Author Topic: Today I Made (Read 31539 times)

Lesgold · « **Reply #140 on:** October 24, 2023, 11:41:28 pm »

Sometimes it?s a case of necessity for beekeeping bits and pieces. My nearest supplier is an hours drive and for some reason nucs are expensive to buy. I mostly make them up from whatever material is lying around. Pallets are normally not the best choice as a lot of the material is twisted and cupped. It won?t end up as a work of art but the bees don?t seem to mind.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #141 on:** October 24, 2023, 11:56:39 pm »

The bees most definitely will 'not' mind. The reason I ask is because I was thinking of purchasing the tongue and groove bits myself and giving it a go after planing the boards as you described. I was hoping you might have experience in the process. Tongue and grooving the boards might help the nucs stay together, or in place, for a longer period of time than just glue alone? Keep up the good work Les. I will be looking forward to your updates.

Phillip

Lesgold · « **Reply #142 on:** October 25, 2023, 12:18:37 am »

I have used tongue and groove bits and they work quite well but the best thing to do is to make sure that mating edges are completely flat before gluing them together. Using cramps to close up gaps puts internal stresses on the timber and joints will eventually fail. I have made a few bee boxes from tongue and groove floor boards. They seem to hold up well over time. Cutting grooves and adding a feather of plywood is also another option. This is a very strong joint as the grain on plywood feather alternates and provides very good structural support for the pieces being glued. A jointer and saw bench will ensure that you end up with a perfect result.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #143 on:** October 25, 2023, 12:25:55 am »

Thanks Les, how much more trouble, after planing the boards as you have done, would it be to run the same flat board 'edges' down a jointer, (If a jointer is the right name for the tool which makes the edges straight and smooth), making a perfect flat and smooth edge before using the tongue and groove bit?

Lesgold · « **Reply #144 on:** October 25, 2023, 02:06:59 am »

I actually only planed the edges and put up with a bit of twist. When the slats were glued together, the edges glued well but the faces had a bit of up and down (if you know what I mean). If you wanted to prepare the timber correctly and fully, the first step would be to run the face of the board over the jointer (sometimes called a surface planer). When the wide face of the board is perfectly flat, that flat face is then placed against the fence of the jointer and one edge is then prepared. This edge will be flat and also at 90 degrees to the face. The board can then be ripped on the saw bench to the correct width. Finally, the board can be ripped to the correct thickness or run through a planer/ thicknesser. That will give you a board that can then be attacked with a router and T &G bits. You would need to follow a procedure similar to this to ensure that your material is true before trying to use joint work. If I had a pallet that had thicker slats, I could have done that and it would make life easier as all components would fit together well. The problem with using pallets for this type of work is that the majority of the material is of poor quality and the slats are normally green, unseasoned pine. If you live in a dry area where you can store the pallet for some time, it will dry to a moisture content that will allow it to be used. On this project, I saw that the main bearers were kiln dried so I cut the pine and glued it up for the critical parts (top, base and nuc ends). I decided to use the slats for the sides of the box as a bit of unevenness could be tolerated. When I first started keeping a few bees, I made some frames out of pallet material. That was a big mistake. Some of them warped and twisted in every conceivable direction. I won?t be doing that again.

animal · « **Reply #145 on:** October 25, 2023, 02:11:49 am »

Mr Les ... you have guts. I'd never get up the nerve to run pallet wood through a planer .. unless the blades were already chewed up anyway

Lesgold · « **Reply #146 on:** October 25, 2023, 02:28:00 am »

Only clean, nail free material is used. Timber from the underside of the pallet where it contacts the ground, I?m a bit wary of.

animal · « **Reply #147 on:** October 25, 2023, 02:38:35 am »

I just doubt my competence as a nail inspector

Many compliments on all your projects. They are impressive !

Lesgold · « **Reply #148 on:** October 25, 2023, 04:01:49 am »

Thanks animal. Glad you enjoy them. Hopefully a few more people will post some of their ideas to help us all.

Lesgold · « **Reply #149 on:** October 25, 2023, 04:30:59 am »

There were other things on the go today so very little happened in the workshop. Took cramps of the edge glued timber, cut sides and ends to size and then used the saw bench to cut rebates for frames. The nuc was then assembled with glue and narrow crown staples. Edge glued some more pallet material for a lid and base and left it at that. Should only take about 40 minutes or so to finish things off in the morning.

Lesgold · « **Reply #150 on:** October 25, 2023, 05:10:38 pm »

A base and lid were added using the remainder of the Baltic pine material. Some old decking material was utilised to make handles and cleats. An entrance hole was drilled and a rotating reducer was added. After a bit of thought, the mesh on the reducer will be on the inside when in use. A simple twitch of wire will hold the lid in place during transport. A couple of licks of paint and the addition of a sheet metal cover should see the nuc ready for service.

Ben Framed · « **Reply #151 on:** October 25, 2023, 10:01:51 pm »

Yes Sir!!! 👍🏻

Lesgold · « **Reply #152 on:** October 27, 2023, 07:00:56 pm »

The nuc was finished this morning with the addition of a piece of aluminium composite to keep the rain off. The closure mesh was changed to something a little stronger and was moved to the inside of the hole. The nuc will be put to work in about a week when the paint cures fully.

Kathyp · « **Reply #153 on:** October 27, 2023, 07:39:34 pm »

That's nice. Will you keep it for your use or sell it?

Lesgold · « **Reply #154 on:** October 27, 2023, 09:17:06 pm »

Hi Kathy,

I?ll keep that one for making a few splits etc.

Lesgold · « **Reply #155 on:** November 03, 2023, 02:34:56 am »

I decided to make a screened bottom board using some of a narrow roll of gutter guard that was in the shed. A join will required to give the dimensions needed to cover the base of the bottom board. Rather than use standard pine for the BB, Cypress Pine was selected due to its excellent weathering properties. My local hardware store had some 65x20mm palings in short length available so the project would be designed around those parameters. The bottom board should outlast me but the issue with cypress is its tendency to split when nailed. All joints will therefore be drilled, glued and screwed. I like the idea of a slide in board being a part of the design as there is some potential to utilise it for SHB control. I have a couple of ideas that I will look into once the bottom board is in use. The first photo is one of the sides of the BB. A trench was put in place for the slide in base board and ventilation slots were added so that the hive would receive plenty of air. This would allow the base board to be permanently kept in place rather than something that would be removed during the warmer months. I don?t want to store more stuff in the shed. The second photo shows the BB assembled. A landing board was attached to the front and a 15mm opening was created at the rear to allow debris to extracted as the base board is removed. The 12mm slots will be covered in a fine mesh so that beetles will not be able to enter the hive from this location. The BB will be painted before the mesh is added.

animal · « **Reply #156 on:** November 03, 2023, 11:13:33 am »

looks nice. Cypress is a great touch. I'm jealous. Since covid, cypress has become hard to get and really expensive in my area.

Lesgold · « **Reply #157 on:** November 03, 2023, 04:23:13 pm »

That?s an interesting comment animal. I wonder if your cypress has similar properties to the one that I?m using. This is a native timber of Australia that is harvested for building materials. It?s termite resistant and lasts quite well in the ground. The material that I purchased was about 80% of the cost of regular pine so it was quite cheap.

The BB was painted and then the mesh was added. I decided to use fly mesh on the side vents as I didn?t want beetles entering through these slots. Galvanised staples were used to attach all mesh. Aluminium composite was then cut as the sliding base board and a handle/ cover strip was attached. Coreflute would be an inexpensive option but I have a good stock of the composite so it was an obvious choice. There are a number of experiments that I will be conducting using this base board so initially, strength will be important. The bottom board should work well but I wasn?t happy with the design. There is too much work in constructing it and the design needs to be simplified if a number of them were to be made. A few ideas are already clicking over in the grey matter. The board will be placed on a hive in a week or so in an area that contains a lot of SHB. I want to see if the slide in board can be utilised to help keep beetle numbers down.

Terri Yaki · « **Reply #158 on:** November 03, 2023, 05:31:48 pm »

Admirable work there, Lesgold. Congratulations.

animal · « **Reply #159 on:** November 03, 2023, 05:43:51 pm »

Cool. I learned something new today about wood. Your cypress is a totally different tree.
I was referring to Taxodium Distichum, also called bald cypress or swamp cypress. resistant to most bugs, light, strong and straight grained. Makes great boat hulls, porch posts, etc. and part of what makes a swamp look nice and spooky.