Today I Made

[Michael Bush]

I hate to bend over, so being able to use every hive as a shelf to set things on, is far too handy to give up.  Also my hives are all touching.  I have a number of gable roofs sent to me by the FlowHive people.  I never use them.  I do use the supers.

[Lesgold]

Just finished gluing some lids up for next weeks markets. Many of these lids had natural defects and cracking which needed to be glued up with superglue before being sanded. This slowed the process down but I just moved on and worked on other tasks while the glue set. A couple of lids were made from red mallee root. It is extremely hard and tools lose their edge quickly. The red lids are the result of the extra work involved. Prices of these jars will increase slightly to compensate for the extra work involved.

[Ben Framed]

Not just honey containers, but the lids are pure art!

[The15thMember]

Here are my moisture quilts all painted, holes covered with mesh, and ready to go.  I'm probably going to go through all the hives one more time before winter, and that will be the season.   

[Lesgold]

They came up a treat Reagan. Well done. Painting is the one job that I don?t particularly enjoy. Looks like you have a steady hand and patience. Wish I had those traits.

[The15thMember]

Thanks, Les.  As good as those wooden lids look, I think you have probably have plenty of patience and a steady hand as well.  I am one of those people who enjoys a menial task, like painting or building frames or cleaning green beans or something like that.   

[Lesgold]

Yes, building frames is another one that sends me around the twist. In many ways frame building is a bit like going to the dentist. The thought of it is actually worse than the event itself. While on that topic, yesterday I bought the components to make a new wiring jig. The old one was a quick and nasty build that I made when I first started out. It never worked overly well and really slowed the process down. I don?t know why I stuck with it for all those years. I was in the hardware store yesterday and was able to pick up the bits to build a better one. The funny part about it is that I could have bought a cheap one for the money I spent on components. I considered buying one but the jigs that I looked at online were either plastic or didn?t have the adjustments I needed for the wire spool. With some cool weather coming, it will be a chance to get back into the workshop and put one together. I?ll post the stages of the construction as it comes together. And one last thing Reagan, prepping beans and shelling peas are also on my list of thumbs down👎👎👎👎 jobs.

[Lesgold]

I?ve included a photo of my old wiring jig that was made when I first started in beekeeping. It worked but gee it was slow. I also used it for embedding foundation. Without wheels to help pulling wire through, and having a raised centre platform, it was always a frustrating task wiring up the frames. I really can?t explain why it wasn?t replaced years ago. I purchased some 17mm form ply and some cheap poly caster wheels a few days ago for the project. I would have liked to use a horizontal toggle cramp for the jig but they weren?t available so I had to improvise. A sprung loaded door stop was selected as a good alternative as it had the movement, locking and quick release needed for the project. Components were placed on the ply sheet so that I could establish sizes, clearances etc. It also allowed me to visualise what I was building and then break down each task into a series of small steps. I should be able to get started in a day or so.

[Lesgold]

Most components will be screwed or bolted to the plywood base. This will allow for parts to be moved or changed over time. The base was cut to size followed by simple frame for the wire spool. The back corners of the spool frame were rounded to make wire tensioning with the left hand an easy task. Frame stops were constructed and positioned so that the first eyelet on the frame would line up with the centre line of the wire spool. A screw eye hook was also positioned on the top stop to help guide the wire. It would also act as a tie off point for wire when the jig is not being used. The door stop cramp was then fitted. When the stops and the cramp were fitted, a bit of space was left to allow for slight variations in frame sizes that occurs between different manufacturers. A cramp lever was then constructed. 19mm galvanised RHS was used. The hinge was constructed from pine. The pivot bolt is supported on top and below to add extra strength. The lever is positioned so that it sits about 7mm above the plywood base. A rub plate was added to support the lever. Later this morning a knob will be added to the lever and the wheels fitted.

[Lesgold]

The poly wheels were convex in shape which was not going to hold wire in place. A bolt with the head cut off was used to secure the wheels in a Jacobs chuck to allow a slight convex curve to be machined in the surface of each wheel. I won?t know if the curve works or if the shape has to be changed to a V groove until the jig is tested. The polypropylene machines well, sending off beautiful ribbon shavings. No sanding of the wheels was needed. A wooden knob was machined for the tensioning handle and the remainder of the project was assembled. A coat of finish was applied to the handle and the jig will be tested later today when the oil finish on the handle dries. Overall cost of the project was just under $50. The cheap jigs on the market were a little less than that. Better quality jigs were about $160 so there was a definite saving in constructing the project at home. I will give a report on its use after a few frames have been wired.

[Lesgold]

The wiring jig was given a run a couple of days ago and worked as expected. The poly wheels allowed wire to be drawn through frames with ease and the concave curves held the wire in place as well as allowing easy release at the appropriate time. The door stop worked very well. It has a lot of travel and doesn?t need adjusting like a toggle clamp would. The only downside is the door stop release takes more effort than a toggle clamp to get the shaft to release. Wiring time has been reduced and made much easierwhich was two of the main aims of the project.

[Lesgold]

It won?t be long and Xmas markets will be here so I decided to add another stand to display honey products. All rustic and made from pallet material, it should provide a bit more space as well as making some of the items a bit more visible.

[Lesgold]

Started pushing the boundaries with a couple of honey jar wooden lids that I?ve turned lately. Yesterday I turned one from a piece of fence post that I collected over thirty years ago. It had some sentimental value as it came from the farm that I grew up on. I tried to leave as much of the weathered outside of the post visible and intact as I could. The inside of the lid was turned and then all cracks were filled with superglue. This provided enough strength for the outside surface to be machined. Before sanding, all cracks, hollows and rotten timber were again reinforced with glue.

[Terri Yaki]

You certainly are a handy guy, Lesgold. I appreciate those who can make things like that themselves. Congratulations.

[Ben Framed]

Les I suppose the passerbyers would buy honey from you for the nice looking jar alone if necessary! You have taken marketing honey to a new level! As Terri, I am also congratulating you!! With your observation hive, your brilliant Granddaughter and Wife, these beautiful jars (thanks to your custom made tops, (lids), as well as other strategies you have incorporated in your honey marketing layout,  I have little doubt that you and yours ARE the honey booth, THE honey people which are sought out at the market place! I personally want to thank you, for not only sharing your GREAT ideas here with our members (your fellow members), but for being a member here at Beemaster Yourself! I am proud of you and your work!!  You Sir are a true asset to the HoneyBee community! I can not find the proper words to thank you enough for choosing Beemaster as your HoneyBee Forum home!!

Sincerely,

Phillip

[The15thMember]

I agree!  Other honey sellers better step up their game, or you are going to run them out of business! 

[Lesgold]

Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate your comments and feedback. I enjoy being a member of Beemaster as you can ask all sorts of questions and you are able to get a range of answers from a number of perspectives. Getting feedback on ideas and sharing bits and pieces is what it?s all about. We need to constantly push ourselves to do better and try to learn as much as we can because when you think about it, beekeeping can be a tough gig. I am sure that all members of this community have little hints, secrets and ideas that they incorporate into their beekeeping. My hope is that people are prepared to share some of them to help us all with our passion.

[Lesgold]

I picked up a few softwood pallets a couple of days ago and thought I had better break them down and store the timber under cover before the forecast rain arrives. After de- nailing the pallet I noticed that the bearers were actually kiln dried Baltic pine and the slats were generally quite straight. Decided to convert this pallet into a nuc as I just threw one out that was made from plywood and over time it had delaminated. The bearers were run through the saw to 3/4? thickness, planed and then three were edge glued  with Titebond. This would make the ends of the nuc. I went through a similar process with the slats to make up the sides of the box. I will cut material to size tomorrow and start assembling the nuc.

[Ben Framed]

Alright! Another good project Les!! Thanks!!

[Ben Framed]

Les I have never tried it, but I think they sell a tongue and groove bit set at Lowes which would put the icing on the cake? Have you done the tongue and groove process on your boards in the past?