Is woodware interchangeable?

[AllenF]

I still mix and match.  Second hand frames from who knows where in new boxes.   Old wore out boxes with new store bought frames.  Lots of brushy frames in rossman boxes.   They all work. 

[Bee Curious]

... To add to my confusion, I notice Mann Lake's catalog says that their frame rest rabbet is 3/8"

...  A peek at Barry's hive plans may help you understand the terms or concepts.

I'll check them out.  Are they here on Beemaster or are they the ones on Beesource?

[kingbee]

Beesource.

[ApalacheeRiverFarms]

The rabbit is 3/8" wide and 5/8" deep. The 3/8" is half the thickness of the end boards (3/4"). This seems to be pretty standard. I have some of my father in laws stuff that's maybe 40 years old and they measure the same as my home made stuff and brushy's boxes I have. The only real problem you would run into is boxes that aren't long enough and the frames fit tight longways... I have a couple old boxes that were hand made that are a little too short for my brushy frames. I have some old frames too that fit them just fine though. I wouldn't lose any sleep over mixing and matching any of the major vendors. If I could find a good (cheap) vendor for 1x12s, I would build all my boxes because I enjoy that aspect of it... Gives me my carpentry fix.

[kingbee]

... If I could find a good (cheap) vendor for 1x12s, I would build all my boxes because I enjoy that aspect of it... Gives me my carpentry fix.

I’ve walked on several good deals on 13 inch wood planers because of my concerns about my future health.
But there is a country saw mill not 3 miles from me, that sells air dried Yaller popular for 55 cents per board foot.   Yaller pine boards when available are slightly higher.

At .55 cents a         

10 frame x 9 5/8  box or super = $3.40 *
  8 frame X 9 5/8 box or super = $3.20 *
10 frame X 6 5/8 box or super = $2.30 *
  8 frame X 6 5/8 box or super = $2.15 *

There are also assorted waste involved with any and all wood working projects including but not limited to knotty, split and/or badly warped, cupped, and bowed or twisted boards.  That is the problem with a natural building material like wood, it’s natural.

*All prices are approximate.

[ApalacheeRiverFarms]

Ever ran rough cut wood through a planer?  Can't take much off per cut and it's pretty slow. It also creates a ton of saw dust. I'd say you would have at least ten minutes in each box just planing and that's if you didn't also need a jointer to true up the edges... Saw mill stuff also will warp, bow, cup, twist, and do everything but get up and run off a lot of times... Neighbor down the road tried to sell me some poplar he cut up... It was almost an inch thick, rough, cracked, cupped and curved. Too much hassle for $8 for a 12 footer...  Wasn't even a good price. 8' 1x12" pine shelf boards from lowes aren't bad... I think they were $8 or so so that's about $6 a box. Medium boxes seem like the wood only runs $5 which is good if you have the time and enjoy it.

Besides... In my experience with the nice Dewalt Planer, the blades dull fast and are pretty expensive too.

[kingbee]

I agree about the planer, but board edges can be trued on a table saw by using a sled.

[ApalacheeRiverFarms]

To use a sled yould need to cut your four sides out and make three more cuts to each piece to square up all four corners for 16 cuts per box plus hand holds and rabbits. Rough cut just doesn't seem cost/time efficient.

[Sundog]

In other words, is there any pitfalls in buying from multiple suppliers when it comes to woodware?

Curious, the worst part of “buying” is typically the cost of shipping.  That really drives up the cost.  If you only want or expect to only have a hive or two, and are handy with a saw, consider making a Kenyan Top Bar Hive.  They are cheap, flexible and can be a lot of fun and a very good way to learn about bees.  You can find lots of good videos showing them on Youtube.

Have fun!

[asprince]

My friend has a band saw saw mill. We make hundreds of boxes, tops, bottoms and thousands of frames every year from air dried pine. We get the logs for free. It is well worth our time and effort. 


Steve

[bakoplan]

I found out the hard way that Kelley and Mann Lake Nuc box components are NOT interchangeable. Mann Lake is slightly wider, therefore Kelley lids and bottoms are too narrow (almost a half inch differential).