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I took the truck to a local saw mill on MLK day to buy it a new bed. I had to wait for the propriator to cut the white oak 4 x 6's. It's cool to watch your boards start as trees and come out as timbers and planks.
When I stacked them in the shop to dry they were still looking around for their leaves!!

The truck ran great; plenty of power and willing to go as fast as I wanted. We got to 50 for a moment, but I need to balance the fronts before trying that again!

That's pretty cool and a gray story to go with it !

Yes it is quite satisfying to see the wood from tree to plank. I've cut alot of walnut and it is pretty interesting that it comes off the mill looking a pretty sick green color and within a couple of minutes of exposure to the air they turn a nice pretty brown. When you dry them be sure to put plenty of wood slats between the boards and really stack extra weight on top of them to try to keep them from twisting. I usually get several 80 lb sacks of concrete to stack on top of them. The more the better.
Dave

I hope you're not going to use that oak for your truck bed. Oak reacts to moisture and in time will buckle and curl. Use yellow pine or fir if you want it original and stable.

1wonton wrote:I hope you're not going to use that oak for your truck bed. Oak reacts to moisture and in time will buckle and curl. Use yellow pine or fir if you want it original and stable.

Of course I am; that's what linseed oil is for. I'm going for the rustic look anyway.

I too used white oak on mine instead of pine or maple. I will not be painting the wood so I wanted a nice looking grain to it. I used a 50/50 mix of linseed oil and turpentine on the wood. Rubbed in three coats and once it was soaked in and dry I put a coat of Johnsons Paste wax on it. If you use more than 50% linseed oil it will remain sticky for a long time collecting dirt and dust.
Dave

That looks sharp Dave.

Red

1crosscut wrote:I too used white oak on mine instead of pine or maple. I will not be painting the wood so I wanted a nice looking grain to it. I used a 50/50 mix of linseed oil and turpentine on the wood. Rubbed in three coats and once it was soaked in and dry I put a coat of Johnsons Paste wax on it. If you use more than 50% linseed oil it will remain sticky for a long time collecting dirt and dust.
Dave

Beautiful work...

blgitn wrote:

1wonton wrote:I hope you're not going to use that oak for your truck bed. Oak reacts to moisture and in time will buckle and curl. Use yellow pine or fir if you want it original and stable.

Of course I am; that's what linseed oil is for. I'm going for the rustic look anyway.

Don't say you weren't warned. If you keep the truck inside it will be fine but if it sits out in wet weather for a few years the wood will cup and warp. The linseed oil will help but it will have to maintained. Henry never used oak for exposed truck beds for the same reason boats don't use oak for decks. Use yellow pine and paint it the way Ford did it if you want originality and trouble free maintenance.

OK, thanks. I wondered why it was so much cheaper than Fir. I've already got this stuff so we'll see how it holds up.

1wonton wrote:

blgitn wrote:

1wonton wrote:I hope you're not going to use that oak for your truck bed. Oak reacts to moisture and in time will buckle and curl. Use yellow pine or fir if you want it original and stable.

Of course I am; that's what linseed oil is for. I'm going for the rustic look anyway.

Don't say you weren't warned. If you keep the truck inside it will be fine but if it sits out in wet weather for a few years the wood will cup and warp. The linseed oil will help but it will have to maintained. Henry never used oak for exposed truck beds for the same reason boats don't use oak for decks. Use yellow pine and paint it the way Ford did it if you want originality and trouble free maintenance.

Outside you say,My truck wood have a fit,It wood grumble and groan and what not...

what were the boards under the bed made of? boards/beams that go between the bed and the frame rails...

Stakebed wrote:what were the boards under the bed made of? boards/beams that go between the bed and the frame rails...

I think it varied, depending on where the trees came from. Mostly maple or ash or hard pine, judging from the beds I've seen. Oak would probably be a good wood to use for the cross joists since a little twisting would not matter any. Ford owned thousands of acres of Ash and Hard Maple trees around his Iron Monutain mines.

The (past) newsletters say all the bed lumber was yellow pine or fir.

I started marking cuts and drilling holes today. It's gonna look somthin' like this: