now I need the wood.

[AZf100]

Teak wood is great for moisture reasons, and looks cool too.

[fonfixer]

how would cypress look and hold up?

[Canonman67]

how would cypress look and hold up?

Nt sure how it would look but it would hold up pretty well according to this. http://www.gardenguides.com/106049-cypr ... -uses.html Oak, maple and ash are others I've seen used.

[jzjames]

I used White oak up here in the Nortwest, it's ok, a little cupping of the wood in the winter time, which shrinks back to normal in the dry months. It's pretty rot resistant.

In the South I would be tempted to try some of that hard Southern pine if you can find some good stuff. I think the factory might have used that stuff back in the day, high pitch content, right?

Dont think any bed will stay new looking for long if it's not kept out of the elements no matter what coating is put on it.

[PetesPonies]

Yellow pine would be a good choice and not break the bank. White oak is good. The cypress is a good choice weather wise. I did my ceiling in my house with cypress and much of it looks a lot like cedar.But it isn't as hard as the other choices.

[fonfixer]

The other day while at work a customer told me about logger who was starting up his own sawmill and he has enormous scrap pile. I haven't had time to check on that source yet cause I'm dealing with yet another family crisis. Granddaughter was born while parents where in Germany and now the german government has almost unrealistic demands before they will issue a birth certificate so we can get a passport. We have an appointment at US consulat to report her birth to US government so hopefully we can use that and get an emergency passport to go home!

Something just became a whole lot more important

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[MerxRock]

they are silver but do they have the black background? Like the emblems on the front fenders. Its a 79 CVCC 5 speed

[farmallmta]

The original wood would be white oak. You can use any wood you like, except for cheap white pine or douglas fir. Redwood, cedar, cypress are highly weather resistant, but are soft, so loads will gouge them. Oak and other hardwoods will stand up to loads better, but will be somewhat more susceptible to weathering. Teak and walnut are good against weathering and stand up to load scuffing well. Whatever wood you use should be treated to withstand weathering. Treat after you cut, but before you install. Test fit everything first before final installation, then treat as follows. Spar varnish looks terrific at first, but weathers poorly, flaking and peeling quickly. Don't use varnish.

The bottom of the wood, edges, and ends can be treated inexpensively with petroleum-based asphalt sealer, two coats. The first coat can be thinned with mineral spirits. The second coat goes on thick, no thinners. Apply well in advance, let dry.

The top surface should be treated with 3 coats of tung oil solution:
1st coat: tung oil plus turpentine plus pine tar 1:2:0.2. Wipe excess, let polymerization cure happen for about 3-7 days (this is a 1/3 tung oil, 2/3 turpentine mix for maximum soaking into the wood).
2nd coat: tung oil plus turpentine plus pine tar 1:1:0.2. Wipe excess, cure for 3-7 days (this is half tung oil, half turpentine, plus pine tar)
3rd coat: tung oil plus turpentine plus pine tar 2:1:0.1 (this is 2/3 tung oil, 1/3 turpentine, plus pine tar)

Tung oil should be ordered in raw form, not "tung oil finish" from home improvement stores.
https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils ... chinawood/
Raw tung oil can be semi-paste at lower temps. No problem: just put some into a stainless steel mixing bowl and use low heat on the cookstove to get it into easily brushable clear liquid form. Then stir in turpentine and pine tar. Use a quality china bristle brush to apply. Do not use a cheap bristle brush or a nylon brush.

Pine tar can be gotten from any equestrian supply store. It's a bit of a goop, so it needs to be stirred into your mixture. The pine tar retards microbial growth that turns the wood dark, like an old picket fence looks after a few years. Tung oil is resistant to mildew, also.

This is the best finish you can apply to a wood bed. It will be pretty, stand up to load scuffing, can be reapplied over time, cleaned, etc.

Good luck!