The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed Jim Carter vs Mar-K Bed Kits for a 1937 1/2 ton Short Box?

Hey guys...

I'm trying to decide on one of three (or more) possible options for doing the bed in my '37... Price is an issue but so is quality so I'm looking for some honest opinions based on your experience...

Narrowing it down to three options my choices are:

1) Buy 3/4" hardwood planks and do the work myself (cheapest)
2) Buy a "Premade Wood Set" (Model BP215O) from Jim Carters ($225.00 before 10% Stovebolt Contributors Discount)
3) Buy a Bed Wood Set (Model 110160) from Mar-K ($348.00)

I'm aware I will require stainless bed strips as well as a stainless carriage bolt set, but this question is more about the quality of the wood kits from both Carters and Mar-K...

Carters obviously offers an appreciable saving of over $125.00 (discount considered) on the oak wood kit for my truck, but what is the quality of their wood kits like and is it comparible to the Mar-K oak wood kit?

Has anyone here ever purchased a bed kit from Jim Carters and what were your experiences or the pros and cons?

Which wood kit would you recommend keeping cost in mind, or is there another option I am not considering that will give me even more bang for my buck?

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions!

~Trev

the biggest bang for yer buck, considering where you live, is to find a source of clear, dry, close grain Doug Fir and mill yer own, not hard, all ya need is a decent table saw, and if you can't get the best wood pre-planed the right thickness [full 3/4], access to a thickness planer - worked for me, $80, no freight charge

also, you might check the Old Car Centre for the SS skids, also saves freight

Bill

Thanks Bill... I had considered old car centre but find them kinda pricey on most things compared to KMS...

It's kind of a shame that things are not as they were 20 years ago...

I used to work for a company that got all it's shipments from back east in huge maple crates... the wood was rough, but with a little sanding looked really nice and I made a few projects with it... you would have never guessed the coffee table I designed and built back then used to be a packing crate!

From what I have seen they don't use maple for these crates anymore so I guess I'll look for a source for some Douglas Fir or hardwood and see what it will cost to do it this way... I'll also check out a couple of local places while I decide which way to go...

Thanks for the suggestions...

~Trev

Google " Bruce Horkey "and check out his site.
I know him personally and the quality of his bed kits is outstanding!

Bruce Horkey has been around with us since 2004. He's listed in our Links page.

LOTS of stuff is in the Links pages. And there's an alphabetical listing, too.

Peggy

I was born and grew up in my early years in Windom and knew the Horkey's somewhat. I remember being impressed as a kid with the Horkey's. It seems I rode the bus with one of them but don't remember his name. Always wondered if it was the same one. Seems to me when I was a kid they were making handrails and chopper front ends. Always fabricating things.

Hi Trevour,

I picked up my 3/4" Oak at a local finishing lumber outlet. Was able to select for best grain / and colour. Had a friend run it thru his table saw to get the recessed edges. All said and done, cost me around $ 200.00. The stainless strips & bolt kit I purchased from Jim Carter

That sounds like a deal I can live with, Bruce... I know you're local so do you remember the supplier you got the Oak from and how long ago was it?

If you have any info on them either post it or PM me with it and I'll check it out... thanks!

~Trev

Trev, you may want to drop in on a cabinet maker. The guy who use to make cabinets for houses I built buys most of his wood "rough sawed" if he can get it (like Oak) and then plane's it in his shop. I'd look before leaping.

Im with Achipmunk. Its not rocket science. If someone has a planer and good table saw,thats pretty much all you need,plus the wood that youd pick out yourself. Id guess around 200.00 TOPS. And then whatever the stainless strips and bolts cost you.
It doesnt have to be oak,theres lots of species out there that work well for bedwoods. Shop around,Trev.
Good luck,im sure it will look good,whichever route you go.

I'm lookin' Alvin... that's why I posted it here to benefit from the mistakes... ummm "experience" of others!

Thanks for the suggestion!

~Trev

The thing is, delux, I have seen part of 1958GMCNut's kit he bought from Mar-K and know for a fact that he is impressed with it although he has not installed it yet...

When I saw JC's wood kit going for cheaper I had to wonder if similar quality was there for less money... however as you say it is NOT rocket science and I'm a heck of a lot better at wood work than I am mechanics so I hadn't ruled out just buying the wood and doing it myself... it was option #1 in my OP, remember? lol

Thanks for your suggestions!

~Trev

Thanks Peg... I don't know where you find the time, but sure appreciate you finding the link for me!

~Trev

Trev,

Windsor Plywood in Langley.....approx 9 months ago. With my bed I had two different board widths required. Bought 1x6 and 1 x 8 dressed Oak, ripped to correct widths on table saw, and used a router to put the rebated edges on.

The pics of your bed look good bruce... you do nice work!

Seems to me I checked with the new location of Windsor when they moved in off 132nd and they were pricey but who knows? I'll check them again and see what they have to say...

Thanks again...

~Trev

Hi 37truckguy

Just like to add a few comments that may help. As a cabinetmaker one of the main things I always have to consider is shrinkage, wood movement & moisture content. If the wood you will be using has not been properly dried it will take on a shape and memory of its own. As an example,indoor use for Furniture quality needs to be kiln dried to between 5 & 7 % for stability.
Outdoor use usually is around 17 to 18%. Depending on the climate where you live. It does not matter your preferred choice of wood. If its properly dried you will have great satisfaction. Good rule of thumb would be to buy locally from a commercial hardwood supplier that has properly,dried,& graded the lumber to 1", have it planned to 3/4", let it live in the enviroment it will be in for about a month, then seal the wood. These results should yield a beautiful long lasting & stable wood floor for your truck bed. You live in a part of Canada that should have tons of wood dealers. Good luck, hope this helps.

Hey really appreciate that, vickcraft...

Not sure how many commercial hardwood supplies we have out this way as our forest industry on the west coast is mainly softwood, but it wouldn't hurt to look... great hint about moisture content too... Thanks for your advice!

~Trev

i bought my wood for my bed from lowes for $47.00 and bought the bed strips for mar-k for around $55.00 with free shipping for my 1946 chevy pick-up. thanks

Regarding Lowes, you have to buy 8 ft. lengths. That means you waste about 1 1/2 ft. if you have a shortbed.

Home Depot sells by the board foot. I picked the 8 ft. red oak boards I wanted and they cut off 1 1/2 ft.

1x8x6.5 @ $3.95 a board foot
1x6x6.5 @ $2.85 a board foot

They kept the 13 1/2 ft. of scrap and charged me for 6 1/2 ft. for each of the 9 boards. Total savings, $42.54, includes 6% tax.

Needless to say, I was a happy camper.

Pretty cool Tom...

Next time I'm down at Home Depot I'll have to see if they sell red oak at a similar price... I expect there will be some difference in both stock and price, but with any luck they'll remain an affordable option when the time comes...

Thanks for the info...

~Trev

Trev:
It really depends on how good you are at woodworking and how much work you want to do.
The MAR-K oak bed wood is "Grooved, sanded, cut-to-size and ready-to-finish. Our show quality oak is kiln-dried with a thickness of 3/4". Bed-to-frame mounting holes are offset and countersunk for a flush surface. Made in Oklahoma City, USA. " Many places sell wood for less because they either don't cut the boards to the right size (and expect you to cut it down), don't put the large, countersunk bed-to-frame holes in (which requires a special tool to do) or don't groove the wood properly.
If you still want to do the wood yourself, be sure to take a look at these instruction on our website before you start:
http://www.mar-k.com/drilling_mounting_holes.html
http://www.mar-k.com/bedwooddimensions.pdf
Hope this helps.

Unless you are going to show the truck and keep it under raps or garaged with no-one touching it I suggest you make your own planks. I am a cabinet maker also. Shrinkage, movement, and moisture is going to happen in a truck. Especially, if the truck will see the outside environment. You will also throw stuff on it, scratch it, and probably hammer nails into it to haul stuff.

I have a truck (or trucks) and wanted a truck. I went to the oldest lumber yard in Dallas and bought yellow pine. It was old lumber. It is seasoned. If you buy your wood at one of the big box stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc) I would bet that it will be from a tree that is quickly grown and your growth rings will be wide. Again, I wanted yellow pine. I cut it to length and width - then took a router to cut the sides to depth. For the grooves I used a skill saw. Outside the commercial shop with the larger equipment I use hand equipment. I have a steady hand. I believe the planks came out a good as any you will pay hundreds of dollars for. I finished them with marine varnish.

All in all, I think the entire project cost $80. It is functional for me. My truck stays outside. But you may be different and want a show car product that will win trophys.

Best of luck.

Oh, I forgot about all the mounting holes. I layed the planks in the bed of the truck and marked each hole. I drilled them with a drill press. As for the recessed holes I used a forster bit. I had this bit from recessing hinges in cabinet doors. All the nuts and bolts were purchased at the local hardware store. I support local small business' as much as possible.

I worked out of my garage.

Thanks and again - best of luck.

While not discouraging anyone from doing it yourself, the kits from Mar-K are the top of the line. The wood is exact, all components are supplied and free shipping. My truck is never going to see outside or have a load of rock in it every again, so the Mar-K 3wood kit filled the bill perfectly. Just my 2 cents.

If you already have the metal strips, you need to be careful if you're buying wood that already has the gooves cut. Some manufacturers metal strips are a little different than others and require a different depth for the groove.

I would bet that it will be from a tree that is quickly grown

Not sure how a tree is quickly grown, but I can assure you that the red oak in the big box store is the same, if not better, than you would find at any lumber yard or supplier of bed wood.

You can get the bit to countersink the bed-to-frame bolt washers at the big box store, too. Look for a 1 /9/16" FORSTNER bit.

Mar-Ktech...
I have seen one of your kits (1958GMCNut has one he bought from you recently) and it does look good quality... that's not the issue as I have heard nothing but good things about your kits...

It is more a matter of "best value for the most affordable price" which is why I was naturally curious if the JC's kit was similar or comparible since the price was better there... I know shipping cost on one of these kits is pretty insane too (at least to Canada) so that's a consideration as well, and one that led me to wonder if I might be able to do the job myself since I have woodworking experience and lots of tools... Thanks for the pointer to the hints on your site... much appreciated!

~Trev

oldbluetruck...

I have NO intention of using the bed of my truck to throw things in or drive nails into...

While she will never be a "trailer queen" and will probably never win a trophy, I do keep her locked up in a dry garage and would continue to do so when she was done... actually especially then! Of course I might get caught in the rain at a show and shine, but if the wood is sealed and finished right I wouldn't imagine that would be a problem... she may even get a toneau cover when she's done to further protect the bed if I can come up with one interesting enough!

While I do enjoy working with pine I can't see it being a solution for me... it is very soft compared to the other options and in my experience doesn't weather as well as most hardwoods... yes it would be cheaper and perhaps better for a daily driver but I doubt my truck will ever be that either... sunday drives maybe but not much else...

Thanks for the ideas... I am learning a lot from this thread and exploring even more options than I had thought of in the beginning...

Thanks again...

~Trev

Since I'm already posting in response to the replies this topic has gotten I may as well provide an update and ask another silly question... :crazy:

I came across some surplus tropical hardwood (teak) that a marine manufacturer is trying to sell and they want 21-23$ per bf. but there's a catch (isn't there always?)

The teak they have for sale is only 1/2 inch thick but they say it is more durable and harder than most other hardwoods so that should be strong enough (they are aware of the project I am working on)...

My other option is a guy who makes hardwood puzzles and has some surplus birch laying around... he too feels it will do the trick and says it will be affordable although he has not come to a solid price yet...

I also have contact info for the guy he got his birch from and apparently he sells all kinds of hardwood pretty cheap... the guy with the birch got a "truckload of birch and maple" for only $100 and says his supplier also has cherry for cheap...

Soooo if I want to get the wood off one of these folks my current options that seem to be affordable are Teak, Birch, Maple and Cherry...

I hate to throw all these options into the pot at this point in the discussion to make it even more confusing since everyone will have a different opinion again, but would 1/2" teak work and has anyone ever worked with it for the bed of a truck before? If so/if not, which of the other woods I may be able to get cheap would be the best???

Thanks again guys... while all the info has been overwhelming, it has also given me lots of food for thought and some great ideas!

~Trev

Trev,

My personal opinion:
Go with the maple.

It is a great looking wood, and not like everyone else.

~Kevin

You also mentioned stainless hardware. If you buy the hardware pieces yourself go to a marine supply company. There are various qualties of stainless so buy their best. However you really only need stainless bolts. The nuts and washers can be ordinary steel as they will not be seen. It will save you money.

Thanks for the hint, oldblu...

~Trev

they may not show but without paint or zinc coating they sure as hell rust quick. i'd spent the little extra and get the ss washers and nuts just my 2 cents.Later Earl

Trev, Teak would be a great wood to use in your bed. The resistance to rot is great. The only problem I see is the 1/2 thickness of the boards. You have to cut the dado or grove for the metal strips to sit in. Those are in the 5/32" range. That would make the boards somewhat thin in that area. If you have any splintering or cracks in the boards in that area the board could fail. As strong as Teak is you would probably get away with using 1/2" boards. Also, the angle strips on the sides of the bed, are they already secured to the bed sides. Mine were, 1/2 boards would have left a small opening as the height of these strips were for 3/4" boards. Hope this helps! Frank