Maple floorboards

AA Ford Discussion Group relating to the repair and restoration of your AA Ford.
ModelAkid
Posts: 478
Joined: June 3rd, 2013, 6:15 pm
Body Type: 186-B stake
Model Year: 1931
Location: LHC Arizona & UP Michigan

Maple floorboards

Post by ModelAkid »

Is anyone making & selling the original style maple planks that made up the original floorboards from 1928 to around mid-'29? They were made in the factory for wood products that Ford built in Kingsford Michigan, where Ford owned thousands of acres of woodlands nearby, where maple trees are very common. All the wood for all Ford "woody" station wagons came from there also, which is probably why the wood for those was all maple & birch.
More trivia:
The Kingsford Ford factory operated from 1921 to 1951.
During WW2 they built glider planes out of wood.
To make use of waste sawdust & scraps, Henry started the Kingsford Charcoal Co.
The official mascot name of Kingsford High School is the "Flivvers".
To have enough electrical power for the factory, Ford built a hydro-electric power dam on the nearby Menominee River. That was sold to the Wisconsin-Michigan Power Co. in 1953.
~ from the (rare) book "Kingsford, the Town that Ford Built" (1998).
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Neil Wilson
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Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by Neil Wilson »

ModelAkid wrote:
October 25th, 2018, 10:02 pm
Is anyone making & selling the original style maple planks that made up the original floorboards from 1928 to around mid-'29?
Floorboards for what????? Cab, cargo body (which body) ???????????
Regards, Neil Wilson
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Bob C
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Joined: April 24th, 2003, 11:50 am
Body Type: Mail truck, Stake tr
Model Year: 1931
Location: SO CAL

Re: Maple floorboards

Post by Bob C »

There are cab maple floor boards on Ebay but they don't look very good, no dovetail and the boards only look about two or three
inches wide. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Model-A-F ... BO&vxp=mtr

Bob
ModelAkid
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Joined: June 3rd, 2013, 6:15 pm
Body Type: 186-B stake
Model Year: 1931
Location: LHC Arizona & UP Michigan

Re: Maple floorboards

Post by ModelAkid »

Thanks Bob. Those ebay floorboards are fairly decent but they only have flat, glued together edges, not like the interlocking edge routing of the originals which used no glue. Originals also had pegs inserted to hold the boards together as well as the steel supports riveted to the underside. I have a bunch of the original boards but not enough good pieces to assemble a floorboard set. The boards are only 2-3" wide. I think all '28-9 Model A & AA cars & trucks had the same size front floorboards, but the cutouts can vary.
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1crosscut
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Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Lincoln, NE

Re: Maple floorboards

Post by 1crosscut »

I made a set for my truck a few years ago. They can be a bit of a challenge to make.
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Dave
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1crosscut
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by 1crosscut »

Hmmmm... I may have to post pictures separately. Tried several at one time and only one came through.
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Dave
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1crosscut
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by 1crosscut »

3rd of 5
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Dave
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1crosscut
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by 1crosscut »

4th of 5
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Dave
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1crosscut
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by 1crosscut »

Last one
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Dave
ModelAkid
Posts: 478
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by ModelAkid »

Nice job, crosscut! I like your dovetail interlocking joints like original, and the pegs inserted. Where did you get the cutters for the interlocking joints?
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blgitn
Posts: 201
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Body Type: 275-A
Model Year: 1931
Location: West Point, VA 23181

Re: Maple floorboards

Post by blgitn »

Those are beautiful!
R/ Roger.
birdacre
Posts: 480
Joined: October 8th, 2013, 2:37 pm
Body Type: AA express
Model Year: 1928

Re: Maple floorboards

Post by birdacre »

i can't seem to visualize the rubber door straps. they look like they go from the door jam to the front cowl panel??? not hooked to door???
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1crosscut
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Joined: December 25th, 2010, 7:22 pm
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by 1crosscut »

ModelAkid - Only one cutter bit is needed to make them. Just a single pass for the female. For the male it takes one pass on each side to cut it. Is a bit of a bugger to get the male centered, the right thickness and depth to make a joint that fits snug but can still slide. Considerable trial and error.

Birdacre - the door straps are not yet attached to the doors in the picture making them look odd.
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Dave
birdacre
Posts: 480
Joined: October 8th, 2013, 2:37 pm
Body Type: AA express
Model Year: 1928

Re: Maple floorboards

Post by birdacre »

thanks for info. i will send a photo of my dec 28 AA floor boards. i believe they are original and maple. they have neat angles around the pedals and fit together in a really neat way. i will send photo to illustrate. very nice work.
ModelAkid
Posts: 478
Joined: June 3rd, 2013, 6:15 pm
Body Type: 186-B stake
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Re: Maple floorboards

Post by ModelAkid »

Crosscut, can you tell me the brand & part number of the bit used to cut the interlocking edges? Also what power tool did you mount that on?
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