Routing Polystyrene

[drumgerry]

I seem to be asking a lot of questions about all things poly at the moment as I'm tentatively thinking of converting over from all my wood kit. It seems to make good sense for the bees given where I live.

Dipped my toe in the water by buying 4 pa*nes poly nationals in their christmas sale. They seem to be good kit. But now I've gone and bought a couple of swienty poly national brood boxes from c wynne jones with the intention of dividing them using ply into 4 x 2 frame nucs.

I need to rout channels to take the ply dividers and was wondering how well polystyrene stands up to routing - is there a particular speed I need to use and will a standard HSS router bit work ok?

 

[Hombre]

You will need to make a jig so that you don't spoil the job, but it should be good as long as you look after any break out at end of a piece, which shouldn't happen I guess.

Find yourself a piece of packing polystyrene and have a little test to convince yourself that it's worth the effort. It's certainly much better than trying to cut it by any other means.

And yes a regular HSS bit should be good.

 

[drumgerry]

Sounds like it'll be a go-er then. That's a relief. As to making a jig all I was planning to do was clamp a straight edge to the piece and run the router along it.

Thanks for the info Hombre. Much appreciated.

 

[RoofTops]

I've used a router on poly and it was not easy.

If you want to try it I suggest buying a new HSS tool (not carbide) and run it at a very slow speed.

The danger is the tool heats up and instead of cutting the poly it melts it. You then end up with a tool looking like a stick of candy floss. It will still "cut" or rather melt its way through the poly but will make a big mess and all accuracy goes out of the window.

I would also recommend letting the tool cool down between cuts and keep checking it as you use it.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Much better to cut your slots with a stacked dado blade,cuts very cleanly with one of these.

 

[Black Comb]

Can you buy Dado blades in the UK? I thought they were illegal.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes you can buy them,no they are not illegal for personal use,or some types if properly guarded, and used in approved saws.
Some make there own ajustable versions,Scheppach is one,plus various types of wobble blade available...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-8-STA...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item53e5c5ab92

 

[user 6228]

I seem to be asking a lot of questions about all things poly at the moment as I'm tentatively thinking of converting over from all my wood kit. It seems to make good sense for the bees given where I live.

Dipped my toe in the water by buying 4 pa*nes poly nationals in their christmas sale. They seem to be good kit. But now I've gone and bought a couple of swienty poly national brood boxes from c wynne jones with the intention of dividing them using ply into 4 x 2 frame nucs.

I need to rout channels to take the ply dividers and was wondering how well polystyrene stands up to routing - is there a particular speed I need to use and will a standard HSS router bit work ok?

You are cutting HD poly, i would suggest a router with a large rake as used on acrylic and very high speed (avoid rippping) but with excellent extraction AND high feed rates( avoid melting)

PIR (King span reticel cellotex etc...) machine cuts very much better than polystyrene.
You can use chop saw, jig saw, router, spindle moulder, holesaw, milling machine all very easily on PIR . It cuts well, the dust doesnt bind or melt.

Biggest problem is being called a heretic for making your own stuff.

 

[drstitson]

why not use a hot wire cutter?

 

[Poly Hive]

Not used a router but over the years I have made hundreds of poly saw cuts using a table saw. No issues there so at relatively slow speeds there is no issue. I made the cuts as there were in those days no supers so I cut down broods and from the offcuts glued and dowweled to make yet more supers. Four offcuts per four pieces (four parts to a brood) made a super if I recall rightly and they stood the time test too.

For your slots I would suggest just using a good table saw and cut a kerf at a time. It's not as if you are making a huge slot?

Since when has making your own kit been heresy? There is a massive difference between suggesting that a cheap idea which was not a great idea and the OP was (I think) persuaded it was a waste of time and money, and encouraging someone to go ahead and create a success.

In general though I have doubts about mulit nucs in one house, as in my past experience they generally fail. However I am trialling an "official" dual nuc box this season and will report on how that goes.

PH

 

[drumgerry]

Table saw sounds maybe a better option. It's a pain moving the rip fence over a little at a time but it's only for a few cuts so I'll live with it.

Gerry

 

[will]

Table saw sounds maybe a better option. It's a pain moving the rip fence over a little at a time but it's only for a few cuts so I'll live with it.

Gerry

I wouldn,t use a rip fence have you got a mitre groove to take a mitre fence if you have then make a piece of wood to fit the groove level with the saw table about 15ins long then get a piece of ply the length of the foam and a little wider than the width fasten the the ply to wood in the groove glue and screw fix it square then get another piece of wood 25mm x 25mm fix to the ply on the top at back so what you making is a sliding mitre then mark were you want cut and you only have to move the foam along

 

[Black Comb]

Do you actually need slots for this?
can you not just fix the ply by screwing in from the outside?
(assuming it's a flush fit)

 

[drumgerry]

Will you can tell I'm not the most adept with the table saw can't you?! A sliding fence would be a better way to do it of course.

And Peter you may have a point. I just think it's a bit neater with slots. Plus you don't have to drill/screw into the end grain of 6mm ply with the risk of splitting it.

 

[Dishmop]

Is there a need for a slot....Not quite interference fit but with a top bar on it as per N4.

 

[fatshark]

Gorilla glue ... works a treat on poly. I used it to add castellated spacers to my Denrosa/Sweinty supers. I'd only bother with a slot if I wanted something I could return to functioning as a brood box in the future.

 

[REDWOOD]

Hi, would not like to try a router but I had a thought, have you seen the tool that commercial tyre fitters use to recut treads in tyres, it has a hot flat blade in a U shape that can be adjusted to a required depth, if you take your hive to a local tyre garage they might do it for you, good luck

 

[The Cumbrian]

the tool that commercial tyre fitters use to recut treads in tyres,

They might not be too keen on owning up to having one. As far as I am aware recutting tyres is illegal and has been since at least 2004. Something like ECE regulations 108 & 109 but not totally sure of the reference.

 

[oliver90owner]

Recut tyres are not illegal AFAIK, just recutting by your local tyre-fitter is banned.

 

[REDWOOD]

Hi ,new commercial road tyres (lorrys) can be cut up to 3 times, the tread has depth marks on them, this is done every day by all commercial tyre fitters