is is worth the time/effort??

[Craig1961]

Thanks very much to you all. Which would you say are the best plans to follow?

 

[rae]

If you can put up with an 8mm shank, 30 quid gets you one on special offer from L*dl, along with a selection of cutters.

Hmmm. So the cost to manufacture a cutter is less than a quid. You're then going to spin it at 20,000+ rpm, and hope somewhere within that quid is enough QA to make sure it doesn't shatter. There are places I am happy to go "cheap" - high speed cutting tools aren't one of them. If I was using one of those, I'd get a polycarb face shield.

Which would you say are the best plans to follow?

The Scottish bee keepers plans have worked every time for me.

 

[Flatters]

Beeboybee; the Sketchup program is a Google program that you can download for free. Just Google Sketchup and you will get it.

I was given a collected swarm on Wednesday and had a nucleus to put them in. It was a decent sized swarm and I was concerned that they would find it cramped. Since I did not have any more brood boxes but I had frames I needed to build at least one brood box. Thankfully I was emailed some plans from a forum member and on. On Friday night I got an 1829x607 piece of 18mm ply and cut out enough pieces to make 2 full brood boxes and one super. I made up one complete brood box and it is now in service. The rest I will construct at leisure.

I did not use a router as I did not rebate the joints. I cut the material so the pieces butted up against each other using a waterproof glue and screws. I did use a large table saw (a new 110v one I got at a very good price on fleabay but I did already have a transformer)

 

[darren64]

OK... I can get a great deal on wood..... I want to build national hives.... ALL good news... BAD NEWS.. never picked up a router before... Could someone tell me which router bits I need to do my 18mm box joints and which bits for rebates.... I understand I will need practice... No prob getting wood for this. Will I need a jig... WTF are collets bush guides etc.

Thanks in advance.
Craig

I made my own hives to start with.I replaced some cedar boards on a house for plastic,so I had the timber available,I used a 12mm cutter,but its the jig you make that matters really,it needs to match the router cutter size.I made my brood boxes from marine ply because you don't have to lift them about as much and marine ply is heavy.

 

[wojciech]

"Build It!" book by Joe Jacobs

Hi guys.

just bought myself 2 national beehives which only included 1 super with frames. Im in need of a few more supers and frams so Im looking at making my own to keep costs down and also give me something extra to do.

The hives ive got at the moment are a bit tatty, so was going to knock myself a few supers and maybe a brood box made from ply until i find a cheap enough cedar supplier. I will buy frame kits from ebay as I dont think i have the right equipment to make these. I have basic diy tools and a table saw. anyone see any problems with doing this? will it cost me more in the end ie time, materials

anyone have a plans that I can copy that will allow mw to fit plywood supers on the hive i have??

thanx

I've recommended this book before on similar threads and a previous inquirer reported that they had purchased it and used the instructions very successfully.

It gives instructions for a number of DIY projects connected with smallholding including Nat hives and nucs and is very simple to follow for a DIY amateur. It advises using 18 mm ply but in future I think that I'll try 12 mm for lightness for the supers. What is important is to get the ply sheet cut up for you at the timber metchants which many will do at no charge, so ensuring straight and right angled cuts, which although less important for the floor, roof and crown board, is highly important for the sides of the brood box and supers..

I modified the dimensions slightly to get top bee space as recommended by Ted Hooper, which is particularly important for the supers - I hate killing bees which is inevitable with the standard Nat desgin when you are manouvring supers on the brood box.

Good luck

 

[Craig1961]

Thanks again everyone. Some plans do not seem all that clear, but I will have a go and learn as I go.

I am 90% sure I have attracted a swarm to my WBC hive in the quarry I am working at. Great news!!!!! Bad news..... I would welcome ideas on the best way to get it back home (about 25 miles) in my van. I have ratchet straps etc. Not sure about keeping the crown board secure.... How will the bees react? Only brood box, 2 lifts and a roof on. When should I take the pheremone out of the hive... Sorry about being a bit off topic.

 

[Poly Hive]

Remove pheromone as it may upset the queen.

Remove lifts and secure CB to boxes via straps x 2 at right angles to each other. Put mesh over holes in CB if there for a bit of ventilation. And or mod CB to include mesh.. for previous reason.

Wait til dusk, shut in with foam rubber and off you go.

PH

 

[Craig1961]

Great advice... Thanks... Shall i remove pheremone now? When I say its a swarm, it's prob just the scouts at the momet.. 40-60 bees about.. Could be a cast...

 

[VEG]

I have had bees to my bait hive for nearly 3 weeks loads of bees over it and in and out, still got my fingers crossed but it doesn't mean I will get a swarm.

 

[viridens]

Go for it. It IS worth the time and effort. These are just simple square boxes with a few extras - it ain't rocket science, and bees are not critical of carpentry skills! PM me if you need help with the dimensions.

I have built B.S. sized brood and super boxes from a variety of materials for myself and others, and these are still doing well after many seasons. I don't own a router or a bench saw. My corners are just butt joints using waterproof PVA glue and slim galvanised nails. This simple construction has proved to be plenty strong enough, as Plumberman has stated.

The super below is built from old drawers. I used cheap thin T&G cladding nailed onto battens inside to get the right 'frame length' dimensions/top rebate for the frame ends. The brood box below this is built from scaffold boards. The 'frame end' rebate this time was cut out using a chisel. This brood box uses short lengths of batten to provide handles, while the super has shallow rebates chiselled to give finger holds instead. Good luck!

 

[merylvingien]

I'd get anything by DeWalt, Makita or Trend as sensible mid-range choices.

I wouldnt touch dewalt, your just paying for a brand and no real quality anymore.
For inbetween money you can buy a porter cable router which in my opinion are the best. The festeringtool one at 700 quid is a rip off of the porter cable and just has gimmicks to fool the "best" chasers.

 

[rae]

Everyone says that about DeWalt, but all of their mainline stuff that I have has been pretty robust, with the exception of a worklight that was utterly pants. I would expect a DeWalt to take pretty much anything a competent amateur could throw at it. I think their problem is that they have to compete with the importers of junk, so they create a cheap range of tools...which are also junk. So their cheap 18v drills are trash, the expensive ones are as good as they ever were.

Festool isn't just about tool quality (though that is very good), it is also about a way of doing things that is quicker, easier and better thought out. If time is important, it is worth every penny.

 

[barratt_sab]

Here are some photos of the (poorly!) finished hive made from 18mm ply and odd bits and bobs, together a picture of my 11 year old son putting some bees into it.

 

[viridens]

Poorly finished? Naah. Well done! Looks pretty good to me, but then I don't have a bench saw or router, just an old Black & Decker circular saw and a jig saw.

 

[barratt_sab]

Poorly finished? Naah. Well done! Looks pretty good to me, but then I don't have a bench saw or router, just an old Black & Decker circular saw and a jig saw.

Thanks - paint and filler will cover a multitude of bodges!

 

[SimonB]

I'm coming to the thread late, and don't want to come across as an elf & safety nanny, but for anyone new to routing please, please take some time to watch some instructional videos and/or read some howtos. In particular relating to direction of feed of material and using appropriate guards. A router is the perfect tool for the damaging and even removal of digits, or other serious injury caused by binding and kick back.

 

[viridens]

SimonB
Good advice which extends to all power tools.

Traditional wisdom was not to use power tools until your experience was enough that you stopped injuring yourself with hand tools. These days any gung-ho would-be diy-er buys a router, chain saw or whatever and gets stuck in. It's a wonder there are not more accidents.

I note that there is a good market in 'as new' power tools, maybe from 4 fingered folks...

 

[beesleybees]

WOW guys, thanx very much for all the info. I didnt think this thread would still be getting replies (Ive been away for a week). Looks like Ive found a great forum with alot of people willing to help and advise, thanx.

Anyway, build a plywod hive is definatley on the cards this week as Im off work still till monday. I was thinking of ordering a flat pack plywood hive from either ebay or thornes to take a look at how they have done it and get the dimensions that way. I find it so much easier copying from something that has already been done and then maybe coming up with a better way of doing it if there is one. what do you think??

I do need to put my skates on as I bought 2 colonys a few weeks back and have had someone look at them yesterday to advise as Im a newb. He advised one colony was fine, the other needs to be swapped into a new hive and some new brood frames and super frames need to be added due to mold. Its all a learning curve.

Im going to build a BS national hive but using 18mm ply. Im unsure what frames I need as there seems to be a few. Im thinking I need DN4 frames for the brood box but not sure what SN frames I need for the supers as ive found theres SN1,2,3,4. Can anyone tell me the differance between them??

 

[Swarm]

SN1 frames on castellations will be fine for supers. 4's are Hoffmans which most prefer for brood frames.

 

[Tom Bick]

Here are some photos of the (poorly!) finished hive made from 18mm ply and odd bits and bobs, together a picture of my 11 year old son putting some bees into it.

The hive looks great by the way barratt and your son looks a master beekeeper in the making.

So tell me have you deliberately made the BB wider than the floor and crown board so you can easily fit the 12th frame into it or are we talking about a tapeo lol.

One other observation it’s a good idea to machine a slight slope to the bottom rails it stops water sitting on the top of the rail.