What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Excellent

I have a load of galvanised steel sheet that my father-in-law bought years ago and no longer has a use for. Unfortunately it's all in strips about 8" wide. I'm still trying to work out how I can use them to make a flat roof for a hive (that is, one that can be used upside down to stand supers etc. on when opening it up).

James

Have a look at Brother Adam's gabled roof - it gives you the best of both worlds. Paul Higgins (Redwood on here) made a few some years ago

 

[JamezF]

Have a look at Brother Adam's gabled roof - it gives you the best of both worlds. Paul Higgins (Redwood on here) made a few some years ago

That's a neat possible solution. Thanks.

James

 

[Moobee]

Have a look at Brother Adam's gabled roof - it gives you the best of both worlds. Paul Higgins (Redwood on here) made a few some years ago
View attachment 32754

Is that a ramp for the mice?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Is that a ramp for the mice?

No mouse I've ever seen needs a ramp to get into a hive!

 

[pargyle]

Is that a ramp for the mice?

There's a lovely photo of Brother Adam's hives at Buckfast here ..

Our friend Vasily – adventures of a Belarusian beekeeper in England

In an earlier post (Our friend Vasily – early contacts) I wrote about how we got to know a very enterprising young man and his family in Belarus, as part of our sustainable development projec…

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In the groups of four on the stands he used to use a lot it probably reduced the bees undershooting, if you look closely, those huge landing boards are actually attached to the floor of the hive.

 

[madasafish]

Excellent

I have a load of galvanised steel sheet that my father-in-law bought years ago and no longer has a use for. Unfortunately it's all in strips about 8" wide. I'm still trying to work out how I can use them to make a flat roof for a hive (that is, one that can be used upside down to stand supers etc. on when opening it up).

James

Sealant on edges pop rivet together.
Works : I - being a cheapskate - have done it for years. A good quality sealant will last for decades.

 

[pargyle]

Sealant on edges pop rivet together.
Works : I - being a cheapskate - have done it for years. A good quality sealant will last for decades.

As a fellow cheapskate I will second that .... silicon sealant will stick just about anything to anything and with a pop rivet as well .... try separating two bits of metal with that construction ! Offcuts are such valuable bits of material, sad person that I am ... I have boxes full of them, always come in useful - eventually !

 

[markyfive]

Pretty pleased with my first batch of 100% recycled pallet wood supers........castellated rails and painting to finish.

Also made up some underfloor entrances to take Maisie's nuc brood extension boxes, converting to 14 x 12 at the same time..... just the mesh to add
and they'll be in service.

All timber free, courtesy of my Local Travis Perkins, I'm staggered by what they throw away!

 

[markyfive]

Oops, just realised, they're not the 14 x 12 conversion bases, still have to use the extension eke with these. I was getting
ahead of myself there, as I haven't even made those yet!

 

[Lottie]

Shallow roofs - how quaint and retro

What is the advantage of deep roofs?

 

[Wilco]

Pretty pleased with my first batch of 100% recycled pallet wood supers........castellated rails and painting to finish.

Also made up some underfloor entrances to take Maisie's nuc brood extension boxes, converting to 14 x 12 at the same time..... just the mesh to add
and they'll be in service.

All timber free, courtesy of my Local Travis Perkins, I'm staggered by what they throw away!

Those supers are amazing, lovely work. Did you have to join any of the planks together?

 

[JamezF]

Those supers are amazing

They do indeed.

James

 

[markyfive]

Those supers are amazing, lovely work. Did you have to join any of the planks together?

Yes, I did have to join most of the planks. To get the thickness required I mainly use Euro pallets which have wide and narrow slats.
The 'wides' are about 120mm and the 'narrows' are around 90mm. I keep the 'wides' for deeps and 14 x 12's and join 2 'narrows' for shallow boxes.
The excess cut off goes for frame top bar stock or bottom bars depending on width remaining.

I'm trying to make all of my own kit.......not sure if it's a false economy, but it is very gratifying

Sometimes I get lucky and find the odd pallet or packing case with plank widths over 150mm, but it doesn't happen often!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What is the advantage of deep roofs?

they don't blow off as easily
you have room for 40 - 50mm of celotex insulation and another 50mm in winter around your fondant pack.
You can put an 'English' feeder on for autumn feeding without needing an eke to put it in.
You can use it as a hop-up to get to the topmost super if you are one of these rebels who don't follow the BBKA ethos of minimal honey crops.

 

[Swarm]

Pretty pleased with my first batch of 100% recycled pallet wood supers........castellated rails and painting to finish.

Also made up some underfloor entrances to take Maisie's nuc brood extension boxes, converting to 14 x 12 at the same time..... just the mesh to add
and they'll be in service.

All timber free, courtesy of my Local Travis Perkins, I'm staggered by what they throw away!

Well I'm staggered by the quality of some peoples' craftsmanship. What a stunning job!

 

[markyfive]

Wow, cheers for that, I'll post some shots of the frame components when I've made some more parts....only 28mm shallow and deep side bars and bottom (B2) bars
done so far. 14x12's need hoffmanising top bars halfway done....oh for more time!

 

[JamezF]

Rebuilt an old brood box on which three of the four side rails had rotted around the tenons and one of the corners needed rebuilding. It's not cedar and will be staying in the home apiary, so my daughter is now going to paint it with some "fun" design.

I thought I'd follow that up by taking apart two supers which had two decaying walls and two broken sidebars between them and rebuilding a single good one out of the remaining bits. The plan went out of the window when I realised having taken them apart that one was made using 18mm timber and the other 22mm, so the parts aren't interchangeable. So, back to the wood pile and I've sawn up some timber to glue together to make boards that I can plane down to the correct thickness for each. It's more of a faff, but on the positive side I'll end up with two more functioning supers rather than one. I'll probably give them to my daughter to paint as well.

James

 

[Moobee]

Pretty pleased with my first batch of 100% recycled pallet wood supers........castellated rails and painting to finish.

Also made up some underfloor entrances to take Maisie's nuc brood extension boxes, converting to 14 x 12 at the same time..... just the mesh to add
and they'll be in service.

All timber free, courtesy of my Local Travis Perkins, I'm staggered by what they throw away!

Do you just ask for their offcuts? We have a TP timber yard not far from us. Asking for a friend (don’t tell my OH )……

 

[markyfive]

Do you just ask for their offcuts? We have a TP timber yard not far from us. Asking for a friend (don’t tell my OH )……

OH? I guess it's some reference to 'er indoors?

I just started by asking if they had any old pallets they wanted to get rid of......I was nearly swamped by the deluge!
I am now texted on a regular basis to clear their yard out of all the 'unwanted stuff', if they're having a H&S audit they actually deliver
it all to my workplace!!

I don't know if it's the same country wide, but here in Monmouth all the 'rubbish' is sorted into categories and sent back
to the central warehouse for recycling/disposal....it goes back on the delivery lorry as a return load....including timber offcuts, bearers, stack separators etc. Being the inherent scrounger that I am this is like manna from heaven.

Fortunately I have a very understanding 'er indoors

 

[Moobee]

OH? I guess it's some reference to 'er indoors?

I just started by asking if they had any old pallets they wanted to get rid of......I was nearly swamped by the deluge!
I am now texted on a regular basis to clear their yard out of all the 'unwanted stuff', if they're having a H&S audit they actually deliver
it all to my workplace!!

I don't know if it's the same country wide, but here in Monmouth all the 'rubbish' is sorted into categories and sent back
to the central warehouse for recycling/disposal....it goes back on the delivery lorry as a return load....including timber offcuts, bearers, stack separators etc. Being the inherent scrounger that I am this is like manna from heaven.

Fortunately I have a very understanding 'er indoors View attachment 32815

OH = Other Half and yes, 'er indoors! Keeps saying it looks like a 'pikey' yard outside with all the spare wood. Of which you can never have enough of IMHO.