What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[Newbeeneil]

That's not mean, it's sensible. I am flabbergasted by the amount of good timber I see in skips. I got some good roof battens yesterday, having asked the roofers first, of course. It will build a good picket fence to keep the dog off my veg patch

I’m a great fan of roof batten picket fencing even if you have to buy the battens . Most of my fences to keep grandchildren away from out small nature pond, veg patches, greenhouse and garden storage areas were fashioned from it.

 

[sarahcorlett2566]

I decided to do something with the pallets that have been sitting in our “garden” for a couple of years and made two hive stands. Not bad for my limited woodworking skills (got a circular/skill saw for Christmas and snapped up a £49 DeWalt hammer driver in the pre Christmas sale) and amazingly stable. Just in case I end up with splits next year. I saved the thickest wood for last so I’ll make a sturdier one tomorrow. Other half has Covid so no New Year’s Eve parties for us this year.

 

[Midget Gem]

Made a hive floor out of scrap wood and scrap aluminium - more equipment for me, less junk in the workshop.

 

[madasafish]

Anther National roof and floor from scrap/ woodstain takes hours to dry as it is cold. and damp.

 

[JamezF]

I should be finishing a chicken house but the weather put paid to any attempt at that, so I've been making a few frame feeders to use timber up and get it out of the workshop. When I opened the door to come back to the house I was half-expecting not to be in Kansas any more...

James

 

[Wilco]

Almost finished six solid floor UFEs, just need to drill holes for sublimation and oil them. Over the last few days I also got a bunch more PIR pads sorted to go above cover boards. Will be switching these out one the hives with wool insulation at present. Was good to get the table and mitre saws out again.

Not quite the workshop but also moved a nuc from a wooden box to a poly box and dummied it down because I was concerned about them... Probably didn't need to as they were a lot stronger than I'd thought.

 

[JamezF]

I'm still trying to finish off the new chicken house thanks to requiring numerous breaks to allow my hands to warm up, but today I also nipped down to the local builders' merchant to pick up a sheet of 40mm PIR board to use to make some nucs, as discussed a while back. It's taken a while to get sorted because it turns out that pretty much no-one actually stocks that size. Multiples of 25mm seem much more common. Then by chance last week I found out that the local place had two sheets available so I claimed one. Now I just need to find the drawings I did and start making a few up. If they look ok then I might grab the other sheet too.

The idea is to make five-frame nuc boxes to go on UFEs and that can go side-by-side under a standard national roof. Oh, and the boxes should stack sanely too, so I can have a "five-over-five" arrangement should I so wish.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I'm still trying to finish off the new chicken house thanks to requiring numerous breaks to allow my hands to warm up, but today I also nipped down to the local builders' merchant to pick up a sheet of 40mm PIR board to use to make some nucs, as discussed a while back. It's taken a while to get sorted because it turns out that pretty much no-one actually stocks that size. Multiples of 25mm seem much more common. Then by chance last week I found out that the local place had two sheets available so I claimed one. Now I just need to find the drawings I did and start making a few up. If they look ok then I might grab the other sheet too.

The idea is to make five-frame nuc boxes to go on UFEs and that can go side-by-side under a standard national roof. Oh, and the boxes should stack sanely too, so I can have a "five-over-five" arrangement should I so wish.

5 frame nucs side by side under a national roof will be tough using 40mm PIR as it will only give you 150mm to accommodate the frames!
My side by sides are made using 15mm cedar which gives you 200mm for the 5 frames.

 

[JamezF]

5 frame nucs side by side under a national roof will be tough using 40mm PIR as it will only give you 150mm to accommodate the frames!
My side by sides are made using 15mm cedar which gives you 200mm for the 5 frames.

Only the ends will be 40mm PIR, so there's sufficient thickness to accommodate the frame lugs. The sides will be 25mm. Ten frames will be around 350mm wide, plus 100mm for the four thicknesses of PIR is 10mm less than the width of a standard national box, so I should be good.

James

 

[Eyeman]

Only the ends will be 40mm PIR, so there's sufficient thickness to accommodate the frame lugs. The sides will be 25mm. Ten frames will be around 350mm wide, plus 100mm for the four thicknesses of PIR is 10mm less than the width of a standard national box, so I should be good.

James

How are you planning on sealing/protecting the 40mm PIR once you’ve cut the rebate for the lugs? To stop the bees chewing the PIR.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Only the ends will be 40mm PIR, so there's sufficient thickness to accommodate the frame lugs. The sides will be 25mm. Ten frames will be around 350mm wide, plus 100mm for the four thicknesses of PIR is 10mm less than the width of a standard national box, so I should be good.

James

Ok, but be careful as I found when I made 3 frame nucs from PIR that the top surface got damaged trying to prise the frames out if they were wedged too tight.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[Murox]

How are you planning on sealing/protecting the 40mm PIR once you’ve cut the rebate for the lugs? To stop the bees chewing the PIR.

Plastic angle trim might be a solution. its available in many and both equal and unequal leg sizes

 

[JamezF]

Little chance of anything happening today. Despite feeling much warmer I've had to bring adhesives into the house so they're usable and even then they're taking hours instead of minutes to go off.

James

 

[madasafish]

How are you planning on sealing/protecting the 40mm PIR once you’ve cut the rebate for the lugs? To stop the bees chewing the PIR.

I seal mine with aluminium foil tape (pipe insulation) and sometimes paint..(cheap)

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Now I just need to find the drawings I did and start making a few up.

I'm very interested to hear more. Maybe you might even like to share a photo of your drawings if you ever find them

 

[JamezF]

I'm very interested to hear more. Maybe you might even like to share a photo of your drawings if you ever find them

Yer 'tis, though without dimensions for the moment I'm afraid. I'll see if I can work out how to do that with FreeCAD. I'm sure it has a feature somewhere for doing that. I was planning on making the top and bottom rails from timber glued to the PIR with PU glue so that there's some protection from the hive tool. I'm not sure the bridle joints are really necessary. A glued butt or mitre would probably be fine.

James

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Yer 'tis, though without dimensions for the moment I'm afraid. I'll see if I can work out how to do that with FreeCAD. I'm sure it has a feature somewhere for doing that. I was planning on making the top and bottom rails from timber glued to the PIR with PU glue so that there's some protection from the hive tool. I'm not sure the bridle joints are really necessary. A glued butt or mitre would probably be fine.

James

View attachment 38619

Thank you, James. I agree about a wooden surface for the top bars - possibly with a 3mm rim that would act (or perhaps even be) like a metal rail. What's your plan for a lid/roof - which you'll need eventually even if you stack boxes? I made roofs for my plywood nucs from 50mm PIR with overhanging sides about 100mm deep.

 

[JamezF]

Thank you, James. I agree about a wooden surface for the top bars - possibly with a 3mm rim that would act (or perhaps even be) like a metal rail. What's your plan for a lid/roof - which you'll need eventually even if you stack boxes? I made roofs for my plywood nucs from 50mm PIR with overhanging sides about 100mm deep.

Not really thought about single roofs for the moment. Right now I think I have more standard National ones than I need, so I'd probably just keep them in pairs in the short term. I have some pieces of clear perspex that I can use for individual crown boards and I can probably find some 50mm PIR for insulation. If I should need a single roof I'd probably just have a scratch about to see what suitable scrap I might have. I know there are some offcuts of EPDM somewhere so that would work as a roof covering even if I used construction ply or pine underneath.

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

Box and frame maintenance, simple words because … I can’t quite feel my fingers yet and I’ve been in the house since 430 .

New labels

 

[JamezF]

I would have been out in the workshop today but... Once again I am ill Cellulitis for the second time. Felt dizzy late Monday evening and decided to go to bed, but as soon as I got there my entire body started convulsing violently. I have no recollection of yesterday, but it appears to have involved a lot of sweat. Apparently it's more likely you'll get it if you've had it before, so I guess I'm going to have to learn to live with this. Thanks to a GP who was willing to diagnose from photos taken on my phone I'm on a whale-size dose of penicillin now, so it should just be a matter of time.

Doubly irritating because I don't think it's anywhere near as cold here as the forecast suggested it was going to be.

James