Author Topic: Cheaper to buy RTA hives in Australia? (Read 16691 times)

Oldbeavo · « **Reply #20 on:** July 03, 2015, 07:29:14 am »

I make my hives from 245x22 pine. It is sourced from PGA Timber in Carrum Downs (outer Melbourne suburb). Ask for Phil
The pack size is about 350 lineal meters.
The quality is not free of knots or blemishes but the price of about $3 per meter allows for this.
If i am cutting and there is a knot or hole then the piece is put aside to make lids or risers for hives.
This allows you to cut 2 ends and sides for under $6 (8 framers).
Docking saw and router table (about $200 each) and a 22mm router bit and you are in business.
when set to rebate 22mm, if you attach a piece of 7 mm ply to the router fence you have the depth for the frame rebate without adjusting the router.
Have made 200 hives and 500 supers very economocally.

Honeycomb king · « **Reply #21 on:** July 03, 2015, 08:13:04 am »

That sounds good, I'll be calling PGA timber later in the month to get a few packs, I run a lot of ideals 147mm to 145mm any idea if they can supply other sizes.
Thanks for the tip. Oldbeavo.

Oldbeavo · « **Reply #22 on:** July 04, 2015, 07:59:48 am »

Phil can source whar ever you need, I also get 7mm brace ply for lids at about $27 per 8x4 sheet. Worth a call, he had some 19mm at one stage that was pretty cheap.

SB-Russ · « **Reply #23 on:** July 26, 2015, 04:46:09 pm »

So I've procrastinated about as long as I can with no better solution in my area. Guess I'm just going to have to start with RTA and maybe down the line find a cheaper solution. I think I'll go Ideal sizing to start.

Do you think I'll have an issue with fit, buying boxes from one supplier and frames from another?

Oldbeavo · « **Reply #24 on:** July 27, 2015, 07:35:37 am »

How much would freight cost Melb to ???QLD ? Is PGA timber an option? See post July 03.
Why not consider WSP, less boxes and frames to handle per KG of honey.

SB-Russ · « **Reply #25 on:** July 27, 2015, 04:47:00 pm »

I dont think postage on lumber makes it viable. Whats the weight of a single box? Courier estimates without dimensions and weights is highly unpredictable, but I'd say $5-$10 a kilogram would be an estimate.

Bad back is my main reason for wanting to go smaller and 8-frame. Ideal is the most common sizing around here. I'd prefer Manley but it's the least common. One other advantage for ideal is, at a pinch, I could use two ideal boxes as a transiton platform to swap between ideal frames and full depth, for nucs and I will also have a Flow hive, which is full depth.

Oldbeavo · « **Reply #26 on:** July 28, 2015, 06:35:56 pm »

Hi SB-Russ
i was refering to post 20 on this topic, where i buy 240x22 rdaiata pine from PGA in a pack, which you would have to truck to QLD.
PGA are serious wholesalers of timber as i have a mate who was raving about buying 70x35 framing timber for $1.70 a meter, rang PGA and their price is $1.20 for a pack price.
How many boxes do you intend to make?
Interesting I use Burnett Bees in QLD to buy frames and can freight them to Victoria cheaper than the Locals can supply them.

Anybrew2 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 28, 2015, 06:45:03 pm »

I must be getting Lazy,I have been buying flat packed 8 frame box's for $22 and after I soak them in Copper naphthalene drying them, Then gluing and screwing them and painting with three coats of exterior paint, I have had enough.
I ordered 20 plastic Supers from Nuplas for $31.50 plus $30 freight. There's nothing in it money wise for me as I dont have the equipment to manufacture my own box's.

They arrived today

Cheers
Steve

SB-Russ · « **Reply #28 on:** July 28, 2015, 06:58:28 pm »

My shipping rate was just a ballpark figure from an online courier the estimator for .25 cubic metres and 40kg of package. I'm only looking to setup about 10 boxes and a couple of nucs at this stage. I won't be making frames, too cuddly. It's probably not worth me going to the trouble for a small saving. And I'm flip-flopping on what size to go to with again. After deciding on Monday I was going ideal, I've since changed to Manley despite limited supply, but then changed again to WSP despite the extra weight. WSP would be much more economical, and if desperate about weight down the track, I could cut them down. But I'll probably be back to Manley by lunch time :)

Anybrew2 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 28, 2015, 07:14:30 pm »

ATM if you buy 20 box's from Nuplas freight is $30 Australia wide. Awesome in my books.
With box's size, they get heavy full of Honey what ever size they are. I find in easier to take the frames out individual and stack them in an empty super and wheel them away. Very limited lifting for me.

Steve

SB-Russ · « **Reply #30 on:** July 28, 2015, 07:37:09 pm »

Yeah Steve that the as sort of my thinking that I'd probably only take a few frames at a time anyway, as I'm not running a commercial op, but still didn't want to go full deeps. Also only going 8 frame weight is a little easier. I hadn't really considered WSP until I saw its 3/4 of a deep, and manly is only another 10-15% less, but WSP is available from all my local suppliers.

Only other detractor for larger frames is I'd like to try comb honey and have heard smaller frames are better for that, plus I want to go foundation less and wonder about the comb stability in the larger size.

As for the plastic boxes, not really my cup of tea, but I can see the benefits. How do they go in winter? Do they have an insulation layer? It's -1C here still this morning, with heavy frosts.

Anybrew2 · « **Reply #31 on:** July 28, 2015, 07:58:27 pm »

I hear ya about Comb Honey I think it works better in smaller hives.and i saw somewhere that they make special um plastic again frames divided into segments for it.
It gets darn cold here down to -5 I have some other plastic Hives and they do as well as the timber one. I spose they move to the centre a little and cluster in what every box of tree stump they live in.
Speaking of foundation less, I had no foundation for a few frames last year and simply got a lump of bur comb and stuck it to the under side of the top bar and darn within 5 odds days they had drawn it out totally.

SB-Russ · « **Reply #32 on:** July 28, 2015, 08:16:39 pm »

I wonder would it be easy enough to just add an extra bottom bar or divider of some kind to the middle of a WSP frame to convert it to a dedicated comb frame? If I'm going foundation less anyway, there's no wires to worry about.

Anybrew2 · « **Reply #33 on:** July 28, 2015, 08:28:16 pm »

Yep I've seen that done exactly I think the frame was divided into 6 segments with timber frame components.
cheap and easy.

Oldbeavo · « **Reply #34 on:** July 29, 2015, 12:31:23 am »

We do comb honey in a fullm depth frame by dividing it horizontally with a piece of timber about 10mm square.
We do this in an already used frame that has broken a wire or wax moth has attacked it. Scrape it clean and put in the divider which i turn so you have an edge upwards, not a flat. Then put some molten wax on the top and botton edge.
When you put it in the hive push the frames on each side tight against the comb honey frame. Needs to be done on a good honey flow.

Anybrew2 · « **Reply #35 on:** July 29, 2015, 01:54:03 am »

Well there you go thanks I will give it a go too.

Wombat2 · « **Reply #36 on:** July 30, 2015, 08:34:26 pm »

There is a supplier in Brisbane sells "budget"boxes for $15.85 each (these may have knots and other imperfections) Hardly worth the effort to make my own.

chriso38 · « **Reply #37 on:** August 03, 2015, 10:35:06 pm »

Hey wombat2, can u tell me the suppliers name in Brisbane that sells the budget boxes.... Might grab a few.... thanks

Wombat2 · « **Reply #38 on:** August 05, 2015, 04:00:00 am »

Guilfoyles

I believe they are about to or have moved from Wacol to Inala

Dave86 · « **Reply #39 on:** August 10, 2015, 02:00:01 am »

Quote from: Wombat2 on August 05, 2015, 04:00:00 am

Guilfoyles

I believe they are about to or have moved from Wacol to Inala

I rung them asking about the budget boxes, got a whole story about how they don't specifically manufacture 'budget boxes' and they always use first grade timber.

Still going to get cypress, looks like if I cant get 250x25 boards my supplier will tongue and groove join 100 or 150mm together for me to make fulls.