Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: BeeMaster2 on January 10, 2013, 01:01:22 pm

Title: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: BeeMaster2 on January 10, 2013, 01:01:22 pm
I have been making these SBB and my designs have evolved to the one shown below.
Instead of having to measure on old one in order to make a new SBB, once I got it the way I wanted it, I decided to draw the design to make it easier, also knowing someday someone would ask for a copy. So here are a couple of pictures and a picture of the design. Hope you will be able to enlarge it enough to read it.

(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a538/sawdstmakr/SBB001_zpsfbe70a50.jpg)

(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a538/sawdstmakr/SBB002_zpsaf83697d.jpg)

(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a538/sawdstmakr/SBB003_zps35c3c513.jpg)

(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a538/sawdstmakr/SBB005_zps748ff7a3.jpg)

Let's see how well it works!
Jim
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: ScooterTrash on January 10, 2013, 05:00:52 pm
Assume the tray is made from flashing? I have acquired the trays & #6 (aluminium screen from a vendor previously) and built the bottom boards myself for 13 full size Langstroths and found the trays (made from flashing) to be flimsy and have split some oil due to the flimsy nature of the flashing material being used, also the wooden tray end soaks up oil; I don't care for that. I am in the process of expanding the Apiary, going with all 8 Frame Type Medium Langstroths. I do like the oil tray bottom board configuration and will use sheet metal instead of flashing for the tray, using sheet metal should also provide enough structural integrity so the wooden end piece on the tray may be omitted; it will drive up the cost and labor but should reduce spillage that was due to the flashing material flexing.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: AstroBee on January 11, 2013, 11:53:56 am
One of the best and easiest SBB designs can be found at:   myoldtools dot com

follow link to Beekeeper's Pages, then to Screened Bottom Board Construction

Many thanks to Ross for making this design public.

I've built many of these and they are super easy and cheap.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: RHBee on February 06, 2013, 04:06:26 am
Looks good Jim. I'm building some almost like that except I incorporated a 45deg landing board. What are you using to bend your pans? I'm bending by hand right now. Looking real hard at the Shop Fox 24" box/pan brake.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 06, 2013, 06:03:58 am
I am doing them by hand. I looked at the breaks at HF but don't think they would work. My original design included a landing board. I have about 4 or 5 of them but it adds a lot of work with no gain. Bees build hives in buildings with no landing board what so ever and do just fine. I am going to look up the shop fox to see if it is what I need.
Jim
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: Joe D on February 06, 2013, 11:05:00 am
Nice looking Jim.  We are always trying to improve, still working on my next SBB.  Good luck to yoou and your bees.




Joe
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 06, 2013, 07:57:57 pm
Thanks Joe, do you have a different design?
Jim
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: RHBee on February 07, 2013, 01:40:23 am
For the Shop Fox look at Northern Tools, key words "shop fox" costs $407 if my memory serves me right. It's a finger brake designed for making pans or boxes. Small foot print. I can't think of anything that needs to be larger than 24" for the hardware we build.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: RHBee on February 08, 2013, 03:56:46 pm
Jim, found a little better price, for the Shop Fox brake, on amazon, $389 with free shipping. Ordered it, I'll let you know how it works out.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: duck on February 09, 2013, 09:31:27 pm
i started using cafeteria trays for oil trays.  Fit just perfect.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 10, 2013, 08:14:48 pm
Jim, found a little better price, for the Shop Fox brake, on amazon, $389 with free shipping. Ordered it, I'll let you know how it works out.

I am interested how it works out.
Jim
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: capt44 on February 13, 2013, 11:19:59 am
I built my screened bottom boards with a landing ramp and #8 wire.
I used the flashing type metal for the oil pan which can be a tad flimsy.
Think I'll try the sheet metal. :)
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: Joe D on February 15, 2013, 02:58:02 am
Sorry Jim for taking so long to get back to you.  My original, I made solid bottom boards, then cut out under hive and put #8 wire on, put a rubber maid box with oil and vinegar in it.  Still working on whats next.  There was a salvage store close by that had a bunch of cabinet drawer tracks I got for nearly nothing been trying to decide if going to use them or what.  As of late been thing about moving bee yard.  Across the road or maybe building a trailer and putting them on it.  There is a guy about 8 miles from me with a 100 or so acres of blueberries,  about 5 miles away is lots of gallberries, in the fall about 3 miles is a hundred acres OR so of rag weed.
Enough rambling.


Joe
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: beeman2009 on February 15, 2013, 10:47:46 am
I built my screened bottom boards with a landing ramp and #8 wire.
I used the flashing type metal for the oil pan which can be a tad flimsy.
Think I'll try the sheet metal. :)

If you built a wooden frame around the flashing pan and allowed the flashing to sit inside it, wouldn't that stop the flimsy?  Just a thought.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: Intheswamp on February 15, 2013, 11:15:53 am
<snip> in the fall about 3 miles is a hundred acres OR so of rag weed.
Enough rambling.
Joe
<sniff sniffle...AAACCHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!>
Uh, I bet there's some folks around that field that wonder why their allergies are *so bad*.   :shock:

Ed

ETA:  They probably blame it on the goldenrod....
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 15, 2013, 01:21:09 pm
I built my screened bottom boards with a landing ramp and #8 wire.
I used the flashing type metal for the oil pan which can be a tad flimsy.
Think I'll try the sheet metal. :)

If you built a wooden frame around the flashing pan and allowed the flashing to sit inside it, wouldn't that stop the flimsy?  Just a thought.

Beeman,
The reason that I have not added wood is that I am trying to get as much of the metal under the hive as possible. If the beetles drop from the hive onto wood, they just crawl back up into the hive. a thin piece of wood might help. The pans that are made from galvanized steel are pretty stiff and work pretty well, the aluminium is just a little too flimsy. I will be buying a nother roll of it soon to make pans for the SBB that I just made and I will save the aluminium for the top covers.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: beeman2009 on February 15, 2013, 01:59:43 pm
I see your point. Guess I wasn't clear. What I meant was to make the wooden frame then cover it with a lip over top allowing th pan to sit inside supportedby the wood. May be too much work, heavier metal probably a better idea like you said. I'm just one who tries to make what I have work, if possible.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: RHBee on March 03, 2013, 03:22:58 pm
Jim
Just getting back about the Shoe Fox brake. I believe it to be "worth the money". There's a learning curve with any new piece of equipment I get. First I tried to use aluminum flashing. I attempted to add a stiffener by bending a 1/4" top lip. This did make the pan stronger but the problem ended up being that the aluminum was just to brittle to make the corners. I'm switching to galvanized steel. This should be ductile enough to make the dog ear water tight corner bends. I'm still going to add the 1/4" top stiffener.
The problem isn't with the equipment now, it's the operator.  :) The brake really speeds up the process.
Title: Re: Screen Bottom Board Design
Post by: BeeMaster2 on March 03, 2013, 05:36:08 pm
Thanks for the up date, Ray
Last week, I updated my oil pan jig (a three inch tall box the size of the inside of the oil pan), I added a piece of plywood the same size as the inside of the pan. I cut the metal,  mark the pan edges, put it on top of the jig, put the plywood on top of the metal, center it and then I use push clamps using the cabinet above the table to push down on the plywood to lock the plywood in place. I then use a bar to bend over the sides. Worked out real well.
Jim