While travelling, everybody needs some extra storage. The storage helps to carry essentials things that you may need during truck camping. But purchasing truck bed storage containers can be way too costly. Hence, we recommend you to build your own instead of spending thousands of dollars on purchased storage containers.So, here in this article we have detailed discussed on how to make truck bed storage containers.
Now, you may ask, how to make truck bed storage containers? The first step of building truck bed storage containers is to prepare the design of the storage containers. Then you need to build and assemble the drawer boxes, drawer carpet, and wings. The next step would be to paint the storage containers, which is followed by the final step; water-proofing the boxes.
But before making the storage boxes, you need to arrange the tools and materials that are needed during the process.
Table of Contents
Tools Required For Making Truck bed storage
- Table saw
- Miter saw
- Plywood
- Common board
- Wood screw
- Pocket screw
- Wood glue
- Brad’s nails
- Drawer pulls
- Wood drill
- Pocket hole jig
- Jigsaw
- Braid nailer
- Tape measure
- Sander
- Paint
Let us make the storage containers for your truck bed; this process needs a few important steps that you need to carefully follow to make storage containers without any hassles.
Steps To Make Truck Bed Storage Containers
STEP 01:
Designing and building process:
To start with the making of storage containers, you have to first purchase all the above mentioned tools and materials. If the materials are already available with you, then there is no need to buy them again. First, you need to unload the truck and take measurements. To take measurements, you need to measure the height and width of your truck.
You may ask why I should measure my truck bed. Well, you need to cut the woods into two equal halves basing on the measurement.
You need to organize the drawer system in such a way that all your items or material could fit into it. Make sure you have made notes on wheel wells, permanent tool boxes, spare tires and any other feature that you may store in the storage space.
Take a note of all the tools and other items that you want to store and also measure the bulkier items. By taking all these measurements you will get a rough idea about the design of the storage space, as per your needs.
The next step will be to make a rough sketch of the storage unit, which includes preparing a scale drawing basing on the measurements for the truck bed and the main items to be stored. You may plan to create some extra space to store new tools and other acquisitions for future use.
Step 02:
Building the truck bed storage boxes
To start with the process, you have to arrange the plywood and start making the boxes. The truck box need to feature long drawers supported by vertical dividers, and also have smaller drawers. With the help of a table saw, you have to rip one sheet of plywood to the measurements of dimensions for the vertical dividers basing on the rough design sketch.
Start cutting the sheets of plywood for the top and bottom of the box using the saw. For the vertical support, you need to carefully measure and snap chalk lines.
The vertical dividers need to be spaced apart by the width of the drawer plus half an inch. Before assembly smoothen out the interior side of all the panels with sand papers as it will be harder to do after installation. Taking the vertical divider up with the chalk lines, you have to fix them using wood glue and drywall screws.
After attaching all the dividers, the next step will be to lay out the structure so that the dividers are sticking up. Now, carefully position another sheet on top of the dividers and screw it in place with drywall screws.
Step 03
Drawer Box Assembly
For making the drawer boxes, cut more plywood strips to form the bottom, sides, and ends of the drawer with the help of a saw. The next step is to assemble the drawers with wood glue and drywall screws. Start attaching the drawers from the sides to the bottom. Once you finish installing the drawer boxes, clamp them together and drill holes through the centre partitions for the barrel bolts that is meant for holding the two sections together.
Step 04
Slides Drawers
If you want to use drawer slides instead of a roller, you have to follow some instructions for drawer size. You can purchase long, heavy duty drawer slides from online stores at $300. Choose slide drawers as per your truck bed’s measurements.
Step 05
Drawer Carpet
This process is completely optional. If you want to have drawer carpet, you can follow this step or else you may skip it. For carpet, first you have to cut the bottom and sides of the drawers and carpet them properly in order to give a nice good look to your storage containers.
You need to cut the carpet a bit larger size, and then glue it on as per the instructions. Trim the extra carpet (if extra carpet hangs from outside) with a sharp razor blade.
Then screw the sides to the bottom and measure between the carpeted sides to find out the width of the front and back. Secure them by screwing the front and back to the sides. Then place the carpet on remaining dividers and secure them by following the same procedure, as per your needs and design patterns.
Step 06
Building the Wings
With the help of a table saw cut smaller pieces of plywood for the wing boxes that slip in next to the main truck box. Follow the same process as you did while making the boxes. Assemble them with wood glue using a nail gun to fix the plywood into place. After you have finished building the boxes assemble those using nails. Then slide the drawers into the wing boxes and check if they properly fit or not.
Step 07
Install a Drawer Lock and Pull
To determine the centre of the drawer, take a ruler and tape measure. Mark that point with a marker and attach the chosen lock in the marked spot to ensure that the bolt of the lock will go far enough to catch.
Then fix it by drilling. You need to drill a hole where this shaft will go in the drawer. After you are finished with the drilling, smoothen out the interior edges using some sand papers.
Remove the O-ring and bolt from the shaft, and then insert the lock from the front into the drilled hole. Do not forget to mark the key slot, which is in the vertical position.
Once you keep the slot in place, put the O-ring back into the shaft. Press the ring to the back of the draw and then secure it with screws. It will then replace the lock bolt.
Step 08
Paint the Unit
Those who do not like to place carpets can go for the painting option. Choose a paint colour as per your choice or choose a colour that coordinates with your truck. Choosing a matching colour will make your truck bed containers look good.
To state painting, remove the drawers and use exterior and interior grade paint to paint the outer of the truck box. Make sure you do not paint the runners along the bottoms. After painting is finished, allow the containers to dry completely.
Then attach the wing boxes to the main boxes with the help of drywall screws. Place the entire unit following the same procedure. Use galvanized L-brackets to screw the unit to the truck bed
The next step is to rub wax on the runners at the bottom of the drawers and the slide drawers. Fix small metal brackets to the ends of the vertical dividers so that they overlap the drawers slightly. These are called as stoppers. as they stop the drawers to slide out from the box when the tailgate is down.
Step 09
Water-proof the containers
After you are finished with all the steps, you need to weather guard the drawer unit. Cover the drawers using a rubber liner and overlap the top of the unit with about half an inch. Then cut the rubber guard liner and position it to fix as per the measurements that you have taken in the beginning.
Secure it to the unit using nails. While placing the liner, make sure that there are no air bubbles inside it. Now, you are done with all the steps of the truck bed storage containers.
Conclusion
Storage containers are really an essential part of your truck bed that allows a lot of space to store essentials during truck camping or travelling. They are custom-made and easy to install. These boxes are anti-slip and help to increase the cargo options. All the truck bed storage organizers are heavy duty and they can hold over 2,500 pounds of gear. If you want to save a few bucks on purchasing the costly storage containers, you may go for DIY truck bed storage boxes. It will take some time but will save your hard earned money. You can purchase the required tools from amazon.com at an affordable price, if you have not purchased them yet.
If you want to buy a one then visit amazon.com for lots of varieties.
