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Author Topic: Cheapest woodenware  (Read 48890 times)

Offline Jim134

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #20 on: November 08, 2013, 10:04:44 am »
OldMech ........

Where do you buy lumber from ???



              BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #21 on: November 08, 2013, 10:36:08 am »
OldMech ........

Where do you buy lumber from ???


              BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Jim,
Not sure where he gets his lumber, but I did learn early on in building my own boxes to avoid the big box stores, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.  While I like the convenience of those places, I realized that their lumber is about 3 times as expensive as my local Mom and Pop lumber yards.  Like OldMech, I also do all mediums...However, I buy my frames and assemble them.  Last time I put pen to paper, I want to think I figured it was costing me about 6 bucks and change a box.

Honestly, I've enjoyed tinkering around with the woodworking aspects of being a Beek nearly as much as actually working with the Bees....Just something satisfying about being heavily involved in all aspects of the hobby to me.  I don't work as fast as OldMech, and would be the first to admit that if I didn't actually enjoy it, it probably wouldn't be worth the time investment, although, I do like the idea of saving a buck whenever possible.  :-D

Offline jaseemtp

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #22 on: November 08, 2013, 03:59:24 pm »
Mann lake is the cheapest for me.  I can get free shipping and do not have to pay sales tax.  That said I often build my own boxes.  Yes I know if I factor in my time the boxes cost more, but I tend to have some free time and enjoy building the boxes.
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Offline OldMech

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #23 on: November 08, 2013, 06:15:58 pm »
Normally the local lumberyard. around 7 bucks for a 1x8x12 gets two medium boxes. Plus glue, nails etc..   I get 49 top bars AND bottom bars out of a 2x8x12 that cost me about 8 bucks.  .10 cents each?  I get over 1000 side plates for the frames out of a 2x10x12 that cost me around ten bucks...    .01 cents each?   Brad nails and glue.. electricity. a saw blade once in a blue moon.. Still dont cost me .50 cents each...   
   4x8 sheet of plywood is the most expensive thing I buy.. around 21 bucks..   thats still 8 bottom boards top boards/inner covers  take your pick..  thats under three bucks, and normally I have scrap I can use for sides/edges...   I used to buy the rolls of tin for the tele covers..    I could get 27 of them out of a 50 ft roll so they cost me under 2.50 ea.. however at 60 - 70 bucks a roll I finally gave it up, and now just paint the snot out of the tele covers and replace as needed.. I havent noticed much difference in longevity, but theres a big difference in enjoyment if I dont have to cut/bend tin.

    I still consider it a hobby, something I enjoy doing so consider my time irrelevant.

   I am one of those people who needs to be doing something..  Wife wanted LOTS of bees for LOTS of honey and wax.. but the bees dont keep me busy enough. I have several weeks with nothing to do between inspections etc.. (not to mention all winter)  so I improvised by building equipment..  When I begin to get numbers up, start making queens, Nuc's etc..   It may keep me on my toes.. until then..   I build, and have sold quite a number of hives and spare boxes, tele covers, new bottom boards etc...   My frames are no media firestorm, but are stronger than anything you can buy. They work a lot nicer than flipping the wedge to go foundationless...  They in fact look very similar to what Mr. Bush has pictures of in his website, though cutting them from raw stock I have slightly thicker side plates and top bars. I like to use the extractor with my foundationless. They have impressed enough people that I am beginning to fill in the spare time I have adequately..    Finding it hard to understand why anyone with lots of beehives wouldnt do the same.. it IS a substantial savings.

   You can get set up, and run.. say the side plates for the frames.. in half a day you have 2000 of them..    Takes longer to do the top bars.. shaving them down to fit snugly, cutting the 45's etc...  but in the second half of the day you can have 500 of them,, the bottom bars are the trim left over from cutting the top bars down to size..  When I shave down the 1x8 stock for boxes I save those pieces and use them for more bottom bars.
   Then I can sit down and build frames. Gluing and nailing for hours.. friends stop in and have a beer with me, we shoot the bull while I nail and glue. Often I put them to work rubbing the beeswax on the frames while we gab..  I have a rack built on the wall for the finished frames to go into. Holds 60 frames...  usually it fills up before I realize it.   I guess its all a matter of time available and what you consider enjoyable, and or worthwhile :)
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline Brother Dave

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #24 on: November 10, 2013, 09:53:08 pm »
I like saving money I have tried to make my own tops and bottoms.


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Offline OldMech

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #25 on: November 10, 2013, 11:02:36 pm »

  If you have access to a table saw you can make everything but the frames. (and the hole in the inner cover) I have tried being fancy with the boxes, making finger joints for the corners.. not a woodworker, so dont know the name of them. I bought a dado blade, made a jig.. and quickly found that the beekeepers in the area didnt like them. too hard to seal and keep sealed. they split and warp etc unless you stay on top of keeping them well painted..  I tried rabbiting the corners.. that worked, less joints, easier to seal... then one day I was in a hurry. I needed another hive FAST, so I just made butt joints and glued them well.. I even used the brad gun to nail them together with 1 1/2 inch brads...   Seven months later I had those boxes replaced.. I took one, and stood it on its corner, and STOOD on it holding onto the side of my truck bed.. now I am sure if I had bounced on it it would have failed.. but I didnt bounce, just balanced on it.. all 180 lbs of me... Impressed... I have never gone back to the fancier corners.
   Hive bodies get the hive tool jammed into the edges, which chips the paint.. which doesnt get repainted, which causes the wood to rot where the paint was chipped.. Eventually the bees have an entrance at the corner of the hive body, and the box needs replaced...
   I would ask.. HOW STRONG does a box need to be? If a butt joint can hold 180 lbs, and last for about four - five years in this climate before the corners start to rot away.. what more do you need? Is it worth taking the time to make fancy corners on an expendable item?
  It takes me less time to make them this way, they last longer. its easier to seal the end grain, and they sell better than the fancy corners...

   As always. YOUR method, if it works for you, is what you should do... just posting what "I" do.
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline Ret Sgt Robert Yates

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #26 on: January 06, 2015, 11:59:30 pm »
Amish Community near me makes beekeeping wooden-ware out of Cypress and it is very cheap . they still have to be seen in person no Phones good folks to work with all the time .
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Offline robinh

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #27 on: July 23, 2015, 06:17:54 pm »
I know this is an old post but if you are looking for the best buy on cypress woodenware you should try Pigeon Mountain Trading Company  . They have great prices on their cypress and anything over $100.00 ships free.

Offline CliffsBees

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #28 on: August 05, 2015, 02:47:43 pm »
All this talk of building hives is great if you want to invest thousands in a table saw and all of the other woodworking gear which would be great but not sure if I need another expensive hobby!

Offline Jim134

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #29 on: August 05, 2015, 07:19:43 pm »
If you are in the middle of the USA you can try
Browning Cut stock
1571 Hwy.3
Juliaetta,ID 83535
 phone 208-276-3494 Fax  208-276-3491



         BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :smile:
"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 beesharp

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #30 on: November 15, 2015, 11:21:32 am »
I've been beating the internet sites looking for wooden-ware for 2 complete 8-frame hives to restart beekeeping next spring.
For me BetterBee and Kelly are the most competitively priced. I'm leaning toward BetterBee as they claim their boxes are 7/8" vs. 3/4", so maybe just a tad bit better insulation and longevity.

Jim

Offline Foxhound

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #31 on: November 15, 2015, 03:30:29 pm »
Ours are 7/8" too.



I've been beating the internet sites looking for wooden-ware for 2 complete 8-frame hives to restart beekeeping next spring.
For me BetterBee and Kelly are the most competitively priced. I'm leaning toward BetterBee as they claim their boxes are 7/8" vs. 3/4", so maybe just a tad bit better insulation and longevity.

Jim

Offline jalentour

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #32 on: November 22, 2015, 11:23:24 pm »
Satch,
Mann Lake Commercial unassembled on Black Friday.  Buy about 25% more than you think you need.
Otherwise, make it yourself if you have the tools.  A medium should cost $7 or so. 

Remember, if you have a good year you could use 5 mediums per hive...

Tops and bottoms are a little tougher, but a lot cheaper to make.  None of this stuff has to fit tight, the bees seal all the cracks and holes they don't want.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #33 on: November 23, 2015, 01:09:09 pm »
If you order from Betterbee, make them tell you how much the shipping is up front or do not place the order. The first and only time I bought from them the girl swore she did not know how much the shipping was and I did not think it would bee more than $10 on a $60 dollar item. It was $30 shipping and handling.
I have had nothing but good service and prices from Mann Lake.
Jim
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Offline mtnb

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #34 on: February 06, 2016, 11:24:13 am »
Alfred, I just did the same thing with Western Bee and Mann Lake. Got the same results. I'll get exactly everything I want from WB for less (with shipping) than if I were to buy partially what I need since everything is pricier with free shipping from ML. Plus, if you're in MT and Rick is going to Billings, he'll announce it online and he'll meet you along the way so you can save on shipping. I've had great experiences with both companies.

PS. Dam, Alfred was here in 2013. LOL! ;)
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Offline KPF

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #35 on: February 16, 2016, 06:45:13 am »
I don't have a ton of experience buying hive bodies but I bought a starter kit from a local supplier. The wood had a ton of knots and split in some places (usually when a nail hit a knot that was tragically placed near the edge of the wood).

I've gotten other hive bodies from Brushy Mountain and the wood quality was light years better. I'm sure most major suppliers like Mann Lake are just as good. If you're a newbee looking to buy, I'd beware of small suppliers selling inexpensive stuff unless you can inspect the wood quality directly. Another lesson I learned is keeping a running list of things I need, and not buying too early. That way I can get free shipping, which is huge.
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Offline KeyLargoBees

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #36 on: February 23, 2016, 11:09:26 am »
The folks over at South Florida Bee Supply up in Miami are awesome....their prices are a bit lower than the big guys but not sure how that compares when you factor in shipping....i haven't ever had anything shipped since its just an hour drive for me.....but as far as wooden-ware goes they make it all on site have the "pretty" backyard quality boards and also sell "commercial grade"  for cheaper and I have had nothing but positive experiences with them...Gloria and her husband are great.

http://www.sflbeesupplies.com/
Jeff Wingate

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Offline little john

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #37 on: February 24, 2016, 06:16:05 am »
Just want to say that I'm the world's most addicted DIY-er - do everything myself: car repairs, tree surgery, making electronic gizmos, building boats - the list is a long one.
But - even I have (eventually) seen the wisdom of buying flat-pack boxes and frames, as these are the only two components of a beehive which need to be accurately made, and - when taking construction time into account - are actually more economical to purchase than DIY.

Within reason, everything else can be roughly (and thus quickly) made. The only DIY item I obsess about is the roof - that MUST be weathertight.

I recently purchased another 20 flat-pack brood box 2nds from Mann-Lake - for 10GBP ($13 ?) each, delivered.  These will be cut in half to make nucs. The capital outlay is thus 5GBP and a few pieces of pallet wood for each reusable carry-home nuc. A waxed cardboard one-time carry-home box costs about 7GBP.  No contest.

LJ

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Offline renton

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #38 on: June 09, 2017, 01:38:03 am »

Mann Lake Ltd.
http://www.mannlakeltd.com/

FREE SHIPPING - Free shipping applies to most orders placed from this catalog over $100 sent standard ground service within the lower 48 states.



   BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Thanks for sharing this link! awesome site

Offline UrbisAgricola

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Re: Cheapest woodenware
« Reply #39 on: November 10, 2017, 05:32:25 pm »
Old Mech:  I think the level of enjoyment with woodworking is a huge factor.  Economically, it probably does not make sense to do all of that (you could make more money devoting that time to bees), but if you enjoy it, that's priceless. I find it does have a certain therapeutic value. I'm probably middle of the road on having cash, having time time and enjoying woodworking.  I make my own nuc boxes, and my own tops and bottoms (and a lot of that from scraps--I keep my eyes open for things to scrounge when I'm driving).  And I do that for economic reasons.  Balancing things out, it is worth it. Boxes and frames I buy and assemble. Then again, we have a very brief winter if you can even call it a winter.  Last harvest was last week and I'll be probably making nucs by the end of February (if 2018 is like the last few years).  With a longer winter and shorter beekeeping season, I might do more DIY.
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