What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[REDWOOD]

Amateur work with small hand saw: piece by piece and made somehow and hopefully use it this season..
mnuc4

lovely job Goran, excuse my ignorance but what are the rims for below the top board ?

 

[Goran]

lovely job Goran, excuse my ignorance but what are the rims for below the top board ?

I wanted to simplify ( due time and money) that rim is as feeder rim - fondant or sugar sirup in "plastic bag" for freezer or open feeder such as some plastic lids. Maybe later can put some mesh above for transport.

 

[REDWOOD]

I wanted to simplify ( due time and money) that rim is as feeder rim - fondant or sugar sirup in "plastic bag" for freezer or open feeder such as some plastic lids. Maybe later can put some mesh above for transport.

Cool

 

[pargyle]

Dismantled and e-nailed a pile of pallets in preparation for building a couple of top bar hives tomorrow.
fear not, I haven't taken leave of my senses, still shower daily and my feet are safely enclosed in a pair of close-toed boots.Normal service will be resumed on me setting foot back in dear old blighty (it's for charity you know!)

The problem with walking on the dark side is that you get to like it .... I've the list of Oxfam shops ready for your return to Blighty !

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Finished one top bar hive and constructed the panels for one more - which I'll assemble in the next workshop.
Then went home to have a hot shower and a damn good scrub to ensure no touchy feely holistic crystal waving 'natural beekeeping' germs don't get into my system, then put my desert combat boots back on (fleabay bargain, only used a few times, like new apart from the odd blood spot

 

[pargyle]

Finished one top bar hive and constructed the panels for one more - which I'll assemble in the next workshop.
Then went home to have a hot shower and a damn good scrub to ensure no touchy feely holistic crystal waving 'natural beekeeping' germs don't get into my system, then put my desert combat boots back on (fleabay bargain, only used a few times, like new apart from the odd blood spot

Very good, impressive carpentry with just a saw and a hammer !! ... Now for the top bars themselves .. there's as much debate about how wide top bars have to be in 'those' sort of circles as there is about whether it's too early to inspect at the moment over here.

I made mine 38mm with a small triangular starter strip but there's the chance with this size that they will cross comb across the top bars in the honey storage areas. So.. you really need 38mm for the brood area and about 34mm for the honey storage ... or there again, you could make them all 34mm and have some 2mm spacers to use in the brood area where the combs will be fatter or you could make them all 36mm and hope for the best ... Did you think Top Bar Beekeeping was going to be easy ... ???

Your bees over there are going to love their new home ...

 

[Tom Bick]

Brood combs more likely to be narrower than honey as the bees are not so restricted with depth of cell regarding honey storage.

 

[pargyle]

Brood combs more likely to be narrower than honey as the bees are not so restricted with depth of cell regarding honey storage.

See ... told you so ... debates started on here now ... Mine were never used in anger so I'm just quoting those who know better than me ... give it a week then make you own mind up JBM !

 

[Tom Bick]

Phil if you give your bees 38mm top bars for the brood area it will not be a problem and all that will happen is you will get a deeper honey ark over the brood. You could stay with 38mm for all your bars this would be equivalent of 11 frames in a national hive but if you wanted you could go up to 45mm for honey. Personally I don't see the point in two sizes but the two you have quoted would work either way.

 

[pargyle]

Phil if you give your bees 38mm top bars for the brood area it will not be a problem and all that will happen is you will get a deeper honey ark over the brood. You could stay with 38mm for all your bars this would be equivalent of 11 frames in a national hive but if you wanted you could go up to 45mm for honey. Personally I don't see the point in two sizes but the two you have quoted would work either way.

I took the two (or was it three ?) TBH's I built apart in favour of building my Long Deep Hive with frames so all those top bars I cut are now languishing in a bag in the workshop, never used ... I still have half a Tanzanian Top Bar Hive which I cut down to make a bait hive last year and I used some of the top bars in that ... I just hate throwing wood away... I'm a Wood Womble !

Mind you .. with the way the season is developing I think the bait hive will be out again in a week or two !! Hope I get a better result than last year ... Not a sniff in it ... but there again, I didn't do the dowsing last year so I might get the copper rods out for this year.

Phil

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Assembled a set of super SN4 frames and foundation so I can put a super on as soon as it's needed.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

African bees need top bars between 32 and 34mm wide.I've seen them stray off centre and onto other frames with the standard langstroths (standard 36mm spacings) out here. Going to get a local joiner to make them for me as i can't be *rsed to rip down nearly a hundred top bars to that width and cut grooves in them.

 

[REDWOOD]

Good job JBM, It's surprising what you can do with a few old pallets, annoying when the dam planks spilt when de-nailing though, and as for the top bars don't listen to that lot above make them 22mm wide, put spacers on the ends and slap a super on top, at least it will be a bit like a proper hive then.


I'll get my coat, and my car keys

 

[Tom Bick]

As weird as it seems Redwood some people do just that lol.

 

[REDWOOD]

As weird as it seems Redwood some people do just that lol.

I do like the the idea of fishing line, I might have a go at this when I get my foundation press finished.

 

[Tom Bick]

Great will look forward to seeing it remember to post some photos

 

[pargyle]

Good job JBM, It's surprising what you can do with a few old pallets, annoying when the dam planks spilt when de-nailing though, and as for the top bars don't listen to that lot above make them 22mm wide, put spacers on the ends and slap a super on top, at least it will be a bit like a proper hive then.


I'll get my coat, and my car keys

and make the sides of the hive vertical instead of sloping, about 12" deep and about 14" wide ... add a couple of side bars to the top bars ... and perhaps a bottom bar ... might think about making it a bit longer so they have a bit of room to expand ... perhaps a couple of half size supers on top ... now what was that blokes name ? Dar...Dart ... I know Dartington !

 

[REDWOOD]

and make the sides of the hive vertical instead of sloping, about 12" deep and about 14" wide ... add a couple of side bars to the top bars ... and perhaps a bottom bar ... might think about making it a bit longer so they have a bit of room to expand ... perhaps a couple of half size supers on top ... now what was that blokes name ? Dar...Dart ... I know Dartington !

Ha I know, the overgrown 14x12 hive. Did it ever take off ?

I need a quick lesson on how to inspect a long thingy hive in case JBM brings one home and then buggers off again lol.

 

[ugcheleuce]

The local grocery store has this little number for EUR 15. Is it a complete waste of money or do you think it will be a welcome addition to the tool kit?

 

[REDWOOD]

I have one but never used, A mouse sander is much better