The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed 3800 Flatbed wood?

I am trying to find a bed wood kit for my 49 3800 1-ton but have not found one. I have considered making it myself but i dont have all the measurements on the boards. I think there is 10 boards all the same length and width 107"X 7.25" but I am not 100% sure. Has anyone done a flatbed?

I inadvertently saved 1 full length board when I pulled the bed apart last year. So I measured that board, 107" x 7 5/8' x 1.25 thick. I will go out on a limb and say the wood has swollen over the last 60+ years. So those may not be correct.

as likely the deck was an owner item, unless you have the rounded corner metal frame configuration that might indicate a factory bed - but regardless, nobody makes a wood kit for a flatbed, you just need to round up some appropriately sized boards and do it

Bill

Yes, mine has the rounded corners.

http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/Blind9078/media/IMG_1202_zpsd896a14c.jpg.html

Look at this information.

1, http://www.mar-k.com/catalog/pdf/instructions/bed_wood_dimensions.pdf
2, http://www.mar-k.com/catalog/pdf/instructions/spacing_bed_wood_boards.pdf

When I did my bed I had to determine board widths, nothing stock was right as my bed was made wider to accommodate the duals. I did call the folks at MAR-K and even though I didn't get boards from them they were very helpful. I did get the metal strips and fasteners from them. Your bed should have a "step" on the front and rear of the bed frame. The depth (top to bottom) of this step will determine the thickness of your boards.
Yes southern yellow pine may be difficult to find depending on where you live. Take a look at my pics in the gallery and if you have more questions (I) we all will help. Heres mine. https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...rn_yellow_pine_Bed_wood.html#Post1111848

Thank you plowboy, I'm curently looking for local saw mills in my area. I might be able to get my wood planks cut from hard wood and to the thickness I need on my bed. I plan on getting the new strips from mar-K. Most the wood kits I have seen are 3/4 thick where mine has to be 1.25 thick. So I hope the saw mill can get me close.

I am leaning towards the TREX decking or similar on mine. Very appealing to me for no fading or fixing the finish over time. Mine will get used for sure. Seems to me the flatbed frame could probably be "adjusted" to work with whatever material you want to use, unless complete originality is the desire.

Larry W.
"53 3800 DRW Flatbed

Hi Blind

Here is what I used on mine....

jim carter truck


get the hardware kit too...and the trim strips too...I think mine total was around $800.00...plug and play basically...

MikeC

Thanks Mike, is yours a flat bed too? I show that kit only has 8 boards my old bed had 10 total at 7 5/8" wide.

Hi Blind1968

Mine was a flat bed when it showed up at my place in spring of 2014...currently working on getting it finished as a 9 foot long pickup truck....running boards and everything.

MikeC

I also considered doing that, might still later down the road. 1-ton Beds are getting hard to find.

Hi Blind

I bought 2 sheets of 18 gauge sheet metal and 2 lengths of exhaust pipe....our famous leader John sent me a diagram of the sizes to make the bed, I had to buy 6 stake pockets instead of 4, I had to find a fellow with a sheet metal brake that bent up the sides...I cut and chopped and made every look kinds like it is supposed to look when it came from the factory....it seemed to me it would make the truck more marketable when it came time to sell it (IMHO).

Good luck with which ever way you end up going...I have a bunch of progress pictures on my photo bucket page. that might help you out too...

MikeC

So I was out today looking for yellow pine and ran across some 2x8x10 rough cut cedar planks at a good price. Has anyone ever used cedar in their bed? Pro's & Con's ? My plan if I go this direction is to run one side through a planner to remove 1/4" so it will fit. Not sure what would be better on cedar, using a sealer or just using an oil?

Cedar should be a great choice. It will not rot like most wood.

Here's a video and quick example of how soft cedar wood is: wood test video. I have the original bed wood (black piece) and a piece of pine wood (reddish piece), red oak (unfinished clear board), white cedar (thick chunk), & red cedar (piece on the end) for comparison. I hammer a 1/4" hex nut onto each piece. This is not a scientific experiment, but it clearly shows how much softer cedar is than the standard oak & pine bed wood used in restorations.

If the bed will never get sat on, there isn't much that could top the looks of Eastern Red cedar. I just made the video to show how soft it is. I wasn't hitting the hex nuts very hard.

Brad

Great Video Brad, the original seasoned pine held up very well. I did expected the Cedar to be soft and it doesn't look like it would take much to mar it up. Getting dents and dings wont bother me too much as I am not showing the truck but what does concern me is how would you finish it with this in mind. I would think an oil would allow you to recover a scuff. Unfortunately availability is driving my decisions on decking. If I could fine some in the correct dimensions I would even consider using some reclaimed barn wood. lightly sand it to keep some of the saw marks then stain & seal. Would give a nice rustic look and be hard as nails.

The original pine bed pieces I could recover from my truck are solid heart pine- definitely from a longleaf pine. I use kindlin' or lighter'd to start fires, and the bed wood is identical in smell & appearance. Shown here.

I'm currently in the "wood-type-for-truck-bed" decision process, and I won't be showing my truck either... that does not mean it won't be seen & shown to people, it just means I won't be going for an heirloom furniture type finish. From the Mar-K longevity results, I'll probably be using red elm, oak, or heart pine coated with POR-15, then painted black. I do not have a wood availability problem.

In my experience with corrals & fencing, burned motor oil makes for an excellent stain & preservative on just about any seasoned wood. I'll try to coat a couple of barnwood boards at home to show what it looks like.

Brad

Brad,
That would be great, after a short search for barn wood I actually found some 2x8x10's in great condition "well seasoned" red oak. the price the seller is asking per board will be less than half of what new Oak would cost.

I thank it would look very nice and a bit rustic. I would probably use a gunstock or honey oak stain over the top then seal in a clear coat. It would also be much more durable than the cedar.

Bryan

This is kind of the look I would be going for.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums...9-475A-AB1A-870E71B67A88_zps4grxbbcq.jpg

A 50/50 mix of "Gunstock" and "Red Oak" stain from Minwax will be a close match to the flooring in your picture. I prefer Cabot, but I do not know their colors by heart. (Possibly only 25% Red Oak color)

Obviously, you'd want to test this out in various concentrations- slight differences in wood age/species/geography will make it accept finishes differently.

Brad

Thanks Brad, I will have to do some test runs to see if I can get the color I'm looking for.

Well, Right or wrong I pulled the trigger on 10 2"x8"x12' rough cut red oak beams "actual dimensions" that came out of an old church built around 1870. They were floor joists and are in great condition. I plan on ripping them down to the needed dimensions smooth the topside out a bit leaving some of saw marks, stain and seal. Not sure how well seasoned oak will take the stain but I can post pictures as I go through if anyone is interested.

Yes, please do post the pictures.

It'd be nice if you could get the wood skip-planed on a helical planer- set the depth so as to minimally remove the surface layer. You'd be left with what you're talking about, just a little bit better than the rough sawn it is. And... that oak is likely to drink a LOT of stain.

Brad

I did a few test runs on color, the first one I applied a walnut stain the lightly sanded and then applied a gun stock stain. second one is an early american with coat of gunstock stain.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums...9-4A76-9C43-62124AB00444_zps2hbnyrr6.jpg

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums...1-48F2-A42B-D0A129984C4E_zpsv3yzwpgb.jpg

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums...2-4601-B020-8E2ADA3E362A_zpsbn7trfja.jpg

Bryan,
That wood (and finish) looks incredible!

Edit - I think that first piece is knotted heart pine; but I could be wrong. Also, apologies for listing stain color names after you clearly wrote them in your previous post...I missed that.

Brad

Thanks Brad, will continue to fine tune the color. Fairly sure its red oak... but then again seasoned barn wood of all types looks the same to me until I get that top coat of oxidization off and look at the grain.

Ok, after running a few pieces through the planner I think I am going to plane both sides smooth. I think I have settled on the gunstock oak for the stain color.


http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/B...5-AF1F-09F697381DBD_zpsdmmu6lmg.jpg.html

http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/B...1-B9E9-01D7DD8A02CB_zpsfqqjvcfm.jpg.html

Well almost done with cutting the boards down to size. When I was doing my final measurements before cutting I discovered my first assumptions about all 10 boards being the same (1.25"x 7.5"x 107") was incorrect. The two outer boards are 2 inches wider than I thought. 1.25"x 9.50"x107". This might present a bit of a problem trying to locate something that wide.

http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/B...2-A2BC-72E046409F62_zpshnknob6a.jpg.html

edit: I used a Golden Oak stain not Gunstock

Finally done with the bed wood, just finishing up with the bolts and then on to the side rails. Not the best but it will work for my needs.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums...1-48D3-A4AF-ACA59C057348_zpsmcyhbp8r.jpg

Bryan,

Just noticed your thread...bed looks fantastic! I like the look of the old wood on an old stovebolt. Red oak is not the most decay resistant species so be sure to keep it out of the weather as much as possible.

Paul

I stained some red oak using vinegar when making trim for my house. It's supposed to make it look like old gray barn wood. It didn't exactly turn gray but I liked the results so I stuck with it. [IMG]http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/jfnar/house/IMG_02001_zps5teel20o.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/jfnar/house/IMG_0218_zpsssgvuva5.jpg[/IMG]
I used red oak trees that were knocked down to make room for the house. I cut them on a HF bandmill and planed it until just a few saw marks were left. It was a lot of work but nobody else has anything just like it. I plan to make bed wood for my flat bed and my 9' stepside bed out of white oak. It's more durable for outside applications. I don't know what it will look like but I plan to try the same staining method. You just soak steel wool in vinegar over night and then remove the steel wool. I used a spray bottle to apply it. It darkens the wood in a couple of hours. Then I sprayed clear polyurethane over it with my $10 HF HVLP sprayer. I might use a different clear coat for my bed wood. I haven't decided yet.

Very Neat, I have seen different ways to make stain but not the steal wool method. It will be interesting to see what your bed will look. Keep us updated with pics as we go through.

Hi Brian,

I've been searching for solutions to my 1946 3/4 ton stakebed and yours looks great. I think I have a source for used lumber, or "barnwood" as they call it these days, so I'm going to try and follow your procedures. Where did you get the bed strips? I've got to make all of the stake sides too so I'm going to be buying lots of lumber. I have the original corners that are in very good shape.

thanks,
Joe

I'm not Bryan, but you can get the bed strips from Mar-K. I'm happy with the ones I bought.

Bed Strips