What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[jenkinsbrynmair]

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.

My grandfather was an artist in hoarding bits of wood, I remember making something for him (escapes my memory what now) but it needed a large, wide substantial bit of timer to finish it off, away he went to the 'bottom shed' a real chamber of secrets and brought back the ideal piece. After I'd finished and he studied the job, he sucked in his lower lip and said "that was my grandmother's kitchen table once"

 

[Wilco]

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.

I have this problem. So much wood but not allowed to store it at home. <melodramatic sobbing>

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have this problem. So much wood but not allowed to store it at home. <melodramatic sobbing>

Isn’t there a corner somewhere at work?

 

[Wilco]

Isn’t there a corner somewhere at work?

Sadly not... Mostly work from home!

 

[JamezF]

Mostly finished rebuilding one super -- it's still missing one side rail that I need to make -- and started on rebuilding another by gluing up some more boards for new sides. I also took apart a third super that needed some work, but sadly I think it may be beyond recovery in that I'd have to make more replacement parts than would actually be left from the original. It's one I "inherited" that's already had several repairs made and it may well be as old as me, so I might put it in the pile of donor material for a toolbox instead.

Rebuilding supers has brought to light the unexpected fact that not all of the supers I have are the same depth. Most of the modern ones seem to be 150mm (or around 5⅞"), but the older ones look like they could be 5¾". I assume that since I've never noticed a problem that the bees "just cope" with the difference.

James

 

[JimBee463]

[yesterday] I made a small stand for my hive with an alighting board, that is now on the hive (the hive sits on 3 plastic pallets, so this stand doesn't have legs). I've also started getting the bits together to make a 'cage' to protect against woodpeckers over the winter (we get a fair few woodies here), and started getting the bits together to knock up some supers and a nuc over the winter period.

 

[JamezF]

Finished rebuilding the current batch of wooden supers. I had to make a new side and rail for one and then when I started to remantle it one of the other sides failed where the lug on the end of the rail fits in so I ended up having to make a second new side. I experimented with cutting the slots for the shorter sides to fit into using the trench cutting whatsit on my mitre saw. I've never had one of those before. Very handy it turned out to be. More on the pile of boxes for my daughter to paint, anyhow

The boxes I now have left to repair are either poly ones that need a few dents fixing or wooden ones that are a bit more complicated to get apart without damaging them. For instance, I have some finger-jointed supers (possibly Commercial rather than National?) that are nailed through every finger in both sides of the join and I'm really not sure how I can persuade them to come apart without damaging the fingers. There's perhaps no rush with those though as I have enough good supers for the time being.

James

 

[Wilco]

Not bad for a bunch of poor quality ply from old pallets. My woodworking is gradually improving but still not where I want it to be. Coating these, hopefully, tomorrow before deployment.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Finished rebuilding the current batch of wooden supers. I had to make a new side and rail for one and then when I started to remantle it one of the other sides failed where the lug on the end of the rail fits in so I ended up having to make a second new side. I experimented with cutting the slots for the shorter sides to fit into using the trench cutting whatsit on my mitre saw. I've never had one of those before. Very handy it turned out to be. More on the pile of boxes for my daughter to paint, anyhow

The boxes I now have left to repair are either poly ones that need a few dents fixing or wooden ones that are a bit more complicated to get apart without damaging them. For instance, I have some finger-jointed supers (possibly Commercial rather than National?) that are nailed through every finger in both sides of the join and I'm really not sure how I can persuade them to come apart without damaging the fingers. There's perhaps no rush with those though as I have enough good supers for the time being.

James

If the nails aren't clout headed would a pin punch drive them right through? Clout heads might draw out with a packing case nail extractor tool albeit leaving surface scarring.

 

[JamezF]

If the nails aren't clout headed would a pin punch drive them right through?

That might work, certainly. I'll give it a try when I get that far.

James

 

[Moobee]

Thinking ahead for the winter (can't believe i'm even saying this with the sun blazing outside!) ..... my out apiary may need protecting from woodpeckers so do people prefer the chicken wire method? Anyone had much luck using Damp Proof Course Membrane wrapped around hives?

 

[Newbeeneil]

Thinking ahead for the winter (can't believe i'm even saying this with the sun blazing outside!) ..... my out apiary may need protecting from woodpeckers so do people prefer the chicken wire method? Anyone had much luck using Damp Proof Course Membrane wrapped around hives?

I use the DPM from Screwfix it works well and gives some protection against driven rain and wind.
It comes in 225 for single brood, 300 for 14x12 and 450 for double brood. Cheap too.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/capital-valley-plastics-ltd-damp-proof-course-black-30m-x-225mm/8592

 

[blackcloud]

they don't blow off as easily
you have room for 450mm 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.

Raging heretics
They should be rounded up,put in a field and bombed.
Or put on the naughty step at least.

 

[Erichalfbee]

they don't blow off as easily
you have room for 450mm 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.

Yes and the Abelo poly ones are even better

 

[Moobee]

I use the DPM from Screwfix it works well and gives some protection against driven rain and wind.
It comes in 225 for single brood, 300 for 14x12 and 450 for double brood. Cheap too.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/capital-valley-plastics-ltd-damp-proof-course-black-30m-x-225mm/8592
View attachment 32862

Fabulous, thank you!

 

[Wilco]

they don't blow off as easily
you have room for 450mm 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.

Just thinking... 450mm celotex... Just how deep are your deep roofs?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just thinking... 450mm celotex... Just how deep are your deep roofs?

Oops - should have read 40 - 50mm

 

[pargyle]

Made up 30 more super frames .... stumbled across a part pack I didn't know I had ... just as well as I'm now down to using the supers that normally sit on top of the crownboards full of insulation .... which means .... I'm going to have to buy more supers as I will have nowhere to store the frames over winter. Looking like a reasonable crop for me this year ...

 

[Newbeeneil]

Getting desperate on the frames front so found the sn4 "firsts"frames Bee Equipment sent me instead of the made up seconds. They are definantly the worst frames I've ever put together. They are so tight that you have to hammer each part and when they are together you probably could do without nails!
Certainly wouldn't buy.

 

[JamezF]

Getting desperate on the frames front so found the sn4 "firsts"frames Bee Equipment sent me instead of the made up seconds. They are definantly the worst frames I've ever put together. They are so tight that you have to hammer each part and when they are together you probably could do without nails!
Certainly wouldn't buy.

I had to make up some DN4s earlier this week. Well, finish making them up. I did everything but the wedge and the bottom bar on the wedge side ages ago, to reduce the time required for assembly when I found I needed frames in a hurry -- when I needed to house a swarm, for instance.

For some reason the fit of some of the bottom bars was apallingly bad and in some cases also required hammering to get them in. I had no such trouble when I initially made them up. The frames have been hanging in my frame rack since I assembled them, whereas the loose bottom bars have been in a plastic storage box. I'm wondering if that might be a contributory factor in my case -- perhaps some parts have dried out/shrunk faster than others.

James