Flat pack hive

[MrB]

Hi,
I am thinking of buying a flat pack national hive from thorne,
has anyone put one of these together?

 

[Rosti]

Not bought the whole thing but purchased an additional brood box, no probs, everything you need, but get some water proof PVA glue to avoid future warping problems. R

 

[MrB]

Thanks Rosti,

any special tools or skills needed?

 

[Midgey]

I did and it would have been easy if I had read the instructions properly! If you pay attention you will be fine.

 

[MrB]

Thanks Midgey,
Hope you dont need to be a skilled cabinet maker!

 

[oliver90owner]

I would think so!

Quite a popular hive. But can you wait until the sale? They are, as they term them, second quality in the sale. A few possible knots or even holes to fill. The very occasional warped member. Better value than full price. Most knots can be covered by selection.

Have a few knocking about. I screwed all mine, bar the first. Glued the joints, but not in the rebate, so I could knock them out and change to top space if I wanted to. I did.

What do you want to know about them? Or is the answer 'yes' adequate for your needs?

Regards, RAB

 

[DulwichGnome]

Yep, best to put it together 'dry', including a couple of frames, and see how it all fits together. When you are happy it is right pull apart, glue and nail!

Be aware, I'm not sure the glue provided is water proof. I used some to seal a feeder box and when tested it their glue seemed to desolve.

Mike.

 

[MrB]

Thanks oliver90owner,
Yeah, waiting for the sale could be worth while, when do they start?
All i wanted to know was are they easy to assemble and what the quality/durability was like, have you had yours for some time?

 

[MrB]

Thanks DulwichGnome,
thanks for the tip on putting together dry first, could save a lot of trouble and frustration.

 

[oliver90owner]

Only about 8 years or so. The colonies I bought when I started were in WBCs and painted softwood Nationals. They have gone, but all my cedar bits are still perfectly OK.

Don't know about the rest but Thorne will start their sale early in January. It will be well advertised in the magazines.

Regards, RAB

 

[rae]

I've built a couple. Being a bit of a picky woodworker, I'd suggest you lay your hands on a square (to make sure the boxes are, er, square), and a couple of clamps to lock everything together while the glue dries. I don't use nails, instead I use stainless screws and exterior glue.

Do read the instructions and trial fit everything to get the hang of it. When you measure 7/16 from the top of the sides, make sure you line this up with the plastic ridge, not the wood - otherwise your frames will be proud of the boxes. Don't ask me how I know this....

 

[tonybloke]

If you can put together flat-pack furniture, and read the instructions fully before starting to assemble, you'll have no problems.And the 'dry run' is a good idea.

 

[darrenperrett]

I made up a flat pack hive that I got last christmas. I wish I had waited untill I knew what a hive was supposed to look like.
I know have 1 deep eke and 2 shallow ekes instead of a hive. I know just buy them off Hivemaker, it`s cheaper in the long run for me.

 

[steve1958]

I thought the mistakes were all part of the fun

As long as you dont glue/nail them until you are happy with how they look then things should be ok

 

[Haughton Honey]

.....I know just buy them off Hivemaker, it`s cheaper in the long run for me.

Me too. Can't beat them.

 

[Frisbee]

I bought some flat packs from Thorne's in the January sale. The sale ones don't come with glue or instructions. My biggest mistake?.......I left them in a warm room for 4 months before I tried to put them together, so a bit of clamping before I started to straighten out the warps was necessary. Instructions are available to download on the Thorne's website, but I didn't bother as I had another hive to copy. I glued and screwed the first one as I'm not the best for knocking in nails straight, but bit the bullet and went for it on the second and it was fine. Because of my warping problems I needed to clamp everything, but other than that, no problems at all.

Frisbee

 

[Black Comb]

Rae

Do you wait for the glue to dry before you screw or do you glue, screw and then clamp?
Just wondered which gives the strongest joint.
Thanks

 

[JCBrum]

Usually it's - test fit dry - apply glue and re-assemble - clamp - insert and tighten screws.

Or at least thats what I do mostly.

If you use the right glue with good joints, and clamps, you don't have to have screws or nails as well.

If you want a very quick job and parts are a good fit, then you can nail it together without glue. I have seen many hives like that.

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

We bought one of their 'bees on a budget' flat pack national hives.

It went together well and quite quickly, and has been inhabited now for some four months - no complaints as yet from the bees, either!

 

[MrB]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, help and advice.
Lots of usefull information to think about!