DIY Custom Wood Bed Separator

[cmlumley]

This is my first time posting on a forum, so if this is posted in the wrong spot, let me know.

I have been using an old 1"x7" wooden board as a bed separator and finally decided to spruce it up a bit.

Here are some of the steps I took to make it.

-Cut the board to 57 1/2", This made the board long enough to sit snug in the bed slot, but left enough of a gap to make it easy to install and remove. My bed has the OEM bed liner, so the length will be different if your bed is not lined.
-I used a torch to give the wood a burnt look and texture, then went over the charred wood with a scotch brite to clean up some of the extra carbon.
-Made a gold and black vinyl decal of the Gladiator on my Cricut machine and applied it to the center of the board.
-I applied 5 coats of a semi-gloss spar urethane over both the burnt wood as well as the decals to prevent delamination of the decals. I used spar urethane instead of polyurethane for its weather/ moisture resistance properties and its durability. It is commonly used on wood boats and outdoor structures.
-I used the Cricut to make some tire tread stencils and applied them to both ends, about 6 inches from the board edge.
-I used an open-cell foam roller to apply two coats of a rubberized bed liner "Herculiner" to both ends of the board and over the tire tread stencils. I did this to keep the wood from banging around in the bed, the rubber coating prevents scratching the Jeep when installing/ removing the board and it also keeps the board from sliding around the bed when not installed. The rough rubber texture gives the tire tread a realistic look and feel.
-Installed grocery bag hooks. After the spar urethane and bed liner coating dried, (this took about 3 days at 50 F), I drilled pilot holes and installed 4 locking brass hooks into the top edge of the board. The hooks have a piece of spring metal that keeps your grocery bags from falling off of the hooks over rough terrain.

A Few things I would have done differently.
-Board Size-I would have started with a 2" thick board instead of 1"x7". The 1"x7" works fine, but going with a thicker board would help fill in the extra gap and keep the board from leaning or clunking around over bumps.
-Color Scheme- I think the gold/black decals look nice with the brass hooks and burnt wood finish, but I think I would have preferred to color match the Jeep decal to the Firecracker Red paint of my Gladiator.
-Finish Sheen- I used a semi-gloss spar urethane, but I think a full gloss would look better and make it easier to clean.
-Photos- If I had known I was going to post this project to the forum, I would have taken photos of the process instead of just the finished product.

This is my first time posting to a forum, but I figured I would try it out and share my project. I am open to any feedback or advice. If you are interested in making something like this for your Gladiator and have questions, feel free to reach out.

Thanks!
Corey

Sponsored

 

[NC_Overland]

They work as a separator, but the design point of it is for hauling 4x8 sheets with the tailgate in the mid position. That being said, I use mine for both.

 

[cmlumley]

They work as a separator, but the design point of it is for hauling 4x8 sheets with the tailgate in the mid position. That being said, I use mine for both.

I remember reading about the bed cutouts being used for that. I guess I should have bed lined the top of the board as well lol..

 

[Thunderspud]

You guys should compare notes.


https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/my-diy-jeep-themed-bed-divider.91351/

 

[cmlumley]

You guys should compare notes.


https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/my-diy-jeep-themed-bed-divider.91351/

Great.. Now I have to delete my post and make a better one...

 

[OldButStillJeeping]

This is my first time posting on a forum, so if this is posted in the wrong spot, let me know.

I have been using an old 1"x7" wooden board as a bed separator and finally decided to spruce it up a bit.

Here are some of the steps I took to make it.

-Cut the board to 57 1/2", This made the board long enough to sit snug in the bed slot, but left enough of a gap to make it easy to install and remove. My bed has the OEM bed liner, so the length will be different if your bed is not lined.
-I used a torch to give the wood a burnt look and texture, then went over the charred wood with a scotch brite to clean up some of the extra carbon.
-Made a gold and black vinyl decal of the Gladiator on my Cricut machine and applied it to the center of the board.
-I applied 5 coats of a semi-gloss spar urethane over both the burnt wood as well as the decals to prevent delamination of the decals. I used spar urethane instead of polyurethane for its weather/ moisture resistance properties and its durability. It is commonly used on wood boats and outdoor structures.
-I used the Cricut to make some tire tread stencils and applied them to both ends, about 6 inches from the board edge.
-I used an open-cell foam roller to apply two coats of a rubberized bed liner "Herculiner" to both ends of the board and over the tire tread stencils. I did this to keep the wood from banging around in the bed, the rubber coating prevents scratching the Jeep when installing/ removing the board and it also keeps the board from sliding around the bed when not installed. The rough rubber texture gives the tire tread a realistic look and feel.
-Installed grocery bag hooks. After the spar urethane and bed liner coating dried, (this took about 3 days at 50 F), I drilled pilot holes and installed 4 locking brass hooks into the top edge of the board. The hooks have a piece of spring metal that keeps your grocery bags from falling off of the hooks over rough terrain.

A Few things I would have done differently.
-Board Size-I would have started with a 2" thick board instead of 1"x7". The 1"x7" works fine, but going with a thicker board would help fill in the extra gap and keep the board from leaning or clunking around over bumps.
-Color Scheme- I think the gold/black decals look nice with the brass hooks and burnt wood finish, but I think I would have preferred to color match the Jeep decal to the Firecracker Red paint of my Gladiator.
-Finish Sheen- I used a semi-gloss spar urethane, but I think a full gloss would look better and make it easier to clean.
-Photos- If I had known I was going to post this project to the forum, I would have taken photos of the process instead of just the finished product.

This is my first time posting to a forum, but I figured I would try it out and share my project. I am open to any feedback or advice. If you are interested in making something like this for your Gladiator and have questions, feel free to reach out.

Thanks!
Corey

That, is awesome!!! Great job.

I cut a 2x6 and it was either too long, and then too short. I quit trying. I am easily distracted and my wife still has to flip open the bed cover to grab the groceries because my 'give a shit' is busted. No broken eggs against the front bed ... yet. Once that happens I will give care to shut her up.

 

[WILDHOBO]

This is my first time posting on a forum, so if this is posted in the wrong spot, let me know.

I have been using an old 1"x7" wooden board as a bed separator and finally decided to spruce it up a bit.

Here are some of the steps I took to make it.

-Cut the board to 57 1/2", This made the board long enough to sit snug in the bed slot, but left enough of a gap to make it easy to install and remove. My bed has the OEM bed liner, so the length will be different if your bed is not lined.
-I used a torch to give the wood a burnt look and texture, then went over the charred wood with a scotch brite to clean up some of the extra carbon.
-Made a gold and black vinyl decal of the Gladiator on my Cricut machine and applied it to the center of the board.
-I applied 5 coats of a semi-gloss spar urethane over both the burnt wood as well as the decals to prevent delamination of the decals. I used spar urethane instead of polyurethane for its weather/ moisture resistance properties and its durability. It is commonly used on wood boats and outdoor structures.
-I used the Cricut to make some tire tread stencils and applied them to both ends, about 6 inches from the board edge.
-I used an open-cell foam roller to apply two coats of a rubberized bed liner "Herculiner" to both ends of the board and over the tire tread stencils. I did this to keep the wood from banging around in the bed, the rubber coating prevents scratching the Jeep when installing/ removing the board and it also keeps the board from sliding around the bed when not installed. The rough rubber texture gives the tire tread a realistic look and feel.
-Installed grocery bag hooks. After the spar urethane and bed liner coating dried, (this took about 3 days at 50 F), I drilled pilot holes and installed 4 locking brass hooks into the top edge of the board. The hooks have a piece of spring metal that keeps your grocery bags from falling off of the hooks over rough terrain.

A Few things I would have done differently.
-Board Size-I would have started with a 2" thick board instead of 1"x7". The 1"x7" works fine, but going with a thicker board would help fill in the extra gap and keep the board from leaning or clunking around over bumps.
-Color Scheme- I think the gold/black decals look nice with the brass hooks and burnt wood finish, but I think I would have preferred to color match the Jeep decal to the Firecracker Red paint of my Gladiator.
-Finish Sheen- I used a semi-gloss spar urethane, but I think a full gloss would look better and make it easier to clean.
-Photos- If I had known I was going to post this project to the forum, I would have taken photos of the process instead of just the finished product.

This is my first time posting to a forum, but I figured I would try it out and share my project. I am open to any feedback or advice. If you are interested in making something like this for your Gladiator and have questions, feel free to reach out.

Thanks!
Corey

Fantastic work. Thanks for sharing. Really nicely done. Projects like these are maybe my favorites. Extra functionality with very little cost, and great results.

 

[cmlumley]

Fantastic work. Thanks for sharing. Really nicely done. Projects like these are maybe my favorites. Extra functionality with very little cost, and great results.

Thanks for checking it out!

 

[cmlumley]

That, is awesome!!! Great job.

I cut a 2x6 and it was either too long, and then too short. I quit trying. I am easily distracted and my wife still has to flip open the bed cover to grab the groceries because my 'give a shit' is busted. No broken eggs against the front bed ... yet. Once that happens I will give care to shut her up.

Thanks. It was kind of a pain getting the length correct. I ended up using the circular saw until it was close, then I used a belt sander to fine tune it until it fit snug.

 

[JBerd81]

I think it turned out pretty damn nice! I have a standard 2x6 in mine all winter long with 600 lbs of sand in the bed for traction, then usually leave it in during the summer months so when I put my freedom tops in the bed they don’t slide around in the bag

 

[WILDHOBO]

Thanks. It was kind of a pain getting the length correct. I ended up using the circular saw until it was close, then I used a belt sander to fine tune it until it fit snug.

Whenever I do woodwork cuts, I measure, and cut 1/16 to 1/8 long. Then back to the miter saw to shave it down.

 

[cmlumley]

I think it turned out pretty damn nice! I have a standard 2x6 in mine all winter long with 600 lbs of sand in the bed for traction, then usually leave it in during the summer months so when I put my freedom tops in the bed they don’t slide around in the bag

I had this board unfinished in the bed through the winter too, but eventually the salt water and sun started to take a toll on the bare wood. Was just going to seal the wood, but one thing led to another.. Sandbags definitely help for traction here in Wisconsin too.

 

[cmlumley]

Whenever I do woodwork cuts, I measure, and cut 1/16 to 1/8 long. Then back to the miter saw to shave it down.

Using the miter saw would have helped considering the bed slot is a bit tighter at the bottom than it is at the top. I was just too lazy to carry the board back and forth to my deck 20 times lol..

 

[WILDHOBO]

I had this board unfinished in the bed through the winter too, but eventually the salt water and sun started to take a toll on the bare wood. Was just going to seal the wood, but one thing led to another.. Sandbags definitely help for traction here in Wisconsin too.

Where in sconnie? I grew up there. Appleton and Oshkosh.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Using the miter saw would have helped considering the bed slot is a bit tighter at the bottom than it is at the top. I was just too lazy to carry the board back and forth to my deck 20 times lol..

I’ve been there. This weekend I was too lazy to walk to the back of the garage. We were working hard though.

Sponsored