decided to build deeps today. i found it to be not worth it.

[adamant]

went to Lowe's and the first i learned today when buying 1'' pine ls that it is not 1'' thick its 3/4 and a 1x10 is not a 1x10 its like 1x9 1/4.. so to build deeps i had to get 1x12 which turned out to be 1x10 9/16 . i bought a 12' long for $21.25 inc. tax. thats $1.77 foot. out of that board i got 1 complete hive 2 ends and 1 side. not worth it. i can buy assembled deeps for $10.50 each.

[deknow]

I don't bother milling boxes either, but buying lumber from Lowes is a really expensive way to buy wood.  I do bother making bottoms and tops.

deknow

[VolunteerK9]

Find yourself a local saw mill and it will be well worth it. I can buy the same board here at the saw mill down the road for less than half of that.

[Intheswamp]

Find yourself a local saw mill and it will be well worth it. I can buy the same board here at the saw mill down the road for less than half of that.

What about the drying process?  Has the mill wood dried sufficiently by simply being stickered?  Or, does your mill have a kiln, also?  A local guy just just purchased one of the portable bandsaw mills and has some cypress that he's going to be cutting.  I might be able to snag some of that, but it'll need to be air-dried.

Ed

[Jim134]

not worth it. i can buy  deeps for $10.50 each.

 :lau: :lau: :lau:

 I can buy deeps $9.40 if I buy 50+ $8.95 by not assembled and no saw dust

   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[gov1623]

Wood must be a little cheaper around where i live. I buy my 1x12 in 12' lengths at the local lumber yard for about $15 and 1x8 are only about $9. I enjoy woodworking so i build all my woodenware. 

[specialkayme]

The 1" x 12" being 3/4" x 10 9/16" is actually standard. Sorry if you were disappointed, but it's how the business operates.

As far as the economy of it all works out, there is a big difference in the type of wood you get. A 1x12x8 "Select Pine" Board will run me about $24. However, a 1x12x8 "Southern Yellow Pine" Board will run me about $9. Not that I buy in 8' boards, but if I did . . .

All in all, when I last ran my numbers, I made a super for about $5.50. I only run mediums, so that would calculate into things, and that doesn't include labor or the wear and tear on my powertools, but still it's at worst $3 a box cheaper than I could get anywhere else. That's like buy two get one free. Yes please, lol.

Sometimes I've been known to take Furring strips, glue a few together and make a few boxes out of that. It makes it a little more challenging, and they don't always last as long, but I can make one of those for about $3 if I play my cards right.

In the end, it's worth the effort for me. And that's not adding into it lumber mill prices (which I will be hitting up soon).

[JackM]

What about the drying process?  Has the mill wood dried sufficiently by simply being stickered?  Or, does your mill have a kiln, also?  A local guy just just purchased one of the portable bandsaw mills and has some cypress that he's going to be cutting.  I might be able to snag some of that, but it'll need to be air-dried.

Ed

Well I have had great luck stickering wood.  I have actually cut the trees, taken them to a mill had the cuts I want made and then stickered for a few weeks, depending on temps and relative humidity, should not take long and if properly stickered you will not get warping.  I recently resawed some canary wood which warped to beat the dickens.  It is now stickered and is getting straighter than it was when I cut it.  My humidity is much lower than usual, but ambient moisture will make the wood equilibrate, over time the wood may get almost straight.  It was very bad warp, like 2 inches in 16", now two weeks later it is about half that.

So stickering is good, even kiln dried is stickered.

[windfall]

For exterior applications in most regions, air dry (12-15%)is actually preferable to kiln dried. It is a closer approximation of where the wood will equilize, and the finished work will be under the least stress from internal dimension changes.

For a bee box this is a small (non) issue, but still true.

[AllenF]

Do look into local mills.    I bought a load of boxes that a guy had milled from the pines off his property once.    Price was great.   But the majority of my boxes are bought from the bee suppliers assembled.   Buy in quantity and save.  And never forget the shipping cost in the price of the boxes.

[marktrl]

Actually a 1x12 is 11 1/4" wide.

[hardwood]

I used to build all of my boxes. I paid $.73/bm for eastern white pine until last year when the mill shut down. Now the best price I can find is $1.20/bm and it ends up cheaper to buy unassembled boxes already milled than to buy the wood.

Scott

[Intheswamp]

I'm coming to that conclusion, too, Scott.   So far I've been able to arrange delivery to larger bee meetings and dodge any shipping expenses.  It looks like tops and bottom boards carry a premium so I'm hoping to start building those later on.  I do like those inner covers from Rossman, though. ;)

For now, with the few hives I will have I'm buying unassembled units.

Ed

[divemaster1963]

My neighbor had a whiteoak that was 60 in round come down in a wind storm this summer. It took out 4 other large trees. he has been cutting it up for firewood. the trunk was to big so he asked if I wanted it. I went down today to check it out. I cut Thur it . Hooray It was solid! :-D I am going to plane off 15 inch wide panels 2 inch thick starting sunday. I air Kiln dry it using a gasifier that uses the sawdust as fuel. I also have big pines, popular, and sweatgum down that I am planking also. I hate to see wood go to waste. :-x. I get photos up of the wood sunday night.

John

[BeeMaster2]

not worth it. i can buy  deeps for $10.50 each.

Hay! What's wrong with sawdust?  :-D
It has been a while but I have hired individuals with woodmizers to go where a tree has fallen. One time it was after a tornado took out a bunch of trees and I worked with the owner. Another time I worked with a tree trimmer and he dropped the trees at a friends property. Paid 15 cents a board foot plus $15. Set up fee. It is probably twice that now.
Jim


 :lau: :lau: :lau:

 I can buy deeps $9.40 if I buy 50+ $8.95 by not assembled and no saw dust

   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[AllenF]

  I do like those inner covers from Rossman, though. ;)

If you talking about the cypress ones you put together from them, glue the crap out of the and don't skip on the staples.   On mine, the sides pull apart from the center when you pull up with your bee tool after the bees glue everything down.    I still use them, I just don't buy that style anymore.    But I like their boxes and their prices.

[Intheswamp]

  I do like those inner covers from Rossman, though. ;)

If you talking about the cypress ones you put together from them, glue the crap out of the and don't skip on the staples.   On mine, the sides pull apart from the center when you pull up with your bee tool after the bees glue everything down.    I still use them, I just don't buy that style anymore.    But I like their boxes and their prices.

Yelp, that's the ones.  I tend to be *very* liberal with the Titebond III on things, but I used nails...no staples putting them together.  Kelly's inner boards appear to be made of slats but I haven't looked close enough to see if they're tongue and groove but do seem tight.  Brushy Mtn's have of plywood center-pieces.  All three vendors measurements are right there together.  Do you now prefer the solid, plywood centers?  I've only experienced a lightly glued down inner cover so far...newbee with one small 8-frame medium of bees.   I like their boxes, too, but I don't have much experience to back up my opinion...I used box nails to put them together and globs of TBIII glue.  I tried decking screws but the beveled head caused the holes to split in the rabbeted edges so I only did that first one with screws...countersinking seems like would leave the rabbeted edge mighty thin....???

Ed

Ed

[bud1]

swamp we live in the south and the only thing i cansee inthe advantage of inner covers here is another place for betttles to have another place to enjoy. every beekeeper i know down here use migratory.  i have a few that i use when i run out, but as soon as i go by with an extra in my truck, i swap it out

[AllenF]

I do prefer the solid, plywood centers inner covers.   And with SHB, that space is where you put the beetle barns to trap them.   Also when popping the top, you can run your blow torch around the inner cover and burn the beetles there while mot burning so many bees.     :evil:

[beee farmer]

I agree Deeps are as cheap or cheaper to buy as build. Mediums I can build and save about 3 bucks each plus the shipping costs. If I figure labor at what I make at work again its cheaper to buy but I usually build them of an evening or when its too cold and wet to work.  The best way tosave building you own stuffare on bottoms, tops and migratory pallets.