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Good morning gang. I tried the search function unsuccessfully. But here goes. I know 8 boards are the standard/stock number of boards in a 1/2 ton bed. But does anyone know the width dimension if you go to 5 or 6 boards? Thinking of replacing my bed wood and would like to go to less but wider boards. Thanks
It would be fairly basic math, Donald, to compute the width. You have your 49" overall width, divide by the number of boards you desire, and subtract the bolt width in between each. That said, wider boards are less stable and are more prone to warping, cupping or splitting, expansion/contraction, etc., than a narrower one. You need to make sure the moisture content is just right when milling.
Donald...I have some nice 8 Inch wide flooring boards, Brazilian cherry I believe, that I got from a flooring guy. I have wheel well tubs so my boards are not each the same width anyway so I just plan to put as many as I could in the center of the bed floor and then space the sides as needed.
Donald, good to see you posting. Haven't seen your name on here for a while now. I have 5 boards in my truck (santos mahogany), 4 WOW strips, and side strips. My middle board is 11", next 2 boards (right and left) are 10". The 2 outside boards are 4 3/4". I do not have tubs in the bed. This arrangement allowed me to put my gas filler in the center of a board and not have to cut a strip. Mahogany is a really hard wood to cut and route but I have had mine on the truck now for 7 years with no cracks or warpage. Finished with 9 coats of tung oil and I haven't had to touch them since installation. Hope this helps. Steve
It would be fairly basic math, Donald, to compute the width. You have your 49" overall width, divide by the number of boards you desire, and subtract the bolt width in between each. That said, wider boards are less stable and are more prone to warping, cupping or splitting, expansion/contraction, etc., than a narrower one. You need to make sure the moisture content is just right when milling.
52 Merc yeah that math had me stumped. Thank you.
Originally Posted by CharlieLed
Donald...I have some nice 8 Inch wide flooring boards, Brazilian cherry I believe, that I got from a flooring guy. I have wheel well tubs so my boards are not each the same width anyway so I just plan to put as many as I could in the center of the bed floor and then space the sides as needed.
Chuck thank you.
Originally Posted by Steve Bennett
Donald, good to see you posting. Haven't seen your name on here for a while now. I have 5 boards in my truck (santos mahogany), 4 WOW strips, and side strips. My middle board is 11", next 2 boards (right and left) are 10". The 2 outside boards are 4 3/4". I do not have tubs in the bed. This arrangement allowed me to put my gas filler in the center of a board and not have to cut a strip. Mahogany is a really hard wood to cut and route but I have had mine on the truck now for 7 years with no cracks or warpage. Finished with 9 coats of tung oil and I haven't had to touch them since installation. Hope this helps. Steve
Hey Steve. I am actually in here often I just don't as often as I use to. Not that I know it all cause I don't. Hey thanks for the information. Going to try to make CTC in October of 2020 with my 55'
Donald, good to see you posting. Haven't seen your name on here for a while now. I have 5 boards in my truck (santos mahogany), 4 WOW strips, and side strips. My middle board is 11", next 2 boards (right and left) are 10". The 2 outside boards are 4 3/4". I do not have tubs in the bed. This arrangement allowed me to put my gas filler in the center of a board and not have to cut a strip. Mahogany is a really hard wood to cut and route but I have had mine on the truck now for 7 years with no cracks or warpage. Finished with 9 coats of tung oil and I haven't had to touch them since installation. Hope this helps. Steve
Hello Steve,
You care to post a picture of your bed showing the reduced number of boards??
Good to hear from you Donald. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow. I am still pretty bad with all things tech so I may have to wait until my kids are here! Steve
Canadian trucks (my f1) used different width combinations of boards then the USA standard pictures shows.
Fortunately I hadn't cut them yet and I was allowed to exchange them. Sorry it was long time ago and don't remember the sizes.
