Hold my beer, I'mma make my own tonneau cover

[BransRam1]

So admittedly I'm a bit of a tinkerer and like to challenge myself. Plus I CAN'T STAND accepting that someone else controls what I want to spend on something that doesn't quite cover what I have in mind. SO that being said this is my endeavor to fabricate my own hard fold type tonneau cover. Over the next few posts I'm going to mark my progress and results.... wish me luck! hahah

 

[BransRam1]

So my first "need" was to use the bed rails that came on the truck. I mean why not, that's what they are there for. Plus in my opinion RAM has done a **** poor job of providing ample accessories and fun things that can use these bed rails. I mean come on, the only thing I've found from RAM were the uber expensive cross rails that I think are discontinued now? WTF Ram. Anyway so where I work has a GREAT 'creativity' center that fosters ideas and innovation. This in turn gives me almost unlimited access to seriously cool power tools, 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers etc. Yea, be jelly. Alright so my first step was I wanted to find an alternative to having to use t-slot nuts for connecting into the rails. Because they lock in place when tightened and I wanted something that would allow me to slide out the two panels of my forthcoming tonneau cover. Boom challenge accepted.

So we had a buttload of HDPE scrap sheets (same stuff that cutting boards are made from) lying aroung. And I'm like...hmm what if I use that as a long strip to slide into the channel... Hello Table saw, oh hi there digital calipers lets be friends. Done.

The scraps, fun begins here:


Super technical measurement gathering format system:



the strips...not to be confused with ol' fashioned whippin switches from the yard your momma told you to get for an *** whoopin

 

[BransRam1]

Next I need to add another thinner strip on top of the these four, and in the center to add some nice stabilization. Plus this will give the open t-slot design so that the bolts I use won't pull the original strips flush with my panel. The nice thing about this HDPE stuff is that since it's a high density polyethylene and it is pretty resistant to heat and stuff and it kind of inherently has a slippery feel to it so that it will slide easily into and out of the channel. Especially compared to another aluminum strip or t-slot nut. Now, before anyone says it...yes I know this isn't going to withstand hundreds of pounds of force blah blah blah. Thanks for caring. But I will NEVER have anyone walking on my tonneau cover. It is to deter sticky fingers, and light weather resistance. That's it peeps. Now I did want to utilize the entire channel as a securing point, since I'm going with a plastic instead of a t slot or some aluminum.

Ok so here is the plan. I haven't glued it or connected them yet this is just a test:


And yeay for me, the strips fit into the channels.


And then this is how the thinner strips would sit on top of the fat ones. Adding (hopefully stabilization and the spacer):

 

[TruckFirst]

This is very cool....keep those pictures coming.

 

[Rocsolid]

I will be watching this one

well done.

 

[Smon]

What glue will you use on the hdpe? I haven’t had luck using any glue on that, but I have welded quite a bit of it.

 

[BransRam1]

What glue will you use on the hdpe? I haven’t had luck using any glue on that, but I have welded quite a bit of it.

Well that's where I'm at currently... I want to find a good way to bond it together. I thought about melting it together but I've come across an article or two that says there are some good epoxys out there that might hold. Luckily in the grand scheme, the glue or bond isn't going to be the only part I rely on. When I attach the panel to the strips, the screws or bolts I use are going to sandwich that sucker together pretty well. ...i hope

 

[Smon]

I would insert the lower portion into the rail and then use a cheap harbor freight plastic welder to lay the top strip down on to there so it stays aligned. I tried some specific glue for HDPE and while it stuck, it didn't have much strength.

 

[BransRam1]

I would insert the lower portion into the rail and then use a cheap harbor freight plastic welder to lay the top strip down on to there so it stays aligned. I tried some specific glue for HDPE and while it stuck, it didn't have much strength.

Also, I found this plastic bonding packet from Loctite that claims to work? Have you ever tried this one?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-Plastics-Bonding-System-2g-Super-Glue-681925/100371829

 

[Smon]

I can't even remember what brand I used, it was a couple years ago. Whatever it was did work for PP but lasted about 30 seconds on the HDPE.

For $4, you could try it on some scraps. I would really rough up the surface first.

 

[Diamondback]

I went hard-core and used 3/4" plywood and an old cover from my Silverado 2500HD (the leather) and made one for my RAMBOX that fits inside between them .. now it is totally flush instead of sticking up above the bed. Much Nicer when it is installed.

 

[BransRam1]

I went hard-core and used 3/4" plywood and an old cover from my Silverado 2500HD (the leather) and made one for my RAMBOX that fits inside between them .. now it is totally flush instead of sticking up above the bed. Much Nicer when it is installed.

Niiiice. I thought about that but I couldn't figure out a surefire way to seal out the plywood to keep it from delaminating or bowing and stuff. I thought about getting a small can of bedliner and just coating it top and bottom all around, But another issue was how blasted heavy the plywood would end up being. So I've found some plastic panels that I've worked with on another project and they are lightweight and relatively rigid. So I'm HOPING they will work.

 

[BransRam1]

Ok , so in trying to keep my plan moving forward I am exploring this option. I have found a site that is basically a grown up lego or erector set (no not THAT kind of erector) wonderland. It's at www.8020.net and I'm eyeballing these:

First, this is probably the panel I'm going to use and for a small (worth it) fee they will go ahead and cut it to size. I'm going to get two sheets to basically divide the truck cover in half.



I am going to get this panel stiffener to go on one edge of each panel, closest to cab


And two panel stiffeners with handles that will go on each panel on the tailgate side, so I can pull them out easily.



So in theory, these three parts (plus a few screws) are going to be ALL I have to buy to make this tonneau cover. And a rough calc puts these items at costing about $135. Plus, maybe $2 for the screws/hardware, and oh yea I forgot about the plastic bonding glue. That's like $4. So still... I am aiming at this thing costing me less than $150. I mean I can run some numbers on a calculator if you want but that is a bit better than a minimum of $500 for a hard shell tonneau cover. BUT I will not start doing the dance until this is all said and done. I hope to measure and put in the order this week.

 

[Diamondback]

Niiiice. I thought about that but I couldn't figure out a surefire way to seal out the plywood to keep it from delaminating or bowing and stuff. I thought about getting a small can of bedliner and just coating it top and bottom all around, But another issue was how blasted heavy the plywood would end up being. So I've found some plastic panels that I've worked with on another project and they are lightweight and relatively rigid. So I'm HOPING they will work.

heavy indeed!!!
Plastic would be perfect!!!!

 

[TruckDriver]

Neat project - I definitely think the tonneau cover market is way overpriced for what some covers are made of - looking to see what you come up with.

Looking at your hdpe pieces, if you have issues gluing them together, maybe consider milling the profile with a router/router table? (profile below with the portion to be milled out in orange)

 

[BransRam1]

Neat project - I definitely think the tonneau cover market is way overpriced for what some covers are made of - looking to see what you come up with.

Looking at your hdpe pieces, if you have issues gluing them together, maybe consider milling the profile with a router/router table? (profile below with the portion to be milled out in orange)



View attachment 76398

Wow yes that is a grrrreat idea! I completely thought too hard in one direction to think about it like that. Hmmm I'm going to try that. Thanks for the suggestion!!

 

[JF19Longhorn]

Looks like a fun project. Keep the updates coming!

 

[TVANVA]

You could also use a table saw with a sharp high tooth count carbide blade to mill out the "slots". The HDPE cuts surprisingly clean. I've done so on several projects.

For something that small, you would want to use finger boards or a jig so that you retain your fingers long enough to complete the rest of the project.

Just to muddy the water.....

If you are a woodworker (or know one that owes you a favor), you might consider a torsion box design to lighten the large cover panels. Torsion boxes are a gridwork of thin strips that are glued to thin "skin" panels on top and bottom. They take time to make, but are very strong for their weight. You may have seen thick cardboard panels that when opened, revealed a honeycomb lattice inside. Same idea.

A cheat method would be to take your 3/4 plywood cover and, using a hole saw, drill out a pattern of holes so that just a lattice is left, then cover with thin plywood top and bottom. Paint with bedliner or a product we speaker builders use called DuraTex.

 

[djjr50]

This is AWESOME and I often thought of doing something like this! Consider me a cheerleader.

 

[ibill4fun]

So my first "need" was to use the bed rails that came on the truck. I mean why not, that's what they are there for. Plus in my opinion RAM has done a **** poor job of providing ample accessories and fun things that can use these bed rails. I mean come on, the only thing I've found from RAM were the uber expensive cross rails that I think are discontinued now? WTF Ram. Anyway so where I work has a GREAT 'creativity' center that fosters ideas and innovation. This in turn gives me almost unlimited access to seriously cool power tools, 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers etc. Yea, be jelly. Alright so my first step was I wanted to find an alternative to having to use t-slot nuts for connecting into the rails. Because they lock in place when tightened and I wanted something that would allow me to slide out the two panels of my forthcoming tonneau cover. Boom challenge accepted.

So we had a buttload of HDPE scrap sheets (same stuff that cutting boards are made from) lying aroung. And I'm like...hmm what if I use that as a long strip to slide into the channel... Hello Table saw, oh hi there digital calipers lets be friends. Done.

The scraps, fun begins here:
View attachment 76050

Super technical measurement gathering format system:
View attachment 76051


the strips...not to be confused with ol' fashioned whippin switches from the yard your momma told you to get for an *** whoopin
View attachment 76052

I am hanging on your story here since I need to make a custom one myself and you had me at "be jelly" would love to see what you did.