The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts original 1946-50 bigbolt bed wood

Hey all, i have sourced a bed for my 1946 2 ton. I had it delivered from the midwest to california, the shipping company was mad that i was shipping scrap metal (he didnt understand what it was)
to my amazement, when it arrived, most of the wood was actually ok. only 3 boards need replaced.

my lumber man is of the opinion that the wood is center cut douglas fir. i assumed it would be oak.

2 questions

1) did they make bigbolt (1 1/4 thick x 14 foot boards out of doug fir in the 40s and 50s?
2)were they painted black? it looks like they were painted at some point.

any help or knowledge is always appreciated

They did and still do make Douglas fir boards any size you might want.
Painted black is very likely original. I'd be very surprised if they left it natural/ untreated.

Jay,

The 1930's-50's were the heyday period of old growth logging in the douglas fir region of the Pacific Northwest. The lumber was often straight grained and knot free as the trees were gigantic and super tall (up to 347 feet tall was the legend). Douglas fir was widely used in house construction in the post ww2 era. The species is not known for its decay resistance, and in general old growth lumber of most species are more decay resistant than the 2nd and 3rd growth lumber that you are likely to get at a lumber yard today. Having said that, I think that Douglas fir should be okay for you in California's dry climate provided that you are not coastal. Of course if the truck stays in covered storage it should be okay in most climates. If you are only replacing a few boards, hunt for boards that have the tightest annual ring count.

I really thought they made the beds from white oak (Quercus alba).
I was a bit surprised that a bed from the midwest would be made from doug fir.

So i was asking the experts what they thought. did they make these large beds out of a variety of woods?

I stopped by and talked to the main guy in the bay area who sells wood commercially for all the big rigs. these days he said its wood out of malaysia and brasil, and they switched over from oak in the 70s.

I also live in the Bay Area and was able to find first growth lumber from old building tear downs for a home project I did. I am sure that if you watch craigslist you can do the same. You may have to cut and mill to size but it is out there. Some day I am going to have to replace the wood on my 1954 4400. Not sure what to use fir of white oak