Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Plywood sides for hive bodies  (Read 7888 times)

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Plywood sides for hive bodies
« on: February 24, 2010, 01:58:13 pm »
Does anybody have experience with 9 ply Luann plywood.  I have been entertaining the idea of plywood sides and reular pine board for bar rest end on my boxes.  I see at Menards they have birch, red oak, Maple, and others when it comes to nice strait hard plywood.  The Luann ( I dought Im spelling this right) is thirty dollar a sheet.  I can make sides for about $1.25 each.  I can find short scrap peices of  pine for ends for less than a dollar.  Im concerned with what luann is and how it holds up and if I should just go with regual five ply for 20 bucks.  If I were to use regular pine for the whole box I might as well just order the boxes because you can not find a good bard cheap enough.


Thoughts Please.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline danno

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2283
  • Gender: Male
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2010, 02:32:05 pm »
I wait for grade 2 or better pine to go on sale at Menards.   I then take the sales flyer to the local Home Depot and they take 10% off that price.  Last weekend I built 6 deeps and 7 mediums for 50.00.  I would think any plywood would not last plus I dont think I would trust the joints when full of honey and bee's

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2010, 05:45:27 pm »
Not to bad. 

I was at Menards yesterday and looked through there standard 1 x 12s on sale.  Might as well just buy boxes already made.  I did get some decent 1 x 8s that will make mediums for $3 a piece.

I have to go 70 miles or better to go to home depot.  It would be a nice option.  I think Im going to give the plywood sides a shot for the deeps and see how they hold up.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline asprince

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1743
  • Gender: Male
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2010, 08:33:57 pm »
We get all the pine logs that we want from local tree cutting companies. We haul them to another friend that has a band saw mill. He cuts them on halves.  We get some beautiful knot free lumber. We stack it under a shed until it is dry enough to plane and make into boxes.

Steve
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Offline fish_stix

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 375
  • Gender: Male
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2010, 08:40:58 pm »
Kathy; I've used 3/4" and 5/8" ply for nuc sides and ends, but we always use exterior pine ply. Works OK for nucs because the bottom board and telescoping top keeps them fairly straight. I would not use them for supers as the sides will be unsupported and will definitely bow in or out. As far as Luan goes, make sure it's exterior plywood! Luan is used mostly for interior ply and will delaminate in a hurry. It's used a lot for interior door skins.

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2010, 08:58:56 pm »
Kathy; I've used 3/4" and 5/8" ply for nuc sides and ends, but we always use exterior pine ply. Works OK for nucs because the bottom board and telescoping top keeps them fairly straight. I would not use them for supers as the sides will be unsupported and will definitely bow in or out. As far as Luan goes, make sure it's exterior plywood! Luan is used mostly for interior ply and will delaminate in a hurry. It's used a lot for interior door skins.

WHO?

Yeah, I read up on it.  Luan is junk and will just fall apart.  Looks like I will be using knotty pine.  I went to dadant and mann lake to refresh my memory on hive body prices.  I'll settle for knotty pine and lots a paint at them prices.  Even without shipping costs I can make em for half price.  I may still try it with external glue ply just to see for myself. 

A lumber mill to use, now that would be a dream come true.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline Kathyp

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 20361
  • Gender: Female
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2010, 09:19:13 pm »
WHO?   :-D
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline David LaFerney

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 924
  • Gender: Male
    • The Door Garden
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2010, 10:06:07 pm »
I used 23/32 BCXterior grade last year - $28 / sheet made 9 - 8 frame mediums. About $3 each for material - labor was free.  So far they look fine - very few signs of delamination.  I did use a nice strong half blind dovetail joint though.

I'm in the process of making 18 more for this year. This time I'm putting a coat of epoxy (like for fiberglass work) on the edges while the pieces are cut out and stacked up on - should greatly minimize delamination.

Yes, I would rather use solid wood - teak would be especially nice - but this works better with my budget until I can (hopefully) get the cash to flow in the other direction.
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Samuel Clemens

Putting the "ape" in apiary since 2009.

Offline doak

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2010, 12:29:40 am »
I have a sub dealer near and he has seconds for 5 to 8 $ each. medium and deep respectively.
I cannot buy 1x12x8ft nominal size for that. :)doak

Offline Jim134

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3047
  • Gender: Male
    • Franklin County Beekeepers Association
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2010, 07:02:06 am »
 I can make sides for about $1.25 each.  I can find short scrap peices of  pine for ends for less than a dollar.  

Thoughts Please.

I can buy new boxes (seconds) all cut for

Med for $6.25
Deeps for $8.95



    BEE HAPPY BEE Jim 134  :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline danno

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2283
  • Gender: Male
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2010, 09:23:48 am »
It takes about 6 1/2 ft of material to make a 10 frame box.  I got 1 X 12 X 12 for about 9.00 ea.  I got 1 X 8s for 4.90ea.    I cut box joints and recessed handles    Deeps cost me about 4.75 and meds about 2.50

Offline fish_stix

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 375
  • Gender: Male
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2010, 11:31:03 am »
Oops! Sorry about the name change folks. Must be my Alzheimer medication; I think I'm becoming immune to it.   :?

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2010, 01:52:24 pm »
It takes about 6 1/2 ft of material to make a 10 frame box.  I got 1 X 12 X 12 for about 9.00 ea.  I got 1 X 8s for 4.90ea.    I cut box joints and recessed handles    Deeps cost me about 4.75 and meds about 2.50

yep.  But if your cheap and will cut corners like me you can make a box with butt joints out of a 6ft board.  If you check out the topic "check these hives out" you will see how I figure they will hold up.  I can get all the scrap boards for 1 x 2s or 3s I want at work.  May be a bad idea but I just love to find these things out for myself.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline sithembiso

  • Brood
  • Posts: 1
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2010, 09:17:30 am »
Hey bee nuts,

   I wanna start building my hive. Where is the best place to put and how big should I make it since I won't have all the time in the world to manage it.

thanx
sithembiso
   

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2010, 03:48:17 am »
Hey bee nuts,

   I wanna start building my hive. Where is the best place to put and how big should I make it since I won't have all the time in the world to manage it.

thanx
sithembiso
   

Unless you are who I think you are, I have no idea where to tell you to put your hive. 

You are going to have to provide a lot more information about you location and surroundings if you really want some help. 

If you are seriously looking for advise about beekeeping I suggest you visit http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm and go from there.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline danno

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2283
  • Gender: Male
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2010, 01:55:10 pm »
It takes about 6 1/2 ft of material to make a 10 frame box.  I got 1 X 12 X 12 for about 9.00 ea.  I got 1 X 8s for 4.90ea.    I cut box joints and recessed handles    Deeps cost me about 4.75 and meds about 2.50

yep.  But if your cheap and will cut corners like me you can make a box with butt joints out of a 6ft board.  If you check out the topic "check these hives out" you will see how I figure they will hold up.  I can get all the scrap boards for 1 x 2s or 3s I want at work.  May be a bad idea but I just love to find these things out for myself.
The problem I have with butt joints is the chance of them falling apart.   That would really tick them off and what do you do then besiding taking alot of stings.  When I do inspections I stand the top box on end while going through the bottom. Thats alot of weight to hold up with anything other that box or dovetails.   

Offline bee-nuts

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1100
  • Gender: Male
    • Nectar Meadows Apiaries
Re: Plywood sides for hive bodies
« Reply #16 on: February 28, 2010, 03:32:49 am »
Danno

Good Point!  Im not sure what will happen in the end, but Im sure I will try one sheet of sides.  I wanted to make finger joints, but Im afraid the saw I have to use will not end up working well, then before you know it Ill spend a thousand dollars before I even make anything.  Right now I need boxes for spring splits and money is tight.  Some day Ill have the goods.  When I buy a table saw of my own, it will be a nice one as well as anything else I buy for my woodworking projects.
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson