DIY Wood Truck Bed

I built my own flat bed for my F150 using southern yellow pine. Watch how I did it.
Materials list:
Southern Yellow Pine .
12 - 2x6x8' (for bed floor and skirts)
2 - 2x6x12' (for taillight assembly rail - remainder used to make headache rack)
Treated Lumber
4 - 6x6x8' . (cross members)
4 - 1x6x8' . (side rails)
1 - 2x4x12' (side rail supports)
8 - 8" galvanized 1/2" carriage bolts w/ washers and nuts . (attach 6x6 crossmembers to frame)
22 - 6" galvanized 3/8" lag bolts w/washers (attach skirts to side of bed, and taillight assembly)
2 - 8" galvanized 3/8" lag bolts w/ washers (to stregthen headache rack to bed)
2lbs 4" deck screws
1 lb 2 1/2" deck screws
Taillights to taste

[@theweekendwarrior6355]

You're voice belongs in a Ford F150 commercial!

[@teflon_don93]

Just out of coincidence I came across a 97 Ranger that needs a bed and thought about this idea and here is it after a successful search. You are the man!

[@datznasty1475]

As a carpenter and a guy looking for flatbed ideas for my 86 f150 I love this build! 👍

[@massimothetrog7111]

An 86 F150 was my first truck. I spray painted it green because the paint was thoroughly scuffed ( and the dick painted on it).

[@blairmiller742]

You might want to drill a drain hole in those tie-downs you're going to recess. I learned the hard way that water collects in the pockets and, galvanized or not, rust will form. You can buy them with the holes already drilled, but you'd still have to drill a drain through the wood.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thanks for the reminder!

[@evansuits4926]

Thank You Thank You Thank You! I learned yesterday that my 19 y/o F-350 is unlikely to pass next inspection due to crossmember/bed rot. This video has so inspired me that, instead of moping around feeling sorry for myself, I'm bouncing up and down in my chair anxious to get started. What a wonderful summer project it will make!

[@RRaucina]

That's a good wood finish but much better when you melt old candles and paraffin into it and apply HOT. Diesel, trans fluid, linseed oil, paint thinner, paraffin. Be a mad scientist.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

That sounds like a great idea!

[@ronmiller7692]

Beautiful. Looks great. Thanks for the video. It would look great running on these thar hills of west Virginia. Lol . And let me set one thing straight we don't sleep with our sisters.😂

[@dougnicoll]

This looks like one of the best wood flatbeds I've seen. So I will copy your build. Thanks.

[@msokevitz]

Been looking at several ideas as well. Yours is really the nicest one I have seen so far.

[@MrButuz]

Burning it and then oiling makes it look fantastic!!! Thanks for the tip!!

[@julietphillips1991]

That looks really special! I think you just increased the value of your truck!

[@wes7584]

Thank you so much for posting this. I know this was done a while ago but I used your video as a guide to my project although my craftsmanship is no where near your level. I know these things take time to make so I appreciate it. The materials list seemed like it varied from what you used in the video but it was mostly all there none the less. You've definitely gained a subscriber!

[@JDLarge]

I like it! I have one to do soon on my sons Ranger before the snow gets here, so very soon😉Thanks for taking us along, think I’ll just duplicate yours... ✌🏼

[@Marcusstratus]

Awesome results on a "quick" wood project! I love alternative finishes, thanks for the ideas. Also, look into tar. Pine tar, birch tar, etc. all of it smells amazing and adds a dark color if you add it to finishes. Combines well with a solvent and less so with an oil.

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Now that's just flat-out cool! Nicely done!

[@johnbell7552]

What a fabulous look that scorching the timber gives 👍 By the way, here in the UK we call that ‘wall’ a bulkhead. Looking forward to more on the truck. 👌

[@practicallyIndependent]

Looks great. I need to do this for my F250. Thanks for sharing

[@PERCEPTSIN]

So glad I found this video. I actually found a photo of this exact truck on Google & surprised there's a video on the bed getting built. I'm fixing to do my bed on my f150

[@c.torino2479]

Pretty awesome great video simple and to the point gonna do one of these builds on my truck thanks for sharing!👍🏻👍🏻

[@NationalCrafter]

Just yanked the factory bed off of my 75 f150, this is exactly what I want to do. Great design, straight forward, and simple.

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Nice job on the truck bed Friend! Thanks for sharing the video with us.👌👍😎JP

[@nholly86]

Shared with friends and most importantly my Dad. Started looking for a decent used truck today to do something similar this winter.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

That's awesome!

[@woodyholland9865]

Nice to see a woodworker build a flat bed. So many folks have no woodworking skills.

[@woodyholland9865]

Also I just watched again. The pink color would be less if you use off road diesel. It is clear. Use it in my tractor.

[@biggjoe2011]

I've got a 69 f100 that will be a daily driver. Long story short the bed is in really rough shape so I looked into a wooden flat bed. Came across your video and decided to do something similar. Thank you for the idea.

[@brucemitchell5637]

The wall that you're talking about is called a headache rack. Great job, I can't wait to see what you do with the sides!

[@oscarmccormack1761]

I think it's not a headache rack unless it covers the rear window (to keep items from flying through the window in an accident, giving you a headache) but I could be wrong

[@dustinpollard6237]

Bulkhead is the term i believe. You don't get a headache from something below your chest if you accidentally run into it while working on the site and getting something from the truck.

[@vjkumar831]

Great video my friend. Gives me an idea for my little Toyota pickup. Keep us updated.

[@calebjones9180]

You are a beast my friend. Wish I had you here with me to do my project. I'm doing a 1981 Ford f150 myself. And I'm using your material list.

[@carpediem1959]

Nice project. That’s exactly what I’m going to do on my F-250 2009. Tanks for the idea

[@billmcintosh5071]

well after moving back up north......this will save my 98 f150. the rust is getting to it bad. really liked how you did it. thank you

[@mikemalone3443]

This is just what I was looking for thanks bro. Truck looks better than before

[@corycampbell7000]

I will be atempting this this summer. Thank you for the tutorial!!

[@jaymoge]

My clapped out Silverado thanks you. I'm going to build a bed for it and this video is perfect to get a real good idea of what I want to do and how. Thanks.

[@memphisprince2001]

Great job on the build! It looks great! I was always told to use Diesel and used motor Oil

[@carmendawnallan8871]

Great Craftmanship,On this Build. 👍

[@briananderson3034]

Looks great! Very nice job!

[@richardpatterson4312]

The lack of sides is way more stylish than I would have thought. You can probably back up to hitch a trailer super easy, I mean it's always easy but with this you can almost see the ball.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

You know, the sides I had in mind are only going to be about 12 - 16 inches tall, so I can try to retain the "sleek" look.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Great job on the build! It looks great!

[@9A0C9]

It looks amazing!!!! Great work!

[@johansanchez7512]

Awesome beautiful work

[@trixxter8494]

Thanks for the video. Know it's an old one. I like how the wood looks going to apply this to build a tonneau cover. I have a cateye silverado I'm putting a faux patina paint job and a normal tonneau cover just won't cut it. I think this will look killer as a cover to set just inside the bed rails. Great looking bed

[@johnwalters6800]

Far Out for me this would be the perfect bed. Thanks

[@mountainviewturning5319]

Great looking truck bed

[@timtaylor8998]

Awesome job!!!

[@stevenmcc2119]

Can you narrate my life lmao you sound like Jeff bridges I didn’t read the comments to see if this was brought up

[@mitchellbell713]

I literally just heard of using diesel as a preservative finish. I did a little research and the recipe I found was 10:1:1 diesel,boiled linseed oil,and stain. It was an old country boy who told me about it. I’m putting it on cedar that I milled and it looks very good.

[@njmxjunkie3128]

Came out beautiful

[@johnmazza9432]

I've been contemplating building a wooden bed on my new F550. Most people I tell that to think I'm crazy and that I should use steel or aluminum. But what most people don't understand is that wood has some great properties. It's actually very light relative to it's strength. it's easy to work with. And it doesn't rust or oxidize. The only thing you must keep in mind building a truck bed is that it will be twisting as the truck rolls down the road so you don't want to use thin screws that might snap. And you might want to use some galvanized corner braces if you are building a super heavy and strong bed like I am. I will also be using aluminum for the stake pockets and a thin aluminum sheet on the floor so that topsoil , mulch , or stone does not rot the bed and can be easily shoveled off. I love your torch treatment. If you don't know it, the Japanese did that a thousand years ago because the burnt wood resisted decay and fungus. Of course it also brings out the grain nicely.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thanks for commenting. You are completely right about the bed flexing. Fortunately, I won't be hauling heavy loads in this truck. I think my biggest load was taking the original bed to the dump. I used galvanized lag screws and bolts for the frame, and heavy deck screws for the planking. I know a lot of people use drywall screws for everything, but don't do it. Those things will snap in a heartbeat. I've been enjoying the deck screws for the planking because I'm still restoring this truck, and I have easy access to the fuel tank, shocks, hard to get to suspension parts, etc. I think for an F550, using a hybrid wood/metal idea is a great one. One thing to think about when putting a metal sheet on top of a wood bed, is that it can retain water underneath, and with no exposure to the sun, it can take a long to dry. This may cause some rotting you didn't expect. Good luck!

[@johnmazza9432]

@@FranklinWoodWorks2016 Good point. I will be installing plastic wheel wells to prevent splash.

[@joegarrison8611]

Great job.

[@travelcampingblacksmithing786]

Also have an 87 Chevy I am probably buying. I would be doing a wood bed. This definitely helps plan it out.

[@williamgordon3142]

Very nice work and instructional video. Turned out great

[@german69692007]

Very nice job.

[@rc6147]

Nice work!

[@reggiejohnson1027]

That bed really makes that truck unique and it looks damn nice! Awesome job on it!

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thank you!

[@xmo552]

@@FranklinWoodWorks2016 If you pause it at 1:37, what tool is used to counter sink those washers? Also, did you have to pre-drill for the large lag bolts to mount the sides? and for the pocket screws?

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

@@xmo552 I used a paddle bit for the recess. And you MUST predrill for the lag screws, or you will very tired very fast!

[@xmo552]

@@FranklinWoodWorks2016 Thanks

[@go_rizzo_grow]

I think I'm going to copy this design, fantastic job man.

[@shiftwrenchrepeat]

This is awesome, my f150 needs this

[@paulsmessyworkshop]

Nice job Rob. It came out great.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thanks Paul!

[@brianmcandrew9957]

This is a very good video thank you!

[@rchavez5056]

It looks great.

[@sammyperkins3511]

Simple but a beautiful outcome

[@michaelbourquin9814]

Thanks for the great vid. Going to do this on a 95 Nissan I just bought.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Thank you! Every day I get even happier with the design. I had to replace the fuel tank sending unit - remove a board and there's the gas tank. Shocks? - same deal. I'm about to replace the clutch, and I'm figuring out how I can take advantage of the bed on that too. Thanks for watching.

[@tjacksonwoodworker3726]

Liked it...I enjoy doing things like this also..

[@mecanicman66]

Realy nice job man

[@fusenator1980]

This is some terrific info!

[@andrewhardcastle7982]

Love it well done !

[@jagmasters7392]

I enjoyed that thanks! I now have better ideas on how to proceed with my Japanese mini truck deck conversion. Changing the original steel deck to flat deck wood (like your truck)

[@abdullax2739]

No sir !!! Thank you, was really helpful and awesome job.

[@NOSNOOB11]

You have inspired me to build somthing like this for my C 600 :)

[@dustinpollard6237]

That looks great

[@TheHighRoadToVictory]

looks great!

[@nightalt2084]

Awesome build thank you I will be doing the dodge version soon,

[@mikedonovan7776]

Man , this is sweet ... great job ...

[@MarcusWolfWanders]

I've seen the slide-stop at the head of the bed referred to as a "headache rack". it's great to know that I won't have to do too much finicking around with odd shapes for the frame if I decide to build my own flatbed, as opposed to buying one. My 09 Ranger's bed is rotting out at the front. One of many things on the list of things I'm fixing due to living in the rust belt.

[@angusrudes4969]

killer job cheers friend

[@adrianperalta7192]

Excelente👍, buena idea!, dos camionetas Ford❤. Gracias a tu video

[@H20DeadEye420]

looks good, enjoyed the video.

[@SouthernGinger]

Looks great dude

[@thatguyontheright1]

Coffee grounds is something I use when my stain isn't dark enough. I've never heard of burning the surface of the wood to bring out the grain before, nifty idea. If the sides are strong enough, I'd put tie downs on the sides too.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

I have used coffee and tea as a stain for guitar builds, and I love the look of it. Charring the wood will not only bring out the grain, the it also (supposedly) reduces the rate of deterioration of the wood. I used 1 x 6s for the sides, and I spaced them a little so I could get straps in between them if I needed it. This has worked well so far. I think a good upgrade would be using 2 x 6s for the sides with the same spacing.

[@AlaskaPirates]

Great video

[@justinsmith847]

Looks awesome

[@allanmccullough8550]

Nice job.

[@robertwilliams6395]

great job

[@3apples10001]

Very Nice👌👍

[@Montgomeryleather2]

Man this looks great

[@SkinnyVinnyLive]

Beautiful!!!

[@MJCPeters]

Wow, that's nice. I might try this on my 95, F150 since it took less than 10 minutes and some leftover 2x's. 😋

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Ha!

[@redneckshane2317]

I've been considering a flatbed for my S10, as dorky as it may look, because it would suit my needs a little more but I've struggled to find a plan/idea that suits my taste. After watching this, I think I might have to take some notes

[@dewreckdeberjack9618]

Square out the holes on the hold down with a file and then use Carriage head bolts. I voted for that burn job, I do think it turned out quite nice.

[@anthonystruck666]

Excellent 👍

[@happyl5547]

Outstanding ..!

[@AZ-Patriot]

In the world of big trucks and flatbeds, we always called that wall at the front there the 'Headache Rack'.

[@ericmaxwell4161]

Cool bed

[@MrGeroth]

Pretty nice

[@hoodie4179]

I’m actually doing something very similar right now. Gonna used a few tips from your video

[@LDhusky]

Damn that was cool!!

[@dscrive]

If you have (or have access to) a welder you ought to be able to get some allthread (or bolts) and attach studs to the underside of the tiedowns. alternatively, move the tie down points to the sides where the bolt heads won't be in the way (much) or file a square into the plates to accept a carriage bolt, it'd still stick up but wouldn't be a catching point.

[@johnnysmidnightramble999]

good job

[@pepsilove6306]

did something similar to this for a old ranger I had. the center two floor/bed boards tho I put on hinges and didnt bolt them down but used a groove sorta like cabinets so they could sit flush. this way if I ever needed to get at the fuel pump I'd never have to drop the tank. after doing two fuel pumps on my other trucks, I will never ever drop a tank every again. so i wanted to be able to just flip open a small section of my bed and easily reach the fuel pump.

[@JohnSmith-qj4cf]

Great idear thks

[@juice_whoranit]

Great video, I may be doing this since I can't find a bed for my truck

[@charliemckay6402]

If you want to flush mount pull hooks on the bed use flat head screws and push countersinks in the holes with a hardened pin made from a short grade 8 socket head cap screw on top and a nut countersunk on the bottom using a hydraulic press. Some tie-down plates come with countersunk holes, much easier than making modifications.

[@FranklinWoodWorks2016]

Well now that you told me, it seems obvious I could have done just that if I'd have thought about it a little more. Thanks for commenting. Good comments make me better, and yours is a comment I will definitely use if/when I rebuild the bed.