# Bee Hive and Frames



## Woodsman (Jun 24, 2016)

So I'm finally getting around to building some more hives and thought I'd post a sort of tutorial on it.

Bee Hives generally consist of the following:

1 Garden Stand (Optional)
1 Bottom Board
1 Entrance Reducer
1 Brood Box (this is where the bees live and raise their young)
1 Super (this is where they generally store honey)
1 Inner cover (according to some apiarists, this one is optional)
1 Top or Cover
Frames for the boxes. If you build 8 frame hives, you will have 8 frames per Box. If you build 10 frame hives, you will have 10 frames per Box. All of the dimensions given for boxes will be for the 8 frame variety.

Just in case you'd like to build the 10 frame hive or for those of you who can't wait to see what the components I just rambled about look like, here is a link to those dimensions with pictures. http://www.utahcountybeekeepers.org/Other Files/Information Articles/Langstroth Hive Plan.pdf

I wish I had taken some pictures of the lumber before I started, but alas, I did not. I started out with the following materials however.

1 1 x 8 x 10' (Gables)
2 1 x 12 x 10' (Roof)
1 1 x 10 x 10' (Roof Sides & Bottom Board Sides)
1 1 x 8 x 12' (Bottom Board)
1 1 x 10 x 8' (Bottom Board)
5 1 x 10 x 12' (Brood Boxes)
5 1 x 8 x 12' (Supers)
1 1 1/2 x 8 x 16' (Frame Ends)
5 1 x 8 x 8' (Frame Tops)
5 1 x 8 x 10' (Frame Tops & some Bottoms)
5 1 x 8 x 10' (Frame Bottoms)
1 1 x 8 x 10' (Inner cover Rails and Stiles & Garden Stand Parts)
1 Sheet of 1/4" plywood

Now before some of you say that's a loooooot of material for a bee hive, you would be correct. This is enough material for 5 stacks of hives with 2 brood boxes and 2 supers in each stack. This particular lumber list is Cypress. I will be posting some pictures that will have some pine and poplar in them as well. While I was setting up to run the various parts, I figured I'd just run everything that I had on hand material wise while I was at it.

I had to start by planing my lumber down as it was rough when I got it. Mill the Frame Tops to a thickness of 1 1/16", and the box material (if you're so inclined to leave them thicker than standard) to 7/8", otherwise 3/4" for the box material is standard.

I begin by rough cutting my box parts to a length of 20 1/2" for the sides and 14 1/2" for the front and back pieces. I then run them across the jointer to get a straight edge and then on my tablesaw to a width of 9 3/4" wide for Brood boxes and 6 3/4" wide for Supers. The standard for the Brood box is 9 5/8", but I just don't like that skinny tail when running my box joints. Box joints can be milled fairly easily on the router table with a home made jig. I have done them on the table saw before, but there seems to be much less tear-out on the router table and I am able to produce a very nice fitting joint.

Once I have them all ripped to width, I use my table saw and sled to cut them to length. One could use a chop saw, and I have, but for any great amount of cutting like this, I prefer to use the table saw primarily because a table saw's motor is built to run continuously. While nobody would likely run a chop saw's motor continuously, I have had the motor get pretty dang hot on longer runs like this. Lengths when using 7/8" material are 20 1/8" for brood boxes and 14 1/4" for supers. 

Once they are cut to length, you can begin milling the box joints. As I mentioned earlier, I prefer to do this on the router table. If you decide to mill them with the router, be cautious around knots. They tend to make a ruckus even if you don't. Don't forget to set the height of the bit to the thickness of your wood or just slightly higher. The distance the bit protrudes above the thickness of the wood is the amount you'll need to sand off later (tails) and will decrease the inside dimension of your box as well.


 

If I remember correctly, it only took me about 1 1/2-2 hours to mill all 20 boxes. 

Before the end of this "tutorial", you will probably notice that I love jigs. Whenever I have a need to build something more than once, I will likely build a jig for it. They make for more accurate and repeatable parts in the long run. 

I'm gonna leave it there for now. I'll try and post some more in the next day or two perhaps.

Reactions: Like 3 | Way Cool 3


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## NYWoodturner (Jun 25, 2016)

This will be a great thread Wesley. Bee keeping is growing in popularity by leaps and bounds. I have had some causal inquiries to build these. 
I'm subscribed


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## ripjack13 (Jun 25, 2016)

I love seeing builds like this.


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## woodtickgreg (Jun 25, 2016)

Subscribed! 
And I love honey and bee's wax!
But I'm super allergic to bee stings and I could never raise them.


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## Woodsman (Jun 27, 2016)

For the frames, I buy lumber that will fit in/on my jointer's bed. For example, I have an 8" jointer so I buy material for the frame ends that is either at or slightly under 8". Reasons for this will be apparent when you watch the video. 

I cut my material into pieces that are double the length of the frame + 1/2". For instance, a brood frame is 9 1/8" long. Twice that is 18 1/4" then add 1/2" which equals 18 3/4". Once I've cut them to length, I run the wide side across the jointer and then one adjacent edge. Then it's off to the planer, you'll need to plane the lumber to 1 3/8" thick. Once you've planed it, it's probably best to square the ends. Be careful to remove as little as possible when doing this so you'll have plenty left over. If you started with quite crooked lumber, you might want to add an inch instead of 1/2" when cutting your "blank" out. Once you have flat and square stock, you can begin milling the "blanks". 

Hopefully the video below will be detailed enough for you to finish your frame ends. A word of caution for those with weak stomachs. I included a picture of what happens when you don't heed my warnings about trying to drag the "blank" backwards on the jointer. It is just a few seconds into the video and is only displayed briefly. Please use extra caution if you decide to use your jointer like this. It really can be quite dangerous! I was lucky. When I pulled the piece backwards on the jointer and it "fell" off of the outfeed table, the cutters engaged the wood quickly and just as quickly zipped it out from under my hand that was still in the process of trying to hold it "flat" to the table. It was then that my fingers, which no longer had something under them, fell into the jointer blades. Don't assume as I did that the outfeed table is perfectly set up. I fairly regularly check my setups for accuracy and at that time, it hadn't been more than about a year since I had done it last. I was lucky that the cutters essentially just "slapped" my fingers and only caught my fingernails in the process. Thirteen stitches later and a little more sensitive even now, 3 years later, but nobody notices because the ER Dr. did such a bang up job of putting me back together.






Anyway, be safe, I hope the video helps.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Chris S. (Aug 14, 2016)

Be following this as was supposed to start building 6 this weekend with a buddy but he ended up not being able to make it. Can't wait to see finish product.


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