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Author Topic: Anyone else making their own woodenware?  (Read 3476 times)

Offline challenger

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Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« on: January 04, 2009, 09:50:47 pm »
Hello-long time no post. I have 3 hives started last Spring (late May). Much $ spent on sugar but they all seem very good and the weather here has them flying & gathering lots of pollen 3-4 days/wk at minimum. Two of my hives have lots of bees at the top of the 2 deeps I use and the last one doesn't? A little off my main subject but thought I would ask if the fact that my outer cover on this hive had too much ventilation might have caused these bees to stay down or am I in trouble if the two-w-the bees up top are acting odd? The two-w-the bees at the top are much heavier then the third but the third does have a good amount of honey in the top section???
Back to my subject. I am hoping to donate my honey sales proceeds to "The Jimmy V Foundation" for cancer research. I have become extremely frugal-w-the $ I take from this effort to get everything I will need set up and the cost of shipping woodenware has me making all my own boxes, frames, feeders and on.
I've set up all my woodworking (limited number) equipment and have made 12 medium supers and over 100 frames. I thought I would ask if anyone else made their own equipment other than the basics-especially frames. I'd like to know what others are using as techniques?
Thanks
Howard
Beekeeping for Chordoma. All proceeds donated to cancer research

Offline Robo

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2009, 10:24:29 pm »
I make everything with the exception being frames.  At 60ish cents a piece, it is not worth it by the time you account for for all the waste, let alone the time.  I buy them in December when Brushy Mountain has free shipping.
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Offline challenger

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2009, 12:52:49 pm »
I purchased 100 from Brushy Mountain this Dec as well. I wish I had $ for more. If I can get free shipping all the time on frames I wouldn't make my own but I've got free material and a fairly good setup for making the frames and prior to the sale I wanted to be sure I had enough for the Spring.
Can you tell me what else you make and what you use for plans if they are ones that I see one web sites?
Thanks-Howard
Hampstead, NC
Beekeeping for Chordoma. All proceeds donated to cancer research

Offline EasternShore

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2009, 06:06:04 pm »
I've been making nuc's from rough poplar I get right down the street. Frames...votes in..buy them. Will be making meds all spring as time allows to do the switch from my deeps. The only rub with the poplar is it's 5/4 to 1 1/8 thick so its a bit heavy. At less than $1 a board foot I'm still spending more in the long run, but I do enjoy doing it.
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Offline hardtime

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2009, 08:11:14 pm »
yell i make ever thing  fames and all. just got thou makeing  a d. e. hive  but made a chang to it made it 19  3/4  by 19 3/4  it holds 13 fames  .it is a big boy .  i just like to run the saw that is all   latter all
your frend   hardtime

Offline TwT

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2009, 08:20:02 pm »
I can go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy 1x12's and build myself for less than buying large number at a lower cost and shipping cost, but I have a guy here that sales me 1x12's from his sawmill for .60 cents a board foot, so why order, I build everything but frames, I buy those, I heard that every frame machine is custom built, not a seller of them anywhere, so I will buy frames for now, maybe one day there will be someone that sale's them (frame machines). oh and there is some that thinks their time  is more valuable and count that into their cost, another word for Lazy if you ask me, I build mine when I have nothing more  to do, that takes away from just doing nothing IMHO!!!!! beside it make me have more pride in what I am doing for my gals and the future gals I raise  ;)  ,
THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

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Offline dpence

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2009, 08:34:51 pm »
Ditto here too.  I build everything but the frames.  I wait until they go on sale then buy them in bulk.  I too have a friend in the lumber business that sells at a great price.  I also scavenge wood here and there. 

David

Offline challenger

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2009, 10:01:13 pm »
I'd rather use this thicker material. The additional thickness can't add too much and you have much stouter hives-w-better insulating properties IMO this is a bug plus. So long as the ID is the same as all the equip your in better shape using this thicker stock.
Being I have some God given ability to make this stuff and the tools to do it with I'd feel guilty buying wooden boxes and I enjoy experimenting-w-using some various joints on the ends-still have not found one I would consider the best. I have a 24" finger joint jig that is awesome but is a major hassle to set up and the thickness of the material has to be exactly the same. The same jig makes box joints but my most recent batch have 3/8" deep lap joints on the ends and they receive the butt of the side they mate with. Seems like plenty of glue surface and I put 1"X1" cleats on the sides that run the full length which also helps tie the box together plus having the full length for grabbing is much better than the hand holds from commercial boxes.
I'd love to know how others make top bars-mostly out of curiousity. I am still needing to cut the wedge out of the 100 or so I have and can't decide the best way to cut them or if I should just use an additional strip of wood for this-unconventional but effective.
I've been making nuc's from rough poplar I get right down the street. Frames...votes in..buy them. Will be making meds all spring as time allows to do the switch from my deeps. The only rub with the poplar is it's 5/4 to 1 1/8 thick so its a bit heavy. At less than $1 a board foot I'm still spending more in the long run, but I do enjoy doing it.
Beekeeping for Chordoma. All proceeds donated to cancer research

Offline EasternShore

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2009, 10:47:50 am »
If I were to do top frame wedges I would make a jig for my router table. Run long stock first then cut each piece down to size. I've never tried it, so I'm kinda thinking out loud...The Slot would require a thin table saw blade for foundation install, then melt wax to hold instead of a cleat.

this is said on 2 cups of coffee so....
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Offline Robo

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2009, 10:56:24 am »
Can you tell me what else you make and what you use for plans if they are ones that I see one web sites?

Howard,

I make bottom boards, supers, inner covers, telescoping covers, double screen boards, cloake boards, slatted racks, and anything else I need.  Most of my stuff I make to my own specifications, for standard Langstroth just stick to 16 1/4 x 19 7/8.   Now that I have started to use polystryrene boxes, the dimensions have gotten bigger :shock:

Here are some good plans to get you started. -> http://www.beesource.com/plans/index.htm

rob...
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Offline justgojumpit

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2009, 11:15:08 am »
The ridge on the top bars is really easy actually!  The ones I built were for top bar hives.  This is what I did, all on the table saw:

1: rip down 2x4 stock to 1-3/8 x 1-3/8
2: cut down to appropriate length
3: angle saw blade to 45*
4: cut make a cut on each end of the frame... ___/----------------------\____
5: turn the top bar vertical with the blade at 90* and cut out the rest on the end of the frame
6: put the frame back to 45* and run the top bar longways through the saw.  This will cut the central ridge for you.  If you do a large number of top bars, this actually goes quite quickly, as you spend less time adjusting the saw per top bar.

justgojumpit
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Offline mlewis48

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Re: Anyone else making their own woodenware?
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2009, 12:44:15 pm »
 I make everything that we use with the exception of frames.  Every now and then, when there is a good sale, I will buy some boxes. I  enjoy the time in the woodshop and take pride in the equipment thaqt I make. Better quality than the stuff that is mass produced.
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