I'm working on a 59 and placing a custom flat bed on it. I going to use teak I did restoration work on turn of the century yachts with teak decks and planning to use aluminum I beams between each wood slat ( protects wood from scratching) the substrate will be 3/4" marine ply and under that primered roofing tin to protect wood from any moisture from below all framed in al u beam. All wood completely spar varnished, teak atleast 6 coats sanded between each coat my idea being if a 100year boat has it's original deck then it's good enough for the truck! That bed will last longer than the truck.

 

Hey Bob,
When you do, seal it first with a really thin coat of spar varnish. Cut it 50/50 with Paint thinner or mineral spirits. It will be like water. That way it can creep into those pours and harden - like a sanding sealer. Wait 48 hours. Sand it very lightly with 220 to cut the "whiskers" off then put two coats of spar - should last years. That's what we do with the Ash Water Skis I make and we ski on salt water with them.

Thanks for the tip on the clear coat....never used it, but it sounded worth a look...guess not now.

 

Dan, There are a number of different species of oak. that broadly fit into the red oak or white oak categories (sort of like wine!). Red oak traditionally absorbs water and as a result is much more susceptible to discoloration and rot. The white oaks are much more rot resistent. Boatbuilders are always in seach for white oak. As an example if you carve a sliver of oak off an oak board and attempt to suck thru it like a straw you will be able to suck thru the red oak but not the ****e. Therein lies the difference in rot resistence. If cutting an oak tree to harvest the wood, typically red oak trees have pointy leaves while white oak trees have roundy leaves. I also do quite a bit in the boating world with wooden boats.

 

Dan, There are a number of different species of oak. that broadly fit into the red oak or white oak categories (sort of like wine!). Red oak traditionally absorbs water and as a result is much more susceptible to discoloration and rot. The white oaks are much more rot resistent. Boatbuilders are always in seach for white oak. As an example if you carve a sliver of oak off an oak board and attempt to suck thru it like a straw you will be able to suck thru the red oak but not the white. Therein lies the difference in rot resistence. If cutting an oak tree to harvest the wood, typically red oak trees have pointy leaves while white oak trees have roundy leaves. I also do quite a bit in the boating world with wooden boats.

 

This is why I love the internet. You get different information instantly about certain things. That was great info 49 willard. Living in Southern California (where oak trees are protected) it's hard to get good hardwoods. Cut one down...Holy cow the ENVLSTS would string you up tee hee! When I hear from guys in Maine, and Wisconsin and they tell me about the great wood available up there, I just drule (drool?).

Anyway, the way you guys talk about hardwoods, you'd think it grew on trees!

I enjoyed the post about the teak as well. I've rebuilt some older boat decks (but used resin based oil finishes then spar) and also we had teak decks on the USS Missouri - unfinished and "holy stoned" regularly. Teak is great. But here in the land of constant sunshine, you'd have to sell a kidney to rebed with teak...About $40/bf.

Maybe our white oak down here is from China or something..not sure, but it's not very good.

I'm glad I'm not far enough along to have to decide about my bed yet. Still chipping "Fordite" under the fenders and running boards.

 

Dan, An interesting choice for super strong and rot free woodbed would be Angelique-a "jungle wood". It is often specified/used in place of white oak on custom built wooden boats/ships. It is imported from Suriname by a guy named Brad Ives. I just worked with it for the first time on my wooden boat (spiled and steam bent a plank in the bottom of the transom). It is harder on sharp tools than teak. I had thought of Angelique earlier in this thread for an unusual bed wood but did not bring it up.
I replaced both the wood and steel bed floor in my 49 and if I were to do it again I would do the change to wood/ss strips, however I had bought the steel repro floor at Hersey about 20 years ago. It is done with over 100 spotwelds!

 

I looked that up online and it looks really nice! Funny also because here in SoCal, they have been using Red Oak for Floors for years, and the site I saw was using it for floors. Do you guys use white oak for floors back there?

I went to the Frost Hardwood/Lumber website (Frost is one of only two places in San Diego County you can get Hardwood) and they didn't even list it.

I'm not sure if you saw the picture I posted of my Stereo Deck. It may have cured my dislike for Oak. It's Quarter Sawn/Rift Red Oak and it's beautiful - Like what we used to call "Tiger Oak" The thing that sold me was a guy I wok with who refinishes the older floors out here turned me on to a different type of filler for Oak and it worked great.

I won't cut a dash for radios, so I build these upper decks. On the 51 I was trying to find something that matched even though it was new. So, I made a chunk of bed using the patterns here on FTE, and polished the stainless strips and bolts. Kind of like cutting the old hatch covers to make tables. You can't see the grain in thepic, but it's beautiful. Also WAY to expensive for a whole bed. I was also thinking about Hickory if I can find enough without knots.

Here's a pic of the radio deck.



I'd sell my soul (and probably have to sell my shoes too since my soul isn't worth a whole lot) to spend a summer in the NE US just doing fine wood working again.

 

Dan, Red oak is much more common in Maine. I felled a couple of red oak trees on my property and have it cut up into 12 ft 4" x 6" for some future project. Hardwood oak flooring is normally red oak I think in most places. The stands of white oak that did exist in maine were cut for shipbuilding in the latter part of the1800's. Massachusetts, Vermont, New York and the mid atlantic states are better sources for white oak today, I bought a bunch of green (just cut) white oak for steam bending in some members in my wood boat a few years ago. A local mill will buy a load of logs and custom cut it for advance orders. I tried to steam bend some dry white oak without much success.
I like your overhead console. I am going to do some kind of overhead console for a radio for Willard. With AC/heat and a working vent behind the dash there is not room for a radio.