The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Bed Wood Species

I have searched the archives for bed wood and have found great instructions on how to mill, sand, finish, and install the wood with all the associated products to do so. However, I have yet to see recommendations on wood. Southern Yellow Pine is original and oak is pretty. But oak is not weather resistant.

What is the best species to use?

What? Oak not weather resistant? Better tell the Navy!
Heart of Oak

Seriously:

I have a friend who is a keen woodworker. He thinks I should use teak or the more reasonably priced purple heart. These will weather well without a finish. Since the truck we are building will not be a work truck, I am thinking we will choose the wood based on color and grain and protect it with clear polyurethane.

I will probably go to these guys who are near me to make my final choice:
West Wind Hardwood

Check their price list - there are descriptions and pictures of many types of hardwoods.

I don't think it makes much difference what
wood you use as long as you like it. Your going
to have to treat the wood with several coats of
varnish or varathane anyway.

You can really use anything you want, as was mentioned you will have to finish it with something. I'm using Philippine Mahogany. I figure that if Chris-Craft can build their classic wood boats out of it I can use it for my bed. Besides it goes with the color of the truck.

You will want to use a hard wood, if it's too soft no matter what you put on it it's going to scratch.

Here's a list of a few I think would work well

Philippine Mahogany
Southern Yellow pine
Oak
Teak
Hounduran Mohogany
Maple
Ipe (pronounced e-pay) used in outdoor decking

Check your hardwood lumber store. Use what looks good to you. If you have the bucks the list is almost endless.

Good Luck
George

If you use oak, I would suggest filling the grain first with oil based grain filler. Oak has a very open pore structure (you can blow smoke through an oak board) that will not take the finish you apply and leave it open to the elements. Oak unfortunately has a tendency to turn black when in contact with water, even if the contact is brief. You will also be very surprised at how much better the finish looks.
I'm a professional cabinet maker, and we always fill oak, ash, walnut and mahogany when we make furniture with it. As far as a finish is concerned make sure you use polyurethane with a UV inhibitor, commonly sold for boat finishing. If you have access to spray gun set up, the finish will be much better. Be sure to sand with 220 grit between coats.

Since the bed of my '46 was orginally -PAINTED- black, I stained my bed with Minwax Ebony stain. The bed is still black, so the hardcore restorers like it, but the grain shows through nicely. Also, you can touch-up scratches and gouges with just a rag and a few drops of Ebony stain!

You may want to consider using Ipe'. This is a very dense wood, readily available, that is used for flooring on steel hauling trucks. It has recently become popular in my area for deck floors on houses. It looks like very dark teak and has an oily feel like teak. It is almost impossible to burn.
I am a cabinetmaker and almost any wood you use will deteriorate and/or discolor when exposed to sun and weather if not carefully cared for. We have milled bed boards for some of the locals in our area of various species, even walnut, and they seem to be happy with the result. So, I would go with what you like and take care of it.
Properly cared for your bed should last a long time.

I have been seriously been considering Ipe since I learned of it here. The price from the local wood supplier is around $150 for the wood S4S. I will have to rip it to width and cut the grooves. I have not found anyone that has worked with it, so questions that remain that need to be answered before I order it. How hard is it to cut? Does it take a finish like a UV inhibitor varnish? How does it look with an oil finish?

My understanding is the Ipe is really hard on saw blades due to somewhat high abrasive qualities, so you will probably want to use carbide blades and bits, but you shouldn't let that stop you. Just feed it slowly and don't overload your tools.

Ipe' is a very dense wood but not as abrasive as teak. You should use carbide blades but don't feed too slowly as you will burn it and destroy your blades.
Ipe' is also very durable. Use a deck finish rather than any kind of varnish. There is natural oil in the wood and film finishes may not adhere very well and may peel. Something like Watco teak oil would be a good choice. Just follow the instructions on the can and renew the surface periodically. Should last a hundred years, give or take.
Good luck.