Metal frame runners or not

[dommod]

Hi,

All the equipment I currently have has either metal or plastic frame runners. I'm about to order some new brood boxes and whilst some suppliers are a bit cheaper, their brood boxes have an angled lip instead of metal frame runners.

When everything gets well and truely proplised down, I would expect that friction would be greated between wooden hive lip and wooden frame rather than metal frame runner and wooden frame. I'm guessing that bare wood will require more levering with the hive tool and therefore more jaring of the bees and more broken frame lugs.

Does anyone have any experience of using both brood boxes with metal frame runners and ones that are just bare wood? Are they worth it?

Thanks

 

[victor meldrew]

I have both, I got rid of plastic, too brittle and don't take kindly to my propane burner
VM


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[MuswellMetro]

wait until the winter online sales or Equipment trade shows and buy your brood boxes flat packed then

i picked up 14x8 2nd quality canadian cedar Broods at £19 and 14x12 english cedar broods with metal runners at £24 last year

 

[Little John]

I wouldn't have plastic if you paid me ...

I have the usual steel runners on my National boxes, and plain wood on my Long Hives.
Steel runners are easier to slide, plain wood is easier to keep free of propolis build-up.

Swings and Roundabouts ...

LJ

 

[Cazza]

Hi,

When everything gets well and truely proplised down, I would expect that friction would be greated between wooden hive lip and wooden frame rather than metal frame runner and wooden frame. I'm guessing that bare wood will require more levering with the hive tool and therefore more jaring of the bees and more broken frame lugs.

Thanks

I have bare wood or metal. Never broken any lugs with the bare wood yet (20 years of levering!)
Cazza

 

[user 6228]

Aluminium runners here.

Folded 1.0mm sheet, in a unequal channel shape, covers entire rebate. This to protect the end of the PIR foam from hive tools and bees as well as provide a runner.

 

[itma]

Hi,

All the equipment I currently have has either metal or plastic frame runners. I'm about to order some new brood boxes and whilst some suppliers are a bit cheaper, their brood boxes have an angled lip instead of metal frame runners.

…

As per other comments, if you don't need to buy now, wait for the sales.

Standard metal and plastic runners are easily changed over (metal/plastic) if that matters to you.
The wooden lip offers less flexibility in repair and should attract more propolis (bigger location smaller than a beespace).

I've opened/inspected a hive with wooden runners and wasn't impressed. I haven't owned one.

I doubt it makes much odds in supers, but I wouldn't want wooden runners in my brood boxes.

 

[dommod]

As per other comments, if you don't need to buy now, wait for the sales.

Unfortunatly I have to order now. I've got a stack of Thorne's thirds with big knot holes and am to busy to repair them at the moment.

I've opened/inspected a hive with wooden runners and wasn't impressed. I haven't owned one.

I doubt it makes much odds in supers, but I wouldn't want wooden runners in my brood boxes.

This is my feeling. I've worked with a hive where the owner had put a dab of vaseline on their metal runners and it was really easy to slide the frame about. Its that push, push, push, jump, squash of propolis that I want to avoid.

Excelent point about repair and swapping. Much like a replaceable metal keel on a wooden boat.

 

[itma]

Unfortunatly I have to order now. I've got a stack of Thorne's thirds with big knot holes and am to busy to repair them at the moment.

How about poly? Cheap and available without a 'build' …

 

[chrismcd]

Metal and Vaseline is the way to go

I've worked with a hive where the owner had put a dab of vaseline on their metal runners and it was really easy to slide the frame about. Its that push, push, push, jump, squash of propolis that I want to avoid.

Me too

I am a great believer in not waking the ladies up. Vaseline on the runners allows me to slide frames apart by hand with no jarring or shocks.

Bit of sugar spray to keep them distracted and you can do whatever you want

 

[REDWOOD]

Angled wood in the supers, metal runners in the BB

 

[dommod]

Angled wood in the supers, metal runners in the BB

Castellations in the supers?

And more importantly, what is your opinion? Obviously your are less likley to need to slide frames about in the supers so it might be hard to compare. Is the difference noticable, significant or non-existent?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As Redwood - bevelled edges in supers with castellations - frames rest on the edge of the wood but don't get too stuck as only a small surface area. Flat planed edges in the brood box with metal runners - my thoughts are that it wouldn't take long for cedarwood to wear down with the movement of brood frames at each inspection.

 

[Swarm]

Most of my wooden boxes have the bevelled wood runners. Reason is I find maizees joinery far better than the big T. The boxes are far simpler to construct, no faffing with runners and it doesn't make the slightest difference with inspections. I still have an old brood from the T with plastic runners, some with metal (all the paynes poly have metal runners too) and the majority with wood. Frames move equally well on all of them.

 

[dommod]

Most of my wooden boxes have the bevelled wood runners. Reason is I find maizees joinery far better than the big T. The boxes are far simpler to construct, no faffing with runners and it doesn't make the slightest difference with inspections. I still have an old brood from the T with plastic runners, some with metal (all the paynes poly have metal runners too) and the majority with wood. Frames move equally well on all of them.

Brillant, thanks Swarm, that's just the sort of information I was after. I wasn't sure if metal runners added anything or not.

The only experience I have is an old poorly constructed super from a friend. It doesn't frame runners or beveled wood and was build so badly that there is no space under the frame lugs at the outside. It was an old frame in this box which I snapped a lug from.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Most of my wooden boxes have the bevelled wood runners. Reason is I find maizees joinery far better than the big T. The boxes are far simpler to construct, no faffing with runners and it doesn't make the slightest difference with inspections. I still have an old brood from the T with plastic runners, some with metal (all the paynes poly have metal runners too) and the majority with wood. Frames move equally well on all of them.

I have found my Buckies excessively propolise the frame ends to the tapering wood support type hive. As a result I have changed all my boxes to metal runners. The problem is much abated by this action.

 

[drstitson]

"I am a great believer in not waking the ladies up."

Vaseline or no vaseline you still need consent surely?

 

[Bee Bumble]

"I am a great believer in not waking the ladies up."

Vaseline or no vaseline you still need consent surely?

Naughty!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

i have found my buckies excessively propolise the frame ends to the tapering wood support type hive. As a result i have changed all my boxes to metal runners. The problem is much abated by this action.

+1,000,000

 

[Hawklord]

Do MAQ's affect metal frame runners?