Procedure for attaching new wood slats to Z-bars?

When attaching new wood slats to the Z-Bars, how did you guys do it? Specifically, how did you get everything set up, with the wood slats straight and evenly spaced, before screwing them to the Z-bars?

I almost feel embarrassed asking this question, as I'm sure I'm overlooking something easy.

I just did this Paul. What I did wasn't really scientific, but it worked. I cut all the slats to the proper length, then I measured to the middle of the z bracket and made a small mark. Then, I placed all the slats on the z bracket with an estimated distance between each. Then, I found a drill bit that was approximately the size of the estimated gap between each slat. I then placed the drill bit (shank end) even with the middle mark. Then I placed the first slat to its right of the drill bit. Then while holding the slat in place, I moved the drill bit to the right of that slat and used it to space the next slat and so on. If I got the right most slat in place and it was basically even with the edge of the z bracket, then I had my spacer and I would use that to space them and then screw them to the bracket. If the last slat stuck out too far, then I went down a size on the drill bit and repeated. If the last slat didn't go to the end of the bracket, I would look for the next bigger size drill bit and repeat until I found the one that was perfect. You may need some odd size bits to get it perfect. I think I used a 7/16".

I hope you are not too confused and I hope this helps....there is probably an easier way to do it. But since it isn't a common task, my solution was simple and effective, just a little time consuming.