My dear ol' dad is getting me a whole new set of bed wood for christmas, plus some extra boards just in case. However, I have a neat dilemma. He lives in the heavily wooded south part of Missouri, lots of sawmills, and lots of variety of wood. He wants to know if I want red oak, white oak, cherry (which appeals to me) or something like hickory/ash/cedar etc. Pretty much anything is available. A cabinet shop there is going to mill them down and kiln dry them too. I just always thought oak was the way to go, but now I have more options to decide from. What woods have you all used and have you had luck with something like cherry? The truck (51 F-1) is going to be painted the original Sheridan Blue, I think the cherry might go nice with it but don't know how well it will hold up (truck will be used often, but I won't be doing any heavy hauling either).

 

For a truck that stays outside, you just can't beat white oak. All the others are more suseptible to rot and fungus, especially if they can't dry out thoroughly. Also must be kept immaculately clean.

My truck is outside and is full of snow right now. I used white oak and treated with a good oil stain in cherry - then spar varnish. I like the looks with my amethyst paint - really brings the red out in the paint. It isn't as good as cherry wood, but not a bad compromise.

If you have an inside trailer queen, use whatever trips your trigger. The more exotic the better! Dad's a great guy, too!

 

I'd concur with the white oak also. Heartwood cedar would also be weather resistant, but any of the white sapwood would quickly get soft. Hickory, walnut, ash and cherry will not last very well, even if you finish them. Another possibility might be black locust which would be extremely durable and rot resistant. However it isn't harvested commercially.

 

I used the red oak that came with my bed kit. With 7 coats of spar varnish top and bottom, it looks great. It is a nice contrast with the dark maroon paint on the walls of the bed. I wonder if anyone has ever tried mahogany. And if I remember right, many a ship has been made with the decks constructed of teak. There must be something very special about it if it will hold up to ocean salt water. Good luck, John

 

As a long time amatuer woodworker - I would strongly push for

1st choice - Cherry or Maple

2nd choice - Ash

3rd choice - Oak

Cherry and maple have a much tighter grain and will take a little mor abuse than Oak. Cherry looks great when it starts to darken with exposure to sunlight.

Ash is a good substitute for Oak but with less porous grain.

Oak looks nice but it's done to death (on trucks and furniture)

(Dare to be different - Penn Dick and I are and look how revered and respected we are for it)

Have your Dad get them milled to about 5/4 or 4/4 only. Once you get them, let them sit in your garage for a good month or so (with 1" X 1" or 2" X 2" stickers between them) and then have them locally planed down to the final 3/4 you want. Not sure where you live but you want to allow adjustment to the ambeint moisture content of your area before they are planed to the final 3/4, so they don't warp and then be too thin to replane.

Later,

 

Great info guys, thanks! I do think I am going to go with the cherry. The truck when done will be garaged and well taken care of, so I don' t think I'll have to worry a whole lot about keeping the wood clean and dry that much. I agree with Fergusson777, oak looks great, but it would be neat to be different. Besides, it'll match mom's china hutch nicely too!



Scott

 

There are illustrations somewhere on the net that will tell you exactly how to cut and route the boards to fit properly. I'm sure someone in here can point you to them.

Just make darned sure the wood is properly dried and acclimatised to your locale before you start finishing them.

There is not really a good, clear finish made yet that will properly stand up to the outdoors, but there was a good thread written here within the past three months regarding the staining and varnishing of bed wood. I think it was by John Townsel. Do a search on his name when you get to that point. He knew what he was talking about.

Regards,

 

If someone has that link, I sure would appreciate it.

 

Yeah, but will it fit in the dining room???

 

I've got the bedwood specs on file. Email me and I can send them.

Regarding what kind of wood to use. I like the beauty, durability and affordability of red oak. But it will turn blackish gray in a heartbeat if the protective varnish is penetrated by a deep scratch. It will last a long time, but it won't look perfect as soon as it is exposed to moisture.

I shopped for walnut. It was a brief shopping trip. Five times the cost of quality oak.

 

Walnut!!!!

Although it's a bear to get to a smooth finish, that would be awesome. (In my experience carving it, I had to work up to 600 grit and then polishing to get a finish compaible to 320 grit in any other wood)

Imagine coming out of a store/work and finding some wood worker has carefully removed and absconded with your bed planks though.....

Later,

 

I agree about oak being used too much. Mahogany would be gorgeous, but so would cherry. Good Luck

 

I was looking in the latest issue of CT and they have a 1950 Chevy with a Bubinga wood bed. One of the most beautiful beds I have ever seen. If yall haven't seen it, it is worth a look, even though it is the dreaded "C" word...lol