Construct a Modified Dadant Hive Physique

By: Ed Simon

Making a aspect bar for a body could be difficult. But it surely doesn’t must be. I wanted to construct frames for a customized hive physique (Modified Dadant hive physique). This MD hive physique had a peak of 11¼” which required customized constructed body aspect bars.
After watching a number of YouTube® demos, I mixed two strategies and rearranged among the steps. The outcome was a technique of making aspect bars of any size desired that required just one distinctive jig to be made.
Word: “Methods to Make Beehive Body Aspect Bars” from “Path of the Bees” was the first reference I used. Thanks, Charlie! Reference: The 2 YouTube® movies I appreciated finest have been: Methods to Make Beehive Body Aspect Bars Path of the Bees – Charlie https://youtu.be/YaF2G4lrafc This video makes use of a planer, jointer and desk noticed to perform the duty. Rodger’s Store – Bee to Z https://youtu.be/Ccop0TEfqw4 This video makes use of solely a desk noticed to perform the duty.

Elements – Body bar aspect
2” x 6” x ??’ – with minimal knots and imperfections
Word: The width of the lumber relies on the width of a jointer accessible to you.
Word: Every “clear” part of your lumber will yield one aspect bar for every ½” of the width.
A 6’ board with no knots offers you 144 aspect bars with a size of 10¾”.

Development
Please learn the entire set of directions and resolve any questions earlier than beginning the development.
The next steps will make a aspect bar that’s 10¾” lengthy. That is the size of a aspect bar that’s wanted for a Modified Dadant hive of 11¼” peak. The 11¼” peak relies on the presently accessible 1” x 12” lumber in residence enchancment or lumber shops.
Word: A jointer and a planer have been accessible for growing this text. Relying on the tools accessible to you, you’ll have to modify steps to make use of the instruments you may have.
Word: If you want to calculate the size of a aspect bar to your particular hive physique use the next info.
The overall aspect bar size is ½” lower than the peak of the hive physique. This size at the side of the usual ⅝” deep body relaxation gives for the proper bee house above the highest bar and beneath the underside bar.
Word: The highest portion of the aspect bar is 1⅜” extensive and extends 3½” from the highest of the bar the place it then tapers to a 1⅛” width. The 3½” distance from the highest of the bar is fixed whatever the size of the bar.
Word: This text assumes you’ll be utilizing commercially accessible high and backside bars to your body.
Word: After organising for a lower and slicing a check piece, use a commercially accessible aspect bar from the identical producer supplying your high and backside bars, to double test your lower for proper noticed settings.

Step 1: Examine the measurements for the highest and backside notches.
Measure the highest and backside bars the place the aspect bars be a part of them. That is extraordinarily vital in case you are making your personal high and backside bars. A ¾” x ½” deep notch for the highest bar and a 9/16” x ½” notch for the underside bar can be used for this text. In case your measurements are totally different you have to to regulate the supplied measurements.
Word: All producer’s bar dimensions and even inside a single producer could fluctuate barely. I measured twelve high and backside bars from the identical producer, they usually various in two of the size. Select a cosy match for whichever dimensions you utilize.

Step 2: Choose the lumber.
Aspect bars are below vital stress when eradicating and dealing with the frames. Since you will make investments time in making the aspect bars, choose lumber that’s knot free or lumber that has sections which are knot free for at least the size of the aspect bars plus a pair inches.
Word: Knots and different imperfections can we labored round. After you slice the wooden into the ultimate aspect bar, reject the “dangerous” bars and use them for fire kindling.

Step 3: Measurement the lumber and sq. the sides.
Utilizing a planer and a jointer clean and sq. the lumber to a 1⅜” thickness.
Word: Relying on the lumber you select the sides could also be already squared.
Word: In the event you don’t have a planer for sizing the lumber, use “Rodger’s Store – Bee to Z” video as a main reference.

Step 4: Trim the lumber to size.
Lower knot free sections of the lumber into blocks which are the size of your aspect bar (10¾” for this instance).
Word: Relying on the scale and placement of the imperfections within the block, they are often labored round when slicing the block into its remaining thickness.
Word: Save the accurately sized (1⅜” extensive) however unusable blocks of wooden for use for testing in the course of the noticed setup.

Checkpoint
It’s best to now have a number of blocks of wooden which are 1⅜” thick by 10¾” lengthy. They must be the precise size of your aspect bar. All of the ends and edges ought to be sq..

Slicing Notches

Step 5: Construct a Body Aspect Bar Notching Jig.
Reference: See “Construct a Body Aspect Bar Notching Jig”, to create a jig/pusher to your noticed. This jig (pusher) will maintain a 1⅜” aspect bar block within the appropriate place for slicing the highest and backside notches.

Step 6: Lower the highest bar notch (¾” x ½”).
Utilizing the jig, lower the highest bar notch within the block finish.
Word: As a sanity test earlier than making any cuts, test that the jig is positioned snugly towards the fence and the middle of the dado blade is centered on the jig reference line.
Word: Earlier than making subsequent cuts, confirm the lower by evaluating it to a industrial aspect bar or a beforehand lower and saved block or aspect bar.
Word: A number of slicing passes could also be mandatory to realize a constant lower depth. A large dado blade tends to boost the fabric in the course of the slicing operation.

Step 7: Lower the underside bar notch (9/16” x ½”).
Setup the noticed for the underside notch and lower a check notch and confirm the setup. Then lower the underside bar notches.

Step 8: Lower the ⅛” recessed sides (aspect bar bee house).
This step creates the distinctive profile wanted by either side bar. By slicing the recessed sides with a jointer earlier than you slice the block into particular person aspect bars, you save a major period of time.
Connect a cease block in your jointer’s fence on the completed finish of wooden so the jointer removes all however 3½” from the highest fringe of the block. The depth of the jointer lower ought to be ⅛”. After slicing the primary aspect, flip the block over and lower an identical recess on the other aspect.

Utilizing Jointer

Word: The 3½” full width high of every aspect bar is identical whatever the size of the aspect bar.
Word: In the event you don’t have a jointer, evaluate the video (Rodger’s Store – Bee to Z) for making a desk noticed jig that may carry out the identical perform for a single aspect bar.
Warning: Be very cautious. A jointer generally is a harmful device if used incorrectly.

Step 9: Slice the blocks into ⅜” thick aspect bars.
Set your noticed depth accurately with a ⅜” distance to the fence. Then slice particular person aspect bars from the block.
Warning: Watch out and use pusher sticks.
Aspect bars will not be troublesome to make if you happen to take note of particulars and measure accurately.
Suggestion: Make further aspect bars. The setup for making any merchandise takes time. Slicing further gadgets whereas the noticed is setup is a reasonable funding in materials.

Completed Blocks

Stack of completed aspect bars

Body Sidebar Jointer Setup

Slicing Sidebar

Construct a Body Aspect Bar Notching Jig
When utilizing a noticed to chop wooden that extends above the noticed fence the wooden tends to float from 100% contact with the fence. The result’s an uneven lower. The Body Aspect Bar Notching Jig will assist appropriate this case. If the notches are lower earlier than the bee house on the perimeters of the aspect bar are lower, one jig will work for each the highest and the underside bar notches.
The distinction between slicing the highest and backside notches is the width of the dado blade and the place of the noticed’s fence.

Elements
¾” x 10” x 10” – 2 items

Development

Completed Notching Jig

Step 1: Lower the half listed within the half checklist. Use the connected drawings to chop the jig.

Step 2: Glue the bottom items collectively.
Align the bottom items and glue them collectively.
Word: A 1½” thick jig is required to maintain the wooden positioned towards the fence accurately.

Step 3: Mark the middle of the jig’s cutout for blade alignment.
Word: This mark is used to align the blade heart to the jig and place the noticed’s fence for each the highest and the underside notches.
Creation of the jig is now full. That is the best jig I’ve ever made.

Utilization
Place the proper dado blade on the noticed. Then align the jig’s centering alignment mark with the middle of the dado blade. Comfortable the fence towards the jig whereas holding the centering mark aligned. Set the blade peak to the proper peak and check the lower.

Blade Centering Line

Step 1: Set up a dado blade (¾” – high).

Step 2: Calibrate the depth for the notch.
Utilizing junk wooden, modify the dado blade to the ½” peak. Preserve adjusting the blade till the proper depth is achieved.
Trace: After setting the proper blade peak, decrease it to its lowest place whereas counting the revolutions of the peak adjusting knob. File the variety of turns wanted to realize the ½” depth on the highest of the jig. This info will assist you to replicate the notching with minimal of positive tuning.

Step 3: Align the blade on the centering line.
Set the blade to the proper peak and utilizing the noticed’s fence, align the middle line of the jig with the middle of the dado blade. Then utilizing a check piece of wooden lower a notch to make sure all the things is aligned accurately. Match the lower with a industrial aspect bar to double test the lower. Tremendous tune the positioning till you’re happy.

Step 4: Lower the notch in a single finish of all of the blocks of wooden.
Word: A number of slicing passes could also be mandatory to realize a constant lower depth. A large dado blade tends to boost the fabric in the course of the slicing operation.

Step 5: Change the blade to the opposite dimension (9/16” – backside).
The highest and backside notch widths will not be the identical, subsequently, the noticed’s fence must be repositioned to maintain the highest and backside notch facilities aligned.
Use the earlier steps to place the fence and the blade peak for this width of dado blade.

Step 6: Take a look at the notch alignment.
Double test the notch alignment, the facilities of the notches ought to be aligned.
Now you can lower high and backside notches to your aspect bars with consistency.
Establishing for making a aspect bar takes time however as soon as the noticed is setup many could be made in a really brief time.
Trace: Lower further aspect bars as soon as you’re setup and checked out. The setup time far outweighs the price of further wooden when all you want is a further two aspect bars.

Construct a Uniquely Sized Plastic Basis

While you construct a non-standard Langstroth hive physique and also you create non-standard frames, you’re merely OUT-OF-LUCK discovering commercially accessible basis. This was our drawback after we needed to make use of plastic Ceremony-Cell® basis by Mann Lake for the modified Dadant (19” x 19⅞” x 11¼”) hive physique that we have been growing. This further deep hive physique used commonplace 1” x 12” board accessible at lumber yards or residence enchancment shops. After creating 10¾” body sidebars to match the hive physique, we wanted to change the plastic basis to fulfill the additional peak of those frames. Fortunately, the size matched the usual basis size. Two foundations (a medium 6⅝” and a shallow 4¾”) wanted to be joined to realize the peak wanted (9⅞”). After becoming a member of the muse, we’ll then lower it to the proper peak.

Completed body with basis

Design notes: The melting/piercing methodology of attaching two sheets of plastic basis was chosen after 4 totally different makes an attempt. Ultimately a $6.00 pencil level soldering iron solved the issue. The next strategies have been tried and rejected:
Drilling holes and wiring was extraordinarily time consuming, and the joints have been nonetheless weak.
Stapled joints – I used to be unable to discover a sharp staple that would persistently penetrate the 2 layered plastic basis.
Tremendous glue (gel kind) required quick meeting and the elimination of the beeswax coating.
Acetone for melting the plastic was harmful and required quick meeting and the elimination of the beeswax coating.

Development
Step 1: Calculate the muse dimension.
Use an assembled body and measure the gap between the underside of the highest bar the highest of the underside bar. Then add ⅜” to this measurement. That is the entire peak of the muse wanted for this body.
Word: Make one prototype basis to confirm your measurements earlier than committing to manufacturing.

Step 2: Make suitable joints.
Overlap the underside of 1 sheet of basis with the highest of a second. Then use a pencil level soldering iron to pierce the joint each two inches. Flip the mixed sheets over and carry out the identical piercing/melting between the earlier welds. The result’s a barely thicker basis for the ⅜” the place the overlap happens.
Trace: Use a wooden strip to mark the piercing positions and assist preserve the soldering level aligned when becoming a member of the sheets of basis.

Melting backside edge

Step 3: Lower the earlier joined sheets of basis to dimension.
Use a noticed to chop the underside part of basis to dimension (9⅞” for this instance).
Warning: Put on security glasses when slicing plastic with a round noticed. Flying items of plastic are harmful.
Trace: Slicing waxed basis will go away bees wax on the noticed’s desk. Use a warmth gun and paper towel to take away the wax.
Step 4: Soften the underside edge to suit the underside bar groove.
To permit the underside fringe of the muse to slide into the underside bar groove, you want to take away the raised cell design. Use a flat soldering iron to soften these cell impressions alongside the underside of the muse.
Trace: Place a chunk of wooden towards the sting to be melted. Then use the wooden as a information for melting the underside (or high) edge.

Easy to make, a non-standard peak plastic basis is feasible.

Cell impression free backside