What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[JamezF]

I've come to love using glue. Modern glues are genuinely astonishing.

Even PVA, which is quite possibly what four year olds are using in nursery to make pictures out of bits of dried pasta, is amazingly strong. Use it for a well-made joint between wooden parts and it's stronger than the wood itself.

The piers in my observatory carry perhaps 20kg or more of kit with the intention that the telescope on top will be able to track an object in the sky to an accuracy of close to one thousandth of a degree. A "tiny bit of wobble" is just not acceptable. I made them by gluing three hollow concrete blocks end to end. If whoever lives here after me wants to remove them, they'll need a sledgehammer as an absolute minimum, and I'd bet the blocks won't separate at the join

James

 

[Newbeeneil]

After some skip diving outside my local car parts shop I was the proud possessor of 3 pallets with plywood tops, just right for making a platform for winter super storage. Plus 2 defunct "Covid shop assistant protectors"! Basically sheets of clear acrylic about 1m square. Because of the shape I'll only get 2 crown boards out of each sheet but plenty of nuc crown boards and hole covers.
@pargyle you can cancel my order now but I'm sure you will have no problem replacing me as a customer.

 

[pargyle]

After some skip diving outside my local car parts shop I was the proud possessor of 3 pallets with plywood tops, just right for making a platform for winter super storage. Plus 2 defunct "Covid shop assistant protectors"! Basically sheets of clear acrylic about 1m square. Because of the shape I'll only get 2 crown boards out of each sheet but plenty of nuc crown boards and hole covers.
@pargyle you can cancel my order now but I'm sure you will have no problem replacing me as a customer.

That's a relief ... struggling a bit to find time to make up the orders I have ... good find though ... with the cost of plywood alone the pallets are a deal ... plus £120 worth of acrylic ... brilliant.

 

[Lottie]

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.

Sounds like a 'must have'. Anyway of making them easily?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I just buy flatpack seconds from Maisies, I have made them in the past using either plywood or with the sides of 7"x1" PAR pine

 

[JamezF]

Just been out chopping up some scraps from roof sides that I replaced earlier this year into strips to use on the edges of rhombus clearer boards. Chopped a few of the rhombus clearers in half too, so I have a mixture of half rhombus (triangle) and full rhombus to see if it makes any difference.

Wanted to get rather more done today, but it was a very sweaty 29°C this afternoon which combined with all the flies that seem to be a permanent daytime fixture in the workshop at the moment (at least there are very few in the house) persuaded me that I should leave some stuff until tomorrow when it's supposed to be cooler.

James

 

[Garry R]

Just been out chopping up some scraps from roof sides that I replaced earlier this year into strips to use on the edges of rhombus clearer boards. Chopped a few of the rhombus clearers in half too, so I have a mixture of half rhombus (triangle) and full rhombus to see if it makes any difference.

Wanted to get rather more done today, but it was a very sweaty 29°C this afternoon which combined with all the flies that seem to be a permanent daytime fixture in the workshop at the moment (at least there are very few in the house) persuaded me that I should leave some stuff until tomorrow when it's supposed to be cooler.

James

Any photos of these clearers? Thanks in advance

 

[JamezF]

Any photos of these clearers? Thanks in advance

I'll post some photos once I have one finished, sure.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

These are mine. They say bees gravitate towards the sides of the super when leaving it. They work really well. Cleared three supers last week in 6 hours

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This is what I use, cleared six supers out overnight this week.

 

[JamezF]

This is what I use, cleared six supers out overnight this week.

That's pretty much identical to what I am making. I'm going to add a bee space strip on the top as well though, just to give a bit more clearance for any odd bits of comb that are on the bottom bars. Quite possibly not necessary, but I have the strips and it can't do any harm.

James

 

[JamezF]

Given JBM's photos I don't think I need to post mine. I've finished making the clearer boards up though and now have sufficient for this year's needs. I thought it would be sensible just to check over my existing ones at the same time and found one that needed a really good clean inside after being invaded by spiders and another that required a small repair, so I've sorted that as well.

Took somewhat longer than expected as it's been a quite hideous day weatherwise. The sky has often been hideously black, but we've had rain sufficient only to briefly wet the ground for a few minutes before the heat evaporated it all again, cranking up the humidity to very unpleasant levels. Even just standing at the workbench assembling parts I was dripping with sweat

James

 

[Garry R]

Thought I would try to make and fit tonight some wasp deterrents. Dirt cheap. simple to make and fit. Photo 1 is of the hive before fitting. 2 fitted and the other from the rear. Cable trunking self adhesive Will let you know how they work.

 

[Garry R]

Went to the apiary tonight about 7.30 and fitted these on the front of the hives. A fair bit of confusion to start with but within 30mins they had settled down and seemed to have the "end entrances" cracked. Loads of bees with pollen even that late in the day. Would say I have never seen so much even when I lived in NE Scotland with the broom in full flower. Hopefully the wasps will be fooled.

However a bit of detail. They are 25cm long with the 5mm holes drilled as shown in front of the entrance. The 38mm x 25mm trunking is 3.4m length each and was about £9 so 14 pieces making them about 60p each. The rear of the trunking was cut away to allow the hive entrance to be exposed. I used the self adhesive tape which was already fitted to stick them to the hive then clicked/slid the part with the holes onto the trunk, What is useful that if you wanted, the trunking can be stuck on well in advance and only brought into action just before the wasps get active by sliding the top on.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Used this solid old table saw (probably for the last time, brother-in-law retiring), to make ekes to screw onto crownboards. Changing over to deep one sided crownboards.

(Table saw will be in the closing down auction, 3 phase)

 

[markyfive]

Used this solid old table saw (probably for the last time, brother-in-law retiring), to make ekes to screw onto crownboards. Changing over to deep one sided crownboards.

(Table saw will be in the closing down auction, 3 phase)

These are brilliant table saws..properly made and very solid, your brother in law obviously has an eye on quality

This looks like a Ta 275 which will cut 100mm @ 90 degrees. I've had mine for over 20 years after buying it from a cabinet maker friend, and it's still going strong!

Do you know what other equipment will be in the closing down auction and where will it be listed?

 

[Parsonage Bees]

These are brilliant table saws..properly made and very solid, your brother in law obviously has an eye on quality

This looks like a Ta 275 which will cut 100mm @ 90 degrees. I've had mine for over 20 years after buying it from a cabinet maker friend, and it's still going strong!

Do you know what other equipment will be in the closing down auction and where will it be listed?

He is not a woodworker. The rest of the equipment is for light metal fabrication, welder, metal chop saws, bending machines, etc. The table saw was used to cut plywood treads for tubular metal warehouse steps.
The fence is pretty rubbish, the tracks not being straight or parallel. It's a scary piece of equipment but I still have all of my digits.
The auctioneers have yet to come back to him with a sale date. Although you already have a good table saw I will let you know when the sale is decided.
. . .. . Ben

 

[markyfive]

Finally got round to joining some reclaimed pallet boards to make some 14 x 12 brood boxes which is a bit of a PITA but
goes along with my endeavour to make all of my kit from recycled/waste timber.

3 of my nuc's are double boxes that really need putting into proper hives if only to free up the kit!

Stretched OH's tolerance by managing to squeeze in 3 UFE bases and varroa boards, 3 Crown boards, and got the whole lot painted!!

I think I'm being groomed for payback as she also offered to take me out for a Chinese

 

[markyfive]

Crickey, not sure what happened there, but obviously I've done something wrong....must have got a bit trigger happy on the select thumbnail section!!

 

[markyfive]

He is not a woodworker. The rest of the equipment is for light metal fabrication, welder, metal chop saws, bending machines, etc. The table saw was used to cut plywood treads for tubular metal warehouse steps.
The fence is pretty rubbish, the tracks not being straight or parallel. It's a scary piece of equipment but I still have all of my digits.
The auctioneers have yet to come back to him with a sale date. Although you already have a good table saw I will let you know when the sale is decided.
. . .. . Ben

Thanks for that Ben,

I was hoping he might have a Startritre bandsaw too, the one I use is well and truly abused and needs replacing...the search goes on!

Still be interested to see what's up for sale though.