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beezwacks

New Bee
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
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Location
Bucks, UK
Hive Type
National
OK Beeks, I have made my first BS National (just to see how doable they are) primarily out of scrap.
however on reviewing the the plans (scottish beeks) I have made the ends with the hand holds 425 mm realising now they should be 432 mm (my conversion of 17 inches).
I know its only 7mm, but with bee space as tight as it is, could I get away with 10 frames instead of 11 ( as I believe they are) or have I got a firewood beehive?

TIA
 
I assume you have made the rails 425mm long? You will getaway with this and will still be able to fit 11 frames.

The bee space is important in height and width so you have the correct bee space between the frames when stacked and from the ends of the frames and inside surface of the hive.
 
cheers Tom, was beginning to think I`d got nothing more than a firewood hive.
made two BB and two supers before I realised the "error" (read c**k up lol)

I was intending to buy the frames early next year, As I said just doing it to see how easy/hard it would be, But if I say so myself dont look bad for scrap and a blob or two of glue, And I guess if you hadnt been told you probably wouldnt have noticed.
 
Tom or anyone else who builds their own...
I converted scot beeks plans from imperial to metric to read as follows:

BS national sides 460 x225, front/back 432 x225, top/bottom rails 44 x25.

BS Super sides 460 x 150, front /back 432 x125, rails as BB rebated as same.

bee space top 17 x 30 (needs to add plastic/metal frame guide, bottom 8 x 30
both rebated into the rails as plan.

again if its wrong no loss its only scrap.

TIA
 
If you want to get ambitious next time you can cut the rails at 460mm long and then cut the two tenon joints at the ends.

Mmmmmm I may be wrong just had a 2nd think on this. What is the finished width of the hive you have made it should be 460mm x 460mm but if I have read it correct you have 460mm x 453mm
 
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think is should work, about the same miss match of 1/4 inch between a commercial and a national


you can a still mix and match commercial and national supers in the same stack
 
aren't inches regarded as more accurate by jobbing tradesmen?

although not sure why given that most of the above are blokes who are, as many have found to their dissatisfaction, notoriously poor when it comes to sizing in inches!
 
thanks chaps,
will have to wait and see next year now, too late to house any bees now.
And if all else fails, next year I will have to breed some super thin strain of AMM.

Yes Tom, your measurements are correct i`m 7mm short in width ( the hive that is) I was toying with the idea of the tenons bit as I said in the OP, its only scrap wood I had lying about in my shed, so no great loss if it all goes t*ts up.


if you know anyone looking for a slimline National, gauranteed to have a smaller footprint than the BS national yours for a mere £500.00, I get it on fleabay smartish...lol
 
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The rails with the tenon on the ends should be 460mm long but you have cut them to but joint to the inside face of the sides, if the two sides combined are 36mm then this plus the 425mm will give you an outside measurement of 461mm, 1mm over but we will let that go.

The two inside faces that you have at 432mm are that length to fit into grooves 4-5mm deep on the sides this should give you an internal measurement of 424mm based on the timber at 18mm thick as most off the shelf timber is.
 
thanks for that , Tom..

based on what you have said I`ve NOT messed up, the faces and rails are indeed just butt jointed to the sides with their measurement of 425mm and are all 18mm thick so I have what seems to be a "perfectly" good hive after all, minus the occupants of course.
 

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