Some new bed wood (again)

[jzjames]

My Flareside is an outside truck here in W. Washington, daily driver, so the last set of white oak I installed 10 years ago is on it’s last legs.

I had used tung oil on it last time, it wore off. Then I daubed it with used motor oil once or twice BUT I have come to believe that there’s no coating that’s going to preserve the wood for very long when it’s exposed all year to the sun and rain. In the winter the bedwood is soaked most of the time and that causes ‘cupping’ of the wood, holding the water even longer. Anyway, it’s time for another replacement after only 10 years.

I had considered using that composite decking material this time. It’s 5/4” material so there would have been a lot of fitting and routering of the material to fit it correctly. And it wouldn’t have been cheaper than wood.
I looked into buying the white oak again, now at over $4/bd. ft. Then I would have needed to get it planed and ripped and routered.

I decided to take the easy way out and just order the wood (red oak) and when the weather gets nicer I’ll install it.
I ordered from https://classictruckbeds.net/product/fo ... -stepside/ and the wood was delivered to my door @ $400. Not drilled, but routed correctly for the bed strips, the sides and the end piece.

The wood was top quality, but of course the wood nowadays is milled from smaller logs, so there is a fair amount of flat grain.

I’ll try to post pictures later as the work progresses. I opened a PictureTrail account...Wanted to recommend this company, American Classics Truck Bedwood.

[basketcase0302]

I'm taking down red oak trees down here, (most are diseased / bug infested). Finding the bottom trunk on most still solid and very...nice hard wood that I'm wasting by cutting into firewood lengths.

Saddens me that I don't have the means to mill it / plane it / cure it for use other than firewood.

I'd bet it would last longer if maybe if a few coast of polyurethane applied?
Bed cover to protect it maybe?

[McSideburns]

Jzjames,
I looked up your area and saw a couple of sawmills and lumber companies nearby. If you are looking to stay will hardwood I woul use White Oak, Locust or Osage Orange (Hedge). All three are have very good rot resistance properties and will last many years unfinished and a lot more when finished with a Spar oil which has uv resistance ingredients.

Good luck and enjoy your truck!
Scott (McSideburns)

[geradr4]

Any progress, OP? I'm curious about the outcome. Post some picture when you can.

[jzjames]

Will do. Been waiting for some warm weather up here before getting started.
Right now my Classic Trucks bedwood is stored ‘under my bed’.

[jingo]

Black locust would be the best choice. It's more rot resistant than cypress or cedar, and harder than oak. The stem on my 50' Maine-built wooden trawler is black locust. You'll never have to touch it again, the bed will outlast the truck.

[jzjames]

Well, summer is almost over. Will I get the bedwood in this year??
Laid it out and decided to use a can of shellac I had on it. Shellac is an excellent sealer of wood.
I will probably topcoat with a couple layers of polyurethane. The wood installed will be left out again - not garaged.

[sargentrs]

Can't wait to see it installed!

[jzjames]

So I got this job done. Hope its the last time.

The front metal ledge of the bed Is starting to rust out- so I decided to clean it out and lay the boards into a thick bed of tar to seal it,
it should do the job


And my new wood bolted in,

I put little notches into the edges of the boards where the bolts were to give plenty of room for when the wood expands,
And also smeared some tar along the board edges to try to seal it from moisture,
And I put anti-seize paste on all the bolts in case SOMEONE ELSE ever has to do another bedwood replace.
I just used polyurethane for the wood. I’ll wipe on some more coats of that before the rain hits.

[bellamor]

Great job. The wood bed looks nice, keep us posted on how it will work on your truck.

[jzjames]

My experience with the Flareside’s bedwood is the new replacement wood (usually oak) will “cup” when exposed to water and the sun. Absorbing moisture, and drying out over the years.
Doesnt seem to matter how many coats of finish you put on it, it still will absorb moisture.
It is what it is - I like the original factory look with the bedstrips. Its also nice and sturdy.

Ive asked what wood was used when these were new, I think the consensus was southern yellow pine (?).

[390FE1972]

Looking good!

[Raiver]

That turns out excellent, man! Nicely done