Making an aluminum diamond plate truck box: advice needed.

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Since I have a Tig welder I want to make my own truck box. I did some searching and couldn’t find any info on the web and was wondering if anyone knew of some plans I could adapt for my own needs.  Also is a metal break required for this kind of project? HF sells a 30” one for only $56.99 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=41311. Would this work?Any tips or experiences you might have with this kind of project would be very helpful. Thx in advanced.
Reply:Ive made one.  just welded up a frame and had it wrapped in bent aluminum plate.  caulked where the plate would rest, riveted and put some roll up doors on all three sides.  box was huge,  had the aluminum supplier bend the sheets for me to my demensionsgood luck
Reply:That little harbor freight brake wont bend 1/8" aluminum diamond plate. You need a bigger brake. More like $500 to $1000. You might be able to find a local shop with a big brake that would shear and bend the parts for you, then you could just weld it together.But there is no reason you cant just cut and paste, and not bend anything. Yeah, its more welding, but it will work just fine. You can cut 1/8" aluminum diamond plate with a carbide blade on a skil saw or a table saw. Use wax or wd-40 for a lube, and wear gloves, long sleeves and a clear face shield, as hot aluminum sawdust will be flying everywhere. Just cut out a bunch of rectangles, and weld em together. You can bolt on piano hinge. Go look at the commercially made ones to see what size and shape you want. You can buy those fancy locking handles, hinges, and cylinders to hold the lids open from Southco-http://www.southco.com/
Reply:Thx for the info so far, Right now I’m finishing up my welding table (pictures coming soon). Then I will start with the aluminum diamond plate.  I was planning on using my bosh jigsaw with a metal cutting blade to cut out the parts. Then use an angle grinder to or maybe even a belt sander to true up all the sides. The thing that worries me is if you look at the store bought truck box is how they make the lids. They cut out the corners and then bend the sides down for a nice look. Some even do two 45 degree bends then just weld the corners. That looks nice and I was going to try and duplicate it but not if I have to buy a $500 bender. I’m also wondering how to brace the lid, I don’t think just the aluminum by it’s self will be strong enough  I want to be able to stand on it. Maybe I can just cut some 1” strips and weld em in like angle iron. Another project I am thinking of is making an aluminum headache rack. Something that matches the contour of the cab perfectly. Most of the once I see are a one size fits all and are kind of ugly.