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I am looking for ideas on what fastener to use to fasten the rails to the posts on my flatbed sides. I don’t want the bolt end and nut showing as it would be with carriage bolts. One idea is the use large wood screws with a trim ring on each as shown on one picture. The other picture appears to show a machine screw with some sort of recessed nut (?) on the back side. Does anyone know what this is called and where it is available? Are there any other ideas for making an attractive joint between the rails and posts?
Your top picture looks like they used T nuts. Not very heavy duty, but may get the job done if you're not going to be taking the racks off and on a lot, or at all, and they'll be strictly for looks, not work.
I like gerrymoe's suggestion with the nut recessed into the wood and button head cap screws on the outside... buy them or cut them to the proper length, of course. I also agree with Wayne that I'd use at least two at each cross point to prevent racking and that they are strictly for show and not for a lot of pressure or removal.
do you plan on securing the sideboards to the rail pockets... if they are secure there is less chance of them moving around with the trucks movement...but harder to remove if you want to.
I just completed my 56 with a red oak flatbed. I used deck screws, countersunk holes, mushroom caps glued in and a final coat of marine varnish to seal against water. The deck screws will not stain. My idea was to highlight the wood, not the fasteners. From a short distance, the caps are nearly invisible. If you use, flush caps instead of mushroom, they are even less visible. The downside of this setup is it is not made to be disassembled. Unfortunately, I just had the truck sideswiped on the driver side resulting in wood needing to be replaced. It will be done, but will not be easy. The key to the woodwork is to prevent water infiltration. I even ran epoxy sealer and/or varnish in each hole after they were drilled to make sure the wood is fully sealed.
I just completed my 56 with a red oak flatbed. I used deck screws, countersunk holes, mushroom caps glued in and a final coat of marine varnish to seal against water. The deck screws will not stain. My idea was to highlight the wood, not the fasteners. From a short distance, the caps are nearly invisible. If you use, flush caps instead of mushroom, they are even less visible. The downside of this setup is it is not made to be disassembled. Unfortunately, I just had the truck sideswiped on the driver side resulting in wood needing to be replaced. It will be done, but will not be easy. The key to the woodwork is to prevent water infiltration. I even ran epoxy sealer and/or varnish in each hole after they were drilled to make sure the wood is fully sealed.
Running boards are 1x12 red oak mounted directly to the original brackets. All wood is red oak with 2 coats of penetrating epoxy and 8 coats of marine varnish. Sunlight is hell on varnish so I went with total boat marine varnish. Will need to lay on a maintenance coat every year or 2 just to keep the gloss and protect from the UV light.
I like gerrymoe's suggestion with the nut recessed into the wood and button head cap screws on the outside... buy them or cut them to the proper length, of course. I also agree with Wayne that I'd use at least two at each cross point to prevent racking and that they are strictly for show and not for a lot of pressure or removal.
do you plan on securing the sideboards to the rail pockets... if they are secure there is less chance of them moving around with the trucks movement...but harder to remove if you want to.
john
For now, I am only doing the rack at the front of the bed to protect the cab. I haven't given any thought to securing the posts in the pockets except to cut them for a close fit. I'll probably think that through depending on how the front rack works.
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