Making Bows and Stakes?

[Swervin]

Has anyone ever made their own cargo bows and stakes? I'd like to try my hand at it if I can find measurements somewhere. Failing measurements I guess I'll have to find someone selling them and get measurements from there.

 

[ygmir]

yup,
depending on the wood you use, you can get it wet, build a jig and bend to shape, and, then, let it dry. I usually bend a little more than I want, since it seems they always spring back some when taken out of the jig.
I use 1x4 and cut them down. If you can find a straight grain hardwood, that will be strongest. Soft woods are easier to find and have straight grain more often. Fir is strongest, redwood is least likely to rot, but, it and cedar are pretty weak........Pine is not so good as it is soft and rots..........
you can change a lot of characteristics with penetrating products for rot, etc.

good luck
Henry

 

[papercu]

wood

Pine is not so good as it is soft and rots..........

The secert in using pine is just don't paint it AND any wood that you do use must be very, very, very, dry before painting for it to last. Painting seals in the moisture. Wayne

 

[maddawg308]

RE: wood

Weren't most of the original bows and stakes made of oak? I have some here that I got from Uncle that are downright heavy, hard wood like it. I know oak, though, would get expensive if you were going to be making your own set of wood, especially if you were going to make troop seats out of new wood....

 

[FormerNewMVGuy]

RE: wood

I just made new stakes this morning, I made them out of oak ,the width was 2 3/8 inch, I think i made the length 45 1/2 inches. I just patterned them from the originals.

 

[Swervin]

I got some 1x3"s, they seem like they'll fit the corners and everything. Is there any reason besides authenticity to rip them down to 2 3/8"? Thanks for the help so far everyone.

 

[nattieleather]

White Oak is what you want to use. It is the strongest and toughest. Why do you think they made barrels out of it? It is also what the Army used on the trucks.

 

[ygmir]

I got some 1x3"s, they seem like they'll fit the corners and everything. Is there any reason besides authenticity to rip them down to 2 3/8"? Thanks for the help so far everyone.

might be for swelling of the wood when wet? I know I made one that fit nice dry, and, it stayed in place until July....
Hey, I'm a poet........hahaha

Henry

 

[mgpm35]

White Oak is what you want to use. It is the strongest and toughest.

It's also more rot resistant than other oaks. It was used extensively in sailing ships because of its strength, resilience, and durability. As any of y'all wood ticks out there know, a white oak tree on the ground lasts a lot longer than most anything else in the woods.

 

[MDSA]

Getting green wood

If you are experienced at all with firewood, you can get green wood for bending your own bows by splitting out long, thin pieces of firewood. Red Oak splits easier but white oak will split pretty easily too, and is better. Then plane the wood down smooth and cut on a table saw to size. Then bend it in your jig and you have your bows. I make boards this way for furniture. It's called RIVED wood and is how the pioneers made lumber for their furniture.

I had not thought of making my own bows but that is my next project.

Brian

 

[rmgill]

RE: Getting green wood

I used spruce which is one of the springy woods used for bed slats in those futon and platform type beds. Strong and flexible. So far they've stood up nicely. Tricky part is the vertical bits. Once you have those set correctly, it's a cinch to take a section and fit it into the corner, eyeball the needed length then cut them to match and then assemble and insert them. Since it's springy, it' wants to straighten but can't due to the arch of the bow corners. That means it wants to stay attached due to friction. So far, with 2 years of use I've not had any problems.

 

[MilspecKilroy]

Making Bows

I will be making some bows in the near future- however they will not be quite true to original specs. I plan on using white oak or something similar and planing it down quite thin. I'll then laminate them and set them in a jig made to match an original set. I plan on making these slightly undersized so I can then cover them with fiberglass roving. The key here is to use epoxy resin as opposed to polyester resin (I've restored fiberglass covered wooden speed boats in the past). Epoxy adheres MUCH better to wood, has a longer working time and doesn't smell as bad. If I want to get fancy I may add OD coloring to the resin. The lamination will make it easier to fit the curve of the top bow and actually make it stronger. The 'glass will weather proof it. If the outside dims are the same as the original they'll fit the pockets and brackets with no problem and due to the covering should last indefinately and splinters will not be an issue. I may ultimately do some troop seats this way.

 

[100dollarman]

Are all the bows supposed to the same? I have one that is flatter/straighter on top. I was wondering if it is warped down, or if I have them out of sequence?

 

[MilspecKilroy]

As far as I know they are all the same. However, I must admit I am not necessarily the expert on that particular topic. Knowing how the military works I suspect they would have them identical and interchangeable. Sorry I can't be of further assistance.

 

[Recovry4x4]

All the same. Some lose their arch with time

 

[Swervin]

If anyone else is interested, some screws that should work on the corners are these:
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=94073

I used some from a local store that were the same spec except they were chromed and really expensive, but these will hopefully work too. I ordered some and I'll post verifying that they work when they arrive.

ETA: The screws arrived and they work perfect.

 

[Jakob]

I'm going to revive an old thread here, but I was thinking about making my own bows and stakes. 90% of the ones on my truck now are broken or missing. I was thinking of using steel tubing though. 1x2 rectangle tubing w/ some 1/4" spacers on the sides to make them fit more snug. They should last a LONG time, won't warp or swell and I can do it for almost the same, if not cheaper, than wood. Can anyone think of any negatives to this?

 

[FormerNewMVGuy]

I got a truck that came from ft. meade, All the bows are metal and the stakes are fiberglass, I have never seen metal bows before!! I think i'll be keeping those for myself! They are dropside bows to boot!!!!

 

[Jakob]

I got a truck that came from ft. meade, All the bows are metal and the stakes are fiberglass, I have never seen metal bows before!! I think i'll be keeping those for myself! They are dropside bows to boot!!!!

What are the bows made of, measurements?

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

jatonka has Amish-made bows Give him a shout.

Andy