Oldmopars Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I am working on the deck of my low boy trailer. I want to use real wood and found Craft Sticks in several sizes at HL. Now I need to decide the proper width for the boards. I did some looking on the web and all I have been able to find are 3in, 5in and 7in deck boards, however when I measure the deck boards on the fake wood that comes in the kit, it is 10.75in wide. 10.75 in scale is .43 and would require fewer cuts and fewer overall boards. Have you seen 10+in deck boards on trailers? I have done some redecking of trailers and I just do not remember how wide the boards were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowboy rich Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I've been around a lot of flat beds and I've not seen anything bigger than 7, certainly not anything as big as 10.75 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbill Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 The hobby lobby doll house flooring I mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneckrigger Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 The company I used to work for had a contract with a local sawmill that would custom cut us oak boards up to 12" wide and any size we needed when we were redecking our lowboys. I have seen all sorts of different widths, and don't think there really is any standard, at least based upon all of the different pieces of equipment I used to repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieselhead Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 I'd agree with Tom, there's no real standard, it's pretty much whatever fits. I would get some sheet balsa (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc), put it on, and just play with the widths, and then score the board with a knife to create the illusion of boards. Do it deep like panel lines, wash it dark and I think it would look great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Good tip using a large sheet..if I may suggest using Basswood instead of balsa. Grain is smoother and imo better appearance over airplane wood . I bought a piece about 4 inches wide by roughly 20 inches at hobby lobby last year if I recall its 1/32 " thinnest I could find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldmopars Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) Well this is my second attempt. I need to weather it up a bit to make it look more like the deck of a truck used to haul a Dozer, but I think I am getting there. These work out to a scale 9in, so a little wide, but not too bad. Edited March 28, 2019 by Oldmopars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam I Am Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 I like it. I can hardly wait to see it with a wash on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneckrigger Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 Scott, that looks great..............a bit of weathering and it will look just like the real deal after a bit of service. I use balsa, and as it is quite soft, I beat it up a bit with dents and dings and sometimes even some tears and splinters in it and stain it with actual used dirty motor oil and grease. Personally, I find that the actual oils and grease work better than trying to replicate something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 My personal preference is bass wood. A much finer grain that still is easy to cut with a sharp Xacto. A regular dark stain would work well but with one caution. Do not get glue on the upper surface or the stain will not take. Perhaps best to stain the individual strips first and then install. A darker stain in places where oil and grease might fall will add to its overall appearance. Some "distressing" would be in order also but don't forget to keep in scale. Track marks might actually go sideways to indicate adjustments in the location of the equipment as it is being loaded. (JMHO) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitchdup Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I use coffee stirrers for decking, simple to cut and if you grab a handfull when you get coffee its freeish too. For my brbo I used citadel dirt wash to stain them before staining after staining Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 (edited) For my ERTL Great Dane flatbed build, I cut the fake plastic wood out and then had a guy cut and print the deck pieces on a thin sheet of balsa wood. All the printed screw heads reside directly above each bed crossmember. Edited April 2, 2019 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckabilly Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 This looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 Very nice trailers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 I may be posting this a bit late but, I actually used the wood grained plastic from the kit. I obtained extras and lengthened the frame so I would be able to park 3 cars on it. To get the wood grain relief to show I painted them with Testors Root Beer brown lacquer (no primer). After that dried, I painted them with Tamiya flat tan. Next was sanding (I hate sanding) very gently until the dark brown started to show. Fortunately I did not reveal any bare plastic. Some spots are not perfect but it turned out reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam I Am Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 So... I see that coffee stirrers, sheet balsa, and sheet basswood have been used. Anybody use popsicle sticks or tongue depressors? Just throwing that out there because I have an hour drive to Michaels and more to HL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 On 1/8/2020 at 11:04 PM, Sam I Am said: So... I see that coffee stirrers, sheet balsa, and sheet basswood have been used. Anybody use popsicle sticks or tongue depressors? Just throwing that out there because I have an hour drive to Michaels and more to HL. Coffee stirrers are thin and narrow. Popsicle/ice-cream sticks and tongue depressors are made from thicker wood and are quite wide. I guess it is whatever you think will look good on a model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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