VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 '28 Capital Truck Cab Wood

HI:

I just spent about 14 hours in the garage with my Chebby. I am jumping all over the place. If I have the time, I need the parts. If I have the parts, I need a book. If I have the book..... well you know what I mean.

I started measuring the wood in the cab of my buggy. The roof is fine, believe it or not. But everything else is pretty bad.

A. I have had suggestions to use Mahogany instead of Oak because it doesn't get so incredibly hard after a period of time. Suggestions?

B. I plan on using the old stuff as patterns, and it doesn't look that complex...that's why I'm scared. I would rather start of with some ideas instead of getting lost in the middle.. Been there, done that! Are wood patterns available for this truck?

Thanks

Don

You can use a multitude of woods. For structurally critical locations (main sills, door posts, top stringers) strong, stiff woods are best. Of the most common; White Ash, No. Red Oak (So Red Oak not as good), White Oak and most of the "nut" (Pecan, Hickory, etc.) woods, are among the best. Cent. Amer. Mahogany (African Mahogany is not as good) has less shock-impact strength than the others nearly in the unacceptable range particularily for structural automotive applications.

For other locations many other woods are perfectly acceptable. I use Popular in many of them.

I am studying the construction of the wood, making notes, and taking photos. Mr. "Practical" will end up with 2 cabs in the building until I get it done. As far as material, I'll check with a few local saw mills and see what they can do for me.

Thanks
Don

Make absolutely sure that the wood used is dry. Storing out of the weather for a year or slow drying in a kiln will result in stable wood. If excess moisture then the wood will shrink and/or warp.

Man am I ever thankful that you told me about making sure the wood is dry. It's so basic, and yet when a guy like me is in a rush, ooooops! I hadn't thought about that and I would have created a disaster sure as shootin.

Believe this or not but my little town has a pretty big Company in town that has kilns here. They dry all species of woods from all around the world. My daughter in law worked there and I'm in like flynn.

Thanks again..... and thanks to the organization for such a great resource.

Don

Even if you get the wood kil dried I wouldn't use it right away. I'd recommend stacking and stickering the wood for at least 6 weeks after kiln drying. This allows it to acclimate.

Personally I prefer air dried wood but that's just me, and admittdly, this is time consuming. I also have a moisture meter to check the wood with but I wouldn't recommend one unless you're an avid woodworker.

rbl2,
Excellant post particularily for the experienced woodworker. Unfortunately most people will not know what stickering means. For those other folks, he is recommending that the wood be stored in the same area as where the vehicle is assembled and stored. Also provide some space between boards so air can circulate around as much of them as possible. Putting small pieces of wood between boards and keeping them level and flat is critical to proper acclimatizing.

I also prefer air drying as it limits checking, warping and other problems caused by forced drying. However it can take two or more years for boards over 2" in thickness particularily the closed cell types.

I hate to admit that I recognized stickering AFTER Chipper bumped me in the back of my head with his Post.

This project won't take a large quantity of wood. Our local supplier can probably be coaxed into a little "special attention" to this project... I have had extremely good luck with local folks when I describe special circumstances that surround my requests. NAPA calls me their 401K (that's a retirement program.)

Do you have a moisture content that you find acceptable? I have access to that equipment...we use it in my insurance business for water mitigation after the water company decides to store 10,000 gallons of water in your basement while you are on vacation.

Don

The "best" number for moisture content depends upon what is normal for your area. Since you have the meter I would check the studs in a garage or out building on a typical day. The moisture content will vary with temperature and humidity. For lumber anything under 20% is considered dry. For framing or outdoor use 15-20% is considered ok. 12% or less for paneling or interior use and 8% or less for furniture or cabinets. Generally it is not possible to get less then 10-15% by air drying particularily in the eastern half of the USA. Some areas 20% is about the lowest.

If you use lumber with a lower moisture content and after assembly it gains moisture that is typically much less of a problem than drying out. Moisture causes wood to swell and drying to shrink. The rate depends upon the wood species. As an example on a 4 cylinder tour several years ago to Moab Utah several cars with wood spoke wheels had to water them each day to keep the spokes tight. That includes some with recently rebuilt wheels. Causes you to wonder how dry the wood use to make the spokes?

I don't keep a close eye on the moisture content of my wood until about 8 weeks before I intend to use it. Before that I'll check it from time to time just to satisfy my curiosity. When the moisture content holds steady within a few percentages for about 6 weeks you can consider it dry.

The moisture meter your company uses may not be a good one for lumber. It was probably designed to check masonry and concrete. Also note that the specific gravity of lumber varies from species to species and most moisture meters have to be set to test a given species.

Some moisture meters can be had for about $30 but I'm not sure how good they are. They can probably be had at any Harbor Freight store. I got mine on line and it set me back about $200, but woodworking is in my blood. They're are far more expensive ones then that out there.

Before buying a moisture meter I went by the rule of thumb that air drying was calculated as to take one year per inch of thickness. If the lumber has been kiln dried it wouldn't take that long, maybe 2-3 months for it to acclimate.

Also, when you stack and sticker your lumber you should seal the ends. This will prevent moisture from leaving the wood too quickly causing warping and splitting. You can pretty much use anything to seal the wood from cheap paint to polyurethane.

Keep talking Guys, this thread is very interesting. :) :)

Mine is a Wagner moisture meter, mmc 205. As you can see there are some that are far pricier.

Harbor Freight has two moisture meters that would probably suffice for your purposes. They are much cheaper than mine.

Some moisture meters have pins on them. These are driven lightly into the wood. It gives a deeper reading, which is good, except that it leaves holes in the wood. I don't want holes in my wood because then I have to work around them or cut that part off. For wood that will be hidden, like the wood in a car door or top, the holes don't matter.

Hope this helps

Wow... What an education!

I don't know anything about wood. I know Lowes, Home Depot, and old skids, if I can find them.

I know that I live 1/2 mile from a supplier of kiln dried wood that hs been in business for decades.... They gotta know how to do this with a minimum of hassle. I'm sure they will embrace the project when they hear about it, and share some of their expertise.

Thanks so much for getting me going in the right direction.

After I screw it up, I'll be able to re-read this and know why.

Don

After you screw it up, bring your car down here. I have a small cabinet shop.

I also have a stack of exotic and domestic hardwood that you can't have. However, there is a saw mill near by. :grin:

For what it's worth, if you can find a sawmill you'll get the lumber much cheaper than you would at any of the borgs (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.). The wood would be green so you'd need to dry it before milling it to allow for shrinkage.

Thank you for the info.

I have a number of small saw mills in my area. I am sure they have some of the species that would work for me.

After my initial measurements, standard dimensional lumber won't work. So the small mill is the only way to go.

After that, I will challenge the local Kiln owners to work with my "little job".

Hey.. it's part of the sport. We don't make excuses, we find solutions. With the availability of this club, we find better solutions.

I'm sold.

Don