new DIY clearer and cover boards, questions

[Nic Rhodes]

Hi

I need to make some 40 -50 clearer and cover boards as I am both short and expanding a bit. I am following a fairly standard 'Rhombus' route for the clearer board but have the option of 9mm or 12mm wether proof ply boards. Anyone have any thoughts, the commercial one seem mostly just 6mm except MB (10mm).

I intend to use 21mm square battons as they are half the price of 25mm ones for the clearer boards. Am I missing anything here?

Re cover boards I intend to use the same ply as above with thin battons. Currently looking at 36mm x 6mm (as cheap!) but am worried 6mm is too thin. Anyone any comments?, do I need to go to 8 or 9mm bee space to avoid all problems. I have looked at the commercial Thorne$ ones I recently bought and 6mm but feels 'thin'.

Finally I thought about coats of raw linseed to protect the sides, and edges. Is there something better?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

In my opinion 9mm ply is ample for crown/clearer boards - I actually would be happy with six.
As for battens - 6mm is minimum beespace so should be enough, bearing in mind the purpose of the space is just to discourage the bees from propolising the whole shebang together (I'm assuming you do have bottom beespace for them to move around) - I have a friend who can cut 1" by whatever width planed battens down to whatever thickness I want - most of my crown boards at the moment are 8 or 9mm but you do then get brace comb all the time - I am trying 6mm on my next crown boards - hope this helps

 

[Nic Rhodes]

thanks useful

 

[oliver90owner]

Can't see the point of even 9mm for a clearer board that is used just a few times a year and for no longer than a day or so at a time. If you are going to store them outside, 9mm will warp just as easily as 6mm. I stack mine flat and top them with something heavy (an old lid and a concrete block is usual). I varnish the edges to seal them.

I use plain 9 or 10mm sheets as cover boards and that is simply for the rigidity, when removing them with a hive tool - without them bending and 'pinging'.

I would not want as many clearer boards as that. Just a few is enough for me; I don't clear all my hives at the same time. Doing them over two days halves the number required (mind you, I never have quite enough when I do want them).

Your battens? Please yourself. I rip up oddments and may whack them through the planer. My timber store is adequate, usually, and only buy-in, at full cost, for wider timber boards, the rest being sourced at the right price whenever I need and see them. I can usually get a good deal for 'seconds' and the pieces are only going to be a max of 500mm long.

RAB

 

[Hombre]

I don't use clearer boards, but for crown boards and cover boards I use 12mm x 32mm doorstop timber and slit it down the middle for 12mm x 15.5 with a bandsaw. On the other side of crown boards I use 9mm cladding, glue it together as panels and then rip it into strips.

If you are going to need a lot of clearer boards, then it might be time to start thinking about a bee blower to blow the leaves out of the supers. You don't have to come back as the job is done in one, which is a bit of an advantage when the apiary is a long way from home.

PS I just shake my bees out of the supers, one at a time.