35 trucker -
I think you are right. Some of the suppliers even sell the metal strips longer and you have to cut them to length for the older beds.
When I did my bed, I knew just by laying it out how wide it was and divided that by the number of boards figuring out that they had to be between 6 and 8 inches wide. My bed is 47 1/2 inches wide. Each board is 7 1/2 inches wide. There is a space between each board wide enough for a bolt to pass through. There are six boards. It lays out beautifully. It is tight, but I believe you want the entire floor tight. I routed the grooves deep enough for the metal strips to drop in, but not so deep that the metal strips didn't hold anything in the bed up off of the wood. I mocked it up before I stained and finished the wood. After the wood was stained and finished, it was real tight, but it went together. It's amazing how much the finish can add to the overall width of each piece of wood.
Joe
