Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: drobbins on July 15, 2005, 06:03:20 pm

Title: cutting down frames?
Post by: drobbins on July 15, 2005, 06:03:20 pm

Hello All,

I'm making the move from deeps in the brood chamber to all mediums
I now have a deep that I have vacated of brood by placing it above a honey excluder :)
I'm gonna cut the box down to a medium, and I want to do the same to the frames, which are semi full of honey.
Anybody done this before?
I was planning on running them thru a table saw
Sounds messy.
They are plastic foundation
I've cut down a couple that were beeswax foundation and they were trivial, just cut the frame ends and then cut the comb with a knife.
Anybody done this with plastic foundation?
Good Ideas??

Dave

Title: Cutting plastic foundation/frames
Post by: Joseph Clemens on July 15, 2005, 09:54:36 pm

Everytime I've tried to cut plastic foundation with a circular bladed tool, even with the blade mounted backwards - it was a disaster.

It might work with a jig saw or manually with a fine-tooth keyhole saw.

Good luck.

Title: cutting down frames?
Post by: Michael Bush on July 16, 2005, 02:50:08 pm

I've always cut them down with nothing in the frame.  I've always cut plastic with a plywood blade (lots of small teeth) mounted backwards.  It's still not the best.

I wouldn't try it with honey in it.  And the backwards teeth won't cut the wood very well at all.

Title: cutting down frames?
Post by: drobbins on July 17, 2005, 01:29:32 pm

I just tried it in my tablesaw with plywood blade turned right way on a new clean sheet and it went like butter.
1 trick is to raise blade as high a possible the make angle of attack pull the sheet down.
Man it's gonna be messy with honey in it.  :shock:

Dave

Title: cutting down frames?
Post by: Jerrymac on July 17, 2005, 02:25:54 pm

Why not extract and wash out the frame?

Let bees rob it out?

Title: cutting down frames?
Post by: drobbins on July 17, 2005, 05:04:45 pm

That's why I ask these dumb questions. so somebody will come up with a good idea :)
I don't have an extractor and don't want the honey because it's mostly from sugur syrup.
let the bee's clean out the frames first, that's the thing to do
After the bee's clean em up, and I cut em down to mediums, I'm hoping I can use em to get a little goldenrod honey in the fall

Thanx
Dave

Title: cutting down frames?
Post by: Jerrymac on July 18, 2005, 12:42:07 am

Naw. Not dumb questions. Sometimes I'll ponder a situation to death, then get on here and someone says something. It's like "DUH!!!! Why didn't I think of that?"

Title: cutting down frames?
Post by: drobbins on July 31, 2005, 03:31:46 pm

Guy's

I just ran this deep frame thru a tablesaw with a regular carbide blade and it cut it like butter

http://www.drobbins.net/bee's/dsc01066.jpg

I won't argue with success  :D

Dave