The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop bed wood thoughts

Need some education- an oldtimer is telling me to use on yellow pine not oak on the bed as oak will split over time, is it true that if oak is kiln dried and properly sealed treated that this is only a myth, other than pine being cheaper is there any one out there that has had oak splinter or crack over time, thanks for the input

If that happened on a regular basis there wouldn't be a sole using oak. I could see that happening with non-kiln dried planks if the ends are not properly sealed. The ends dry out faster than the rest of the plank and it would split or warp. Thats why if you ever buy raw sawn lumber the ends are usually painted to keep the plank from splitting as it dries out. I bought dry kiln oak and it looks fine, thought its still in the box. I believe Southern Yellow Pine is the original wood used in most old trucks.

Red oak has open pores and isn't too good when exposed to weather. White oak is better. If you keep it sealed well it will be fine. The good thing about pine is it stands up to weather pretty well, until it rots.

I think that the factory wood was pine.... I have a 1951 GMC with the original boards and when it rains it holds water !
That seems like a good recommendation ! and for many many years it had no canopy and was in the weather all the time.....
Ter

Just my 2 pennies , but Hickory is a great wood , very closed cell grain that resists moisture , hard as HECK , an if properly sealed and installed would prob last forever, Also in my book it is onna the prettiest hardwoods, especially if you just use a clear on it and let it age the white will take on a pretty golden patina and the dark stripes and brown color mixed in are beautiful ,
I am a cabinet maker bye trade and it is my favorite of all the species of hardwoods.
(that is what i made an installed for the misses in her kitched for our 10th anniversary...lol )
And besides that it somethin different !...not every joe uses it like pine or oak .

Look in the Make a Stovebolt Bed section for a great deal of information about bed wood species and suitable coatings. There is a wealth of information on the subject.

The original bed wood from the factory was southern yellow pine with a dull black coating. Old-growth lumber was much more plentiful and superior, to the southern yellow pine being sold today, due to the reforestation and use of younger trees during manufacture. White oak is better than red oak for exterior use and exposure, due to the tighter wood grain.

Check in the Build a Stovebolt Bed for additional information. Good luck with your project.

Tony

if ya wanna have a properly "restored" truck, yellow pine is what's correct, and properly coated it'll last decades - if ya wanna have a glossy trailer queen, use whatever turns yer crank, it won't get used or abused so "holding up" isn't an issue - if ya wanna have a good ol work truck, use what's cheap and sturdy ... around here that's Douglas Fir, and I expect the fir floors in my truck beds will take getting worked hard and put away wet for longer than I'll be alive and last as well or better than the sheet metal, just like the pine did first time around!

Bill

I'm going to spray black bedliner on my white oak, top bottom and ends. Then the sides, just like the original. Hopefully, it will stick to the wood.

Has anyone ever tried pressure treated wood in truck beds? I know that some of the chemicals used in it are very corrosive and maybe that's why nobody seems to use it. But I know that it's sometimes used on trailers. Anybody got experience with it?

I went to my local lumber yard...not the big box and bought $34 worth of pine. A couple of hours with my father-in-law and we created a nice box floor. I am building a driver,so the pine is great for me. I liked the price too. I used the original boards as a pattern.

If you get pine, get Southern Yellow. If you get Lodge Pole or Ponderosa (or some of the other Western species grown in Oregon, WA, or Canada), you will get blue or black mildew in the grain of the wood and it will rot easily. Southern Yellow is not as suceptable.

I think I'll use heart cypress next time if I can find it for a good price. Ipe is tough as nails but isn't sustainably harvested.