Just spotted this thread while looking for something else. Not entirely comfortable posting this as its seems a bit like advertising but just want to answer the questions raised in the thread.
Yes. all out frames are horizontally wired. The few vertical ones are when we do a special for a customer who orders them that way. Its the international standard way to work, standard UK frames are overelaborate and fiddly, and using wired foundation is both expensive and less robust. The V on the sidebars is not required and very rare to find outside the UK. Its two more cuts on the part and adds a few pence for no gain and also raises the spectre of misassembly especially with non grooved sidebars.. The V in mixed directions is a proper pest.....
The origin of doing them this way is for our own use...............but they are strong beasts of frames that will last a lifetime... and yes..if happy nailing up pine frames, possibly seconds, you can do it cheaper or far cheaper...but we pay staff to do all that for you so its not like for like..and our main target is the bee farmer to whom time IS money. Some of the biggest in the land are getting them from us, usually, but not always, waxed and hive ready. We do them in full loads, so if buying for ourselves why not offer them to others.
Soda boil them after you carefully cut out the comb and rewax with the correct size of foundation (not expensive). we tension them with drawing pins rather than crimpers.
Yes, shipping costs.........we keep the prices as sharp as we can so don't include shipping and if you can get cheaper carriage then you can have them picked up...we only charge the carriage at cost..no margin on shipping.
Website will be going live very soon and our range will all be there. Frames and wax, boxes, bees and queens.
GG went to the vertical wired frames from another maker almost immediately after starting with us.....that fine. I have no beef with him for that..its whatever you prefer. We don't really like vertical wired BS broods (ours are mostly Smith) as it can pull the tops and bottoms in if kept tensioned...best pulling on the short side as it bows in less...but vertical wiring is often not tensioned. The new stock now also has an extra horizontal staple in under the lug as a few people reported the top bars coming loose under robust handling.
A few still keep SN1 style frames in their supers with castellations, and although these are NOT our preference we are now offering these too.
Apologies to those who might be annoyed by a commercial type posting. Happy to pay a sponsor fee.
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