Im really diggin this new wide board bed wood kit(say that 5 times real fast). Planning on painting the truck a two tone silver/gray off of a platinum edition F-250 and maybe go with a cherry...ish or mahogany...ish stain for the wood. I think it will really make those polished bed strips pop! whaddya think.

 

I like it! I got my hands on some nice Brazilian Cherry that is a little over 7 inches wide...I hate to cut it down so I was thinking that I would set my own board spacing. Who made your bed?

 

Thanks, bought it in ohio, was told it was made in the carolinas. That brazilian cherry sounds awesome. Cant wait to see a picture. BTW great idea on the bowls in air deflectors for 56 lights in a 53 grille. Im sure ill have some questions about this mod when i get to that point.

 

Yeah I like the idea of matching the finish of the bed wood to the finish on the rest of the truck. A nice cherry or anything with some red in it will go great with a silver or gray. The ubiquitous light oak bed wood does match most any paint scheme but it's always nice, IMHO, to see a truck that goes a little further to add something more (and hopefully better) in the way of bed wood finish. I was fortunate to find the wood that I am using because it is not widely used on truck beds...in fact, I am going to have to go to some lengths to get it waterproof. Here is a pic I just took of a piece of the wood...the truck will be pearl orange so I hope that the orange tones of the wood come out when it's all assembled.

 

I think it looks great, I mentioned in another thread how to get it waterproof apply your stain then use WEST SYSTEM 2 part epoxy it's used on boats. (I used on Cedar strip canoe). great to work with. Little pricey though, then apply a quality Spar varnish. What is the width on those boards? I could do the math I suppose.

 

That looks like a laminate, not solid wood. If that is the case, you will need to find out what kind of adhesives they used to make it, because if they are not an exterior grade, no matter what you do it won't be waterproof.

 

Really looks nice. I like the style. However, are not narrower boards used since they have less a tendency to cup?

 

"...no matter what you do it won't be waterproof", rather bold statement...care to elaborate?

 

Something to consider is the locations of the original mounting holes in the frame that match the original strips.

 

No matter what you do, you will not be able to completely seal out moisture, humidity and temperature changes. Unless it is a very good exterior or marine grade adhesive it simply will not hold up.
I do a bit of woodwork and have seen the 'after' of folks trying to pinch using interior grade laminates in the weather. The plies of the laminate will separate and you will have buckling, peeling, warping or all of them.
If you want a wood floor, use real wood, if you want a wood lookalike use a composite material. I'm not trying to put down your plan, and as I said it 'looks' to me like a laminate from the picture. I am just trying to give you something to consider.
Maybe that is some different kind of marine or exterior grade laminate, in which case it might work. The fact that you acknowledge that you will have to go to some lengths to make it waterproof sounds like I'm not the first one to mention this.

 

Cupping can occur regardless of the width of the boards. Cupping can be caused by a number of factors. The most common is improper curing or drying of the wood and cutting too wide pieces from the outer rings of the wood, other causes are improper sealing of the wood or using foreign materials on the wood that react poorly to the elements.
In the building of my stakebed, I have had to scarp a few pieces along the way as the sawmill left them in the sun too long after cutting.

 

So preferably, it would be best to have quartersawn lumber, which dosen't always lend itself to revaling the pretty open grain pattern that folks enjoy but is much more stable!

 

Let's just say that your comments, while applicable in some instances, in this case are misguided and leave it at that...

 

Not to be rude and I think I understand what harleymsn is asking, but why does the wood have all the different lines in it then. Are my eyes messing with me because it looks as if there are a bunch of little strips of wood glued together like butcher block rather than one solid piece?

 

Yes, quartersawn is much more stable and is the best to use, however due to high cost, limited supply and yes of course the tighter grain it is not used that often.
My point though was that a lot of sawmills simply square a log and then plainsaw the wood. The pieces will all be the same width (roughly) but the pieces taken closer to the heart of the log will be more stable. The outer ring pieces are more susceptible to cupping, but even those, if cured properly have a good chance of resisting cupping or warping.