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Southern Bolters Jamboree
this weekend
June 2-3
in
Tennessee
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Jan 21st, 2020
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,026
OP
'Bolter
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Has anyone used popular for their bed wood? I am thinking it would probably be too soft?
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 981
Herder of Cats, Goats, and Sheep (moderator)
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I have not used it for a truck bed, but I have made furniture out of it.
If you want your truck to be a display piece with a pretty bed it would be fine. If you want to use it as a truck, the poplar is going to take damage pretty fast.
Poplat has a Janka hardness of 540. In contrast:
red oak - 1290
black walnut - 1010
heart pine - 1225
Ash - 1303
Janka hardness is a measurement of how much force it takes to press a 0.444" steel ball halfway into into a plank.
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 981
Herder of Cats, Goats, and Sheep (moderator)
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I am looking at using apitong (janka 1390) for mine. It is reasonably priced in bulk because they use it for commercial trailers. I also just like the look of it.
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,026
OP
'Bolter
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I think I have a low cost source for some ash. That looks like a good option.
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 981
Herder of Cats, Goats, and Sheep (moderator)
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I have seen more than one ash bed and they do seem to last well. As I recall, ash is difficult to stain uniformly. Might be worth looking into.
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Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 2,465
'Bolter
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Weren't the original beds made from ash or pine, depending on the region of the country where the truck was assembled?
Since it was painted black the grain didn't matter.
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom)
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck)
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado (The Purple Knif)
1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red)
1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe
1979 Ford F-100
1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red)
1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 768
'Bolter
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I believe original wood was Southern yellow pine.
Then factory painted it black.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 225
'Bolter
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Years ago my Dad and Uncle made a bed for their work truck from popler. They creosoted it and it outlasted the truck. You just didn't want to lean or sit on it with bare, sweaty skin! Popler isn't really suited for outdoor applications as it will rot quickly unless it has a good preservative. John
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,575
'Bolter
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It depends on what you are calling "poplar." There it yellow poplar (AKA tulip poplar, Liriodendron tulpifera). It is not rot resistant.
Cottonwood is a species of true poplar which is commonly used for heavy equipment trailers. If treated with used engine oil it will prevent rotting, and that wood is very durable.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 225
'Bolter
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I didn't realize there were other varieties. This was tulip poplar from the sawmill. There were a lot of hay-racks that were painted with grain oil every fall, thin the oil with diesel fuel to make it soak in better. Probably frowned on (creosote too) today.
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