assembling hives??

[poka-bee]

Hi!
How difficult is it really to put the hives together???  Keeping in mind that my building ability is a marriage between Homer Simpson & Butters from Southpark.... :? I prefer to get assembled but the dimensional weight will kill me in shipping! I can get many more toys with less shipping! :-D
Thanks
Jody

[JP]

Jody, not difficult at all, just time consuming. Don't use just nails though, glue and nail, always.

Sincerely, JP

[BenC]

I can get many more toys with less shipping! :-D
Thanks
Jody

Therein lies your answer.  More toys is always better.  The first one might be a little challenging, but get it done (and use glue as JP recommends) and it'll be old hat. 

Oh, and when frame nailing gets tedious just remember the tune- Hap-Happy-Happy anniversary from everyone at Bennigan's!

[buzzbee]

Heres a few pics of some of the parts.http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l65/kwrabbit/Beekeeping/Box%20and%20frame%20assy/

Work backwards through the photos. Somehow my photoloader loaded them backwards :-\

[Kathyp]

if you have a compressor, a pneumatic nailer is not expensive.  it's also fun  :-)

[Understudy]

I used galvanized drywall screws.

A screwgun is a wonderful thing.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[jimmyo]

if you aren't handy you should probably use screws and not a air nailer. (you'll shoot your eye out)  regular nails are safer but you might hit a finger while you're building. Screws come out easier than nails if you make a mistake. Follow the instructions and don't rush. You'll do fine. 
    Jim 

[xC0000005]

if you have a compressor, a pneumatic nailer is not expensive.  it's also fun  :-)

The first one of these I had had something wrong (and I'd never used one before).  Even with ear muffs on it was extremely loud and rattled.  I put together several frames yelling "Fire in the hole!" before every trigger pull.  Then my wife put a stop to that.  The replacement was soooo quiet.  It barely rattled the windows when I pulled the switch.

Regarding the dangers of the air nailers, I think they fall into two categories.
a.  Never disable the safety. 
b.  Beware long nails.  I've nailed into hard wood and had the nail slant off, curl off a knot and emerge up a quarter inch from where it went in.  If your hand happens to be there, well, you get the idea. 

Other than that I love them.  It's not like the nails are what are holding the box together anyway.  Glue always.  The wood will break before the glue in a lot of cases.

[Cindi]

Keeping in mind that my building ability is a marriage between Homer Simpson & Butters from Southpark

Jody, ha, ha, hee, hee!!!  You sound just like me (oops, now that sounded like a rhyme).  In all seriousness, put together your own hive bodies and frames.  It really is not that difficult.

When I took my beekeeping courses we were taught how to nail and assemble hives and the frames, etc.  It is not that hard.

About the use of glue?  Well, we did not use glue, we used nails.  I would imagine that glue would make the boxes extremely tough, not a doubt in my mind.  But I don't use glue, have not used glue and have no intention of using glue.  I have seen how my bees glue up every tiny little place in the hive bodies that you could imagine, I think that their bee glue would be enough to hold things together tighter than the tightest tight thing in the world.  Perhaps I have the wrong train of thought about gluing stuff together, and certainly time will tell that tale, but for the meantime, I am not gluing nothing.  I'll let the bees do that thing.

So Jody, put together your own stuff, you can do it, yeah!!!!  Have the most beautiful, awesome and wonderful day, love life.  Cindi

[poka-bee]

Thanks everyone..as much fun as the air nailer sounds I think I should stick to a hammer.. :roll:  After seeing all the places wild bees make their homes on the forum here I guess my bees won't mind if the hives look like Horton Hears a Who houses...at least they will be painted pretty blue & green! ;)  I forgot to say earlier that Sean's hives smelled good!  I was very pleased not to smell banana's!! :-D

[Brian D. Bray]

I now use a brad nailer, much easier on this old body.  I have never used glue--the bees make plenty and glue the frame peices together too.  I have 15 medium supers plus frames to build this week--pneumatic is the only way to go.  For the painting too.

[Jerrymac]

Nothing like the sound of a brad nailer in the morning. You can nail all of one side as fast as it takes to drive one nail.

[Cindi]

Ooooh, I could never operate a brad nailer. That is what my Husband uses and the compression and sound hurts my ears to bad, and I mean really bad.  I have such sensitive ears.  Even when he is using a skill saw, I have to cover my ears, as when the compressor builds up compression and the nailing, ouch.  Sometimes I wish I could deaden my ears, but then I couldn't  hear other things that are so important.  That is a part of my genes, my entire family (siblings) are the same, and it carries on to my Daughters, we hear things, we see things, ooh, ohh, sounds like I am heading to that dark side.  Hee, hee, have a wonderful, most beautiful day, on this beauty of an earth we share.  Cindi

[Jerrymac]

I most times have to wear ear plugs. I also have these things looks like head phones but only they deaden the sound.

[AliciaH]

For what it's worth, I'd go with the screw gun.  The air nailers are really great if you don't mind the compressor noise and are comfortable with them and their power (I know from experience how far a nail can fly!).  But I find the screw gun gives me better control.  And, if you use longer screws, you can help yourself out by predrilling the holes so you don't have to press so hard.  And I agree, glue, glue, glue!

[Brian D. Bray]

For what it's worth, I'd go with the screw gun.  The air nailers are really great if you don't mind the compressor noise and are comfortable with them and their power (I know from experience how far a nail can fly!).  But I find the screw gun gives me better control.  And, if you use longer screws, you can help yourself out by predrilling the holes so you don't have to press so hard.  And I agree, glue, glue, glue!

Screws don't work on frames--splits the wood too bad.  Brad nailers or staplers will.

[AliciaH]

Screws don't work on frames--splits the wood too bad.  Brad nailers or staplers will.

Not even if I predrill the holes?  Don't misunderstand me, I'm not doubting your experience, in fact, I'm counting on all the input I can get!  It's just that I'm one of those people who are uncomfortable with an airnailer, and I haven't had much luck getting staples to hold for the long-term.  I would, therefore, be very disappointed if I can't get the screw gun to work! 

Thanks!

[jimmyo]

Use brads on your frames. Screws are too big for that job. You can hold the brads with a needle nose pliars.  I use a device that you can push the brads in by hand.  It has a tube that the brad goes into and a wooden handle that alows you to push the brad right into the wood without nailing your finger or shooting your eye out.  I use gorilla glue on my frames.  I soak the ends of the frames in water and put the gorilla glue on the top and bottom.  The brads keep everything where it belongs while the glue sets. 
Jim 

[Brian D. Bray]

I built 4 reverseable bottom boards (I use them for tops) and 15 supers today using my brad nailer and 2 inch brads.  Even being careful I manage to put a brad through my finger when it hit a knot and went up instead of into the wood.  I guess you could say that particular super is already stained.  I now have to build 150 frames using 1 inch brads.  Painting will take 5 minutes after I fill the can and turn on the compressor.  Yellow for the boxes, green for the tops and slatted racks. 

[Understudy]

I use the screwgun for the hive bodies. I use gorrila glue for the frames. No staples but that is simply because I am to lazy to soak the ends in water.

Sincerely,
Brendhan