metal wood flatbed material??
 

im looking to build a metal framed scale flatbed with headrack for my rig. wood deck, but metal for frame and headrack.. was thinking of using some 1/8" by 3/8" flatbar for the frame, then welding sheet to it for the wood to sit on. im wondering how u guys secure the wood to the metal without 20+ tiny nuts and bolts, as the sheet will b def too thin to tap. have people glued the wood down?? any body have any pics? I searched and didn't find much that was steel and wood. most was alum or all wood.

Re: metal wood flatbed material??
 

I don't have a good answer for you as I went the many screws route. But the metal I did use is flat sheet steel i hammered my own brackets out then drilled. I countersunk most all my bolts in the wood so still flush. For wood I used treated 1x6 decking board from Home Depot, then ripped thin on my table saw.
For the frame you could always slot it so the wood fits snug around 3 sides then attach a final metal strap across the back? There's many ways to make a flatbed. Using Google images I got good ideas.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...d98dab5508.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...2e67ec6cde.jpg

Re: metal wood flatbed material??
 

My friend used aluminum C channel with 45 degree cuts at the corners so the wood could slide in and stay. You might be able to screw some C channel to the base and then add the wood beams, which will hide the screws.

Re: metal wood flatbed material??
 

I used 1\4" ply end channel (aluminum) for the front and rear and 1\2 angle for the sides. I filled it with 1\4" x3\8" spruce from my lhs and4 screws on the bottom holds everything together.

http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/...psevqtlwwj.jpg

http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/...pshx0zpm2e.jpg

Re: metal wood flatbed material??
 

That is a fantastically simple, perfect aluminum & panel tray. "thumbsup""thumbsup""thumbsup"

Last time I tried to work with aluminum it was a large mess of angle stock and Harbor Freight brazing rods. :lmao:

Re: metal wood flatbed material??
 

This is a variation of what pixelnate built, but it works.
1/4" alu channel and 1/4" poplar strip from Lowes. I made the alu frame, slid the wood strip in and then glued/nailed (small brads) the bed to supports that sit on the chassis. Simple and cheap to make.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...c06d131d70.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...6/DSC03038.jpg

Re: metal wood flatbed material??
 

A flatbed I made years ago.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5..._091119094.jpg

Made from sheet steel I bent to L-shape and assembled just with screws. I used 3mm plywood for the deck.

Here is a more recent bed I made. Not a flatbed though.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Z..._090954667.jpg

Needs a tailgate and paint.