Thoughts/input on Plywood double deck in bed

I am thinking of creating a plywood upper deck in the bed of my Tundra so that I can load/store skis under the deck and any other gear on top. I would like the upper deck to be split lengthwise (blue line in image below) down the middle for ease of installation AND to be used for window protection when I load firewood, etc. in the bed, I can raise those up on the sides and it will protect the windows from the wood (Hopefully). Has anyone done something similar and/or have ideas or feedback on this idea? $$$$hould I use Marine Grade plywood for longevity? I do plan on getting a capper. Does anyone have a template for the bed interior or know how to do the edge cuts so I get them correct? I know there are carpenter tricks for doing uneven walls, etc. so I need to figure that out.

I would likely put 'notches/hand holds' in the centerline cut to ease for removal when installed. The notches would be aligned to be over the flat board cross members that span the bed from side to side.

I hope to make the length of the plywood tight enough from front to back to 'lock' it in place so it is hard for someone to pry up when the tailgate is closed. So for the 6.5 foot bed, as close to 6.5 as possible. Alternatively I could put 'tracks that it slides in to along the front and on tailgate to block access.

The deck would be similar to the 'decked' system that is for sale, but I don't want drawers ( I have enough drawers!) underneath at this time. Maybe some day in the futa!

 

I've done a plywood deck in my bed, love it. mine is specific to truck bed camping. Used ripped 2x8s in a couple spots parallel to bed ribs to get the plywood just above the fender wells. I Used 3/4 sanded plywood that is painted for the deck. Some of the edges/corners are delaminating, but it's a few years old at this point and has seen some use. I also didn't paint it for the first couple years, which would have helped.

Wood is fairly cheap so I'd recommend concepting out your ideas using cheaper/thinner plywood. Then test and tweak as needed. My camp platform took me a couple camping seasons and a few iterations to get right. Overall it's nothing fancy, I'm a firm believer in KISS design principle. Definitely wasn't concerned about perfectly matched cuts to the bed profile (I'm the only one back there and it's usually dark... haha). Sounds like you have some grander ideas, sharpen your pencil and let er rip!

 

thanks. Yeah. I don’t care much but my roommate/finance minister/wife does. So will try to make it nice. I was thinking of doing a proto first to sus it out with an old piece of ply. For the stuff that is delaminating on yours just use some waterproof glue and clamps to clamp it closed and it’ll fix it right up.

 

I made my own bed box a few years ago and it's held up great. A little bit different design from what you have planned, but no fancy plywood or anything pressure treated. I sleep on top of it. Whatever you figure out, you can get some outdoor carpet from Home Depot and stick it on the plywood with this:

 

I had a spare tire carrier “sled” that was mounted on some cross-bed bars. Made it out of 2x4s and particle board so extremely cheap on materials. I coated the entire thing in black flex seal and it did a great job. Pretty durable too in terms of things getting banged around

The flex seal does give off a slight odor when applied but disappears once cured.

 

Do it! Cardboard works good for models and patterns. Window protection is a beautiful thing too! I plan to build something similar at some point. I will use siliconized roof coating over Titebond wood glue diluted with water to create a waterproof barrier. The green labeled Titebond brand glue diluted with a little water makes a great waterproof and mostly clear easily applied finish. The roof coating makes it fairly durable and non slip. Mine will be mounted in a fixed position and the contents will be kept in shallow trays that I will pull out with a hook on a pole. The pole will mount across the rear for quick access and the tailgate locks for security. I already have a cut out from a drop in plastic bed liner over the factory Line-X coating so the trays will slide easily. Also have a thick rubber stall mat that will be moved up to become the new final bed floor/protective liner. The stall mat doubles as a doormat at our campsites too. I suppose one could also even use it as a recovery tool if needed. Maybe even throw it over the windshield if caught unprepared in a severe hail event. All of that said, I have the 2.5 gen Trail Edition bed boxes which makes my bed a 48.5" wide perfect rectangle, so it is really easy to work with and I have awesome fairly secure versatile bedside storage. For widow protection, I have a louvered headache rack which also allows me to leave the window open on hot days without sacrificing security. The HD headache rack also serves as a little roll over protection and a mounting location for front/rear facing lighting and turn signals/brake lights/flashers. For a cap, I purchased two over the bedrail tool boxes and will be putting a removable operational screened window between them up front and a set of removable doors with windows at the rear. Then, sideboards and factory bedrails will run around 3 sides up at the top with a removable soft topper to be the icing on the cake. All of this will be mounted to a DIY bed/frame mounted steel tubing assembly to keep the load off of the truck body itself. It all results in a very versatile truck that will have a lightweight removeable pop up camper that I can stand up inside of, can stand a refrigerator in, transport a sofa in, work out of, even live in. All with tons of dry and fairly secure storage. Lots of planning, procurement, and fabrication to do first here, so a bit slow getting there, but it is coming together. Cheers to saving $$$ with your own custom DIY bed storage!

 

I just cut it out using a jig saw and some math to calculate the elipse for the wheel well. It wasn't perfect but once it was installed I never noticed. Worked well. I'm not sure about the whole flipping it up to protect your rear window from wood but as a bed it worked. With the plywood extra scrap I made a slide out drawer thing.

I needed 2x 4x8 sheets. I would paint it with waterproof/resistant paint on all 4 sides if you don't have a topper. Skip the marine plywood, it's too damn expensive.


You'll have to notch each corner for the tie down supports too.

 

Good point. Thanks. The cut I will do will be down the middle lengthwise so it would fold up from the centerline of the bed towards the side windows. I would need a separate panel for the front window I guess. Dont need 100# logs smashing out a window.

 

Inside a camper shell you could possibly use heavy gauge expanded metal (about 2.5"x1.25" diamonds) to make a grate over the front window so you would have protection and sight both simultaneously. Just hinge it so you can open it for glass cleaning.

 

ahhh, I like that idea... Thanks much!