Neander Side Boards on Pickup Truck

[Jim Koepke]

When we moved to Washington eight years ago a used truck was purchased to help in the move. I added extended sides to the bed to help secure all the loads. After eight years with a single coat of BLO one or two of the 2x3 posts were starting to get a bit of rot in places.

A few things were learned from the first time around. One was to leave enough room between the lowest board and the sidewall to be able to reach in to the bed. Another was to coat the materials before assembly. The posts were cut and painted before installation. The first set was made of 1x10 and 1x8 boards. This time all the boards are 1x8 and coated with spar varnish.

The order of work was actually pretty easy. First to decide was how much space between the sidewall and the first board. After a few test fittings using Quick-Clamps using a 1x6 for spacing seemed to be the right amount.

Then came the work. Here is the layout of tools used:

A Whole Lot of Drillin' Going On.jpg

The boards were held in place, one at a time, with quick clamps. The little gauge block made of scrap was used to mark the bolt placement using a gimlet. It was registered with the 2x3 post at the top to mark one hole. The process was repeated at the bottom of the board.

Then the 5/32" bit in the breast drill was used to make a pilot hole. The breast drill has a two jaw chuck and the bit has a tapered shank for use in braces.

Then one of the braces has an 11/16" bit to match the size of the carriage bolt head. The counter bore for the head was two full turns once the lips started making shavings.

Then on the post where the pilot hole exited another brace with a 7/8" bit was used to counter bore for a washer. This was six turns after the shavings started to emerge.

Finally a 5/16" bit was used to drill for the bolts' shanks. It was used from both sides to help prevent excessive blow out.

It pays to have a few extra braces for this kind of an occasion. I love the 6" brace, holding the 5/16" bit, Thanks Joe.

I also like the look of my new side boards:

New Side Boards.jpg

The old boards are still in decent shape. They have a nice gray patina. Maybe when the grandkids are here next week we can go on a bird house building extravaganza.

An added note; The edges on the boards were rounded using a 7/8" side beading plane.

jtk

[James Pallas]

Very neatly done Jim. It is surprising how many tools are used to do what seems like a small job. It is satisfying to complete work on useful projects. I've made several sets of sideboards over the years. I was taught to put the boards inside the supports so cargo would slide along the boards and not get hung up on the uprights. They look much better on the outside however.
Jim

[Stew Denton]

Hi Jim,

A very nice addition to your truck, they look great! I don't know why, but lumber with a neutral finish like Spar, always looks great with the red paint of a red truck. Down in our country, yellow pine with spar, in particular, looks really great, IMHO.

+1 to what James said. I can't believe how many tools I end up using on even a small job. I was working on repair to a sheet metal door to our grill yesterday (alas, not woodworking just something that had to be repaired), was thinking exactly what James listed above, and could not believe how many tools I had out.

Stew