Using glued-up wood for bodies/ supers

[wayacoyote]

I just priced some wood and discovered that I'd save $2 per 12-foot if I glued together 2 1-by-4's instead of simply buying 1-by-8 inch boards for mediums. Could this be made to work? I have to go as cheaply as possible.

Waya

[TwT]

I say why not, if its a tight fit then I would do it, just clap it together tight until the glue sets up and then cut the length you need, sounds like a good deal. I have some laminated pine shelves that was removed from a home that I am making deep from and its glued together so go for it but make sure it is straight edges so it will attach together well... just my 2 pennies worth!!!!

[odfrank]

If I was so poor (or so cheap) that I had to do that, I would first try to find some used equipment, or someone that would loan me the equipment to either tongue and groove the boards or bisquit join them for me. I recently T&G'ed 25 western covers using 1X6 cedar pallet lumber. Use Gorilla Glue, or the generic brand for cheapskates.

[NorthALABeeKeep]

wayacoyote any wood glue will work if both pieces of wood have flat edges that will clamp together tightly. I use title bond from Lowes or Home Depot, it's fairly cheap. In my opinion tongue and grove is overkill. I try to move and stack my boxes carefully so as not to have to built them like a tank. You might try to find a local sawmill and get some rough cut pine, it's a lot cheaper. Last year I traded 12 two jars of honey for a pickup truck load of rough cut pine.

[George Fergusson]

Go for it Waya. Going "cheap" is a great and honorable American tradition especially if you've got more time than money (not an uncommon situation for anyone these days, especially for beekeepers). I remember seeing pictures on the web of some nice looking hives built up from even smaller pieces of wood than 1x4, they looked like 2" strips, I think Finnman posted it. European no doubt as wood is way more expensive and hard to get over there. Now that I think about it, they may even have been 1x1's laid up so the ends overlapped like finger joints. A heck of an idea.

What I discovered is it's almost impossible to buy new finished lumber from a store at *any* price and end up with a box significantly cheaper than what I'd pay for a new hive body, but then Humble Abodes is 5 miles down the road so shipping isn't a consideration. That said, I've built plenty of boxes from scratch and will continue to do so because like you, I've had more time than money and lumber for me is pretty cheap right now- I've got a pile of white pine, poplar, and hemlock milled out that came off our property. I haven't had to resort to laminating up narrow pieces yet, but stranger things have happened. I did make a bunch of deep hives out of 1x10 I ripped out of scrap pieces of 8x10 from the timber framing operation. That WAS more trouble than it was worth, but the boxes are pretty.

Like Ted said, make sure they're good clean square edges. I also wouldn't try to glue together two 12' boards unless you're well setup with clamps and a jig of some sort. I'd cut them roughly to length first, then trim them to length afterwards. It's just easier to handle a bunch of short pieces rather than 2 long ones. I'd also use a Gorilla glue knockoff as the real thing is way over priced!

If you're so inclined, you could easily strengthen the joint by running a saw kerf 3/8" deep down the middle of the two edges to be joined and cutting a thin strip off another 3/4" board for a spline and glueing it all together. It'll never come apart. It's every bit as good as tongue and groove, less work, and you don't lose the width you do cutting the tongue.

For a final touch, when the box is all assembled, glue/screw a cleat over the joint on either side or if you want, on all 4 sides. It'll further strengthen the box and you'll have handles smile.gif

[honeyman46408]

"Last year I traded 12 two jars of honey for a pickup truck load of rough cut pine."

A deal we are all looking for!

"What I discovered is it's almost impossible to buy new finished lumber from a store at *any* price and end up with a box significantly cheaper than what I'd pay for a new hive body"

I am in the process of building 30 deeps with 1"X12"X6' that I paid 3.99 for @Menards.

I have some supers that I built out of lumber that I removed from my house doing a remodel job, I had to use "lap" joints to make it 6-5/8 wide. Pack rats just cant throw anything away :D

Yes George "cheap" is the
American-Beekeeping way ;)

[thorbue]

All my boxes are glued from 2 or 3 boards, as the dimensions needed for hives are impossible to find here and even more impossible to pay...
Use tounge and grove or some other "gluing profile" to strenghten the joint and a good waterproof glue (I use polyurethane based glue). Also make sure that the joints isn't at the same height all around the box (the boards sholud hold each other together in the corners).

[wayacoyote]

Thanks guys. Yeah, we've got the time, and my fiance's dad has a jointer. We both have biscuit jointers. Good point on the "cut to length first". I hate trying to get a perfectly square cut on a full length board (yeah, cutting a 1x8 IS easier than a 1x8). 1x4's I can cut on the chop-saw.

Waya

[bluegrass]

It will work! I haVe a few that I made from 2x8s that I ripped down on the saw to 3/4 strips and then glued and clamped into 1x12s. It is alot of work.

[TwT]

yeh waya, it would never make sense n trying to cut and join full lengths, but joining board with bickets will work fine.....just like solid boards!!!!!

[Fuzzy]

Just thinking out loud.

With some fore thought, using multiple boards to make up a plank, it would be possible to create
box joints without any extra work. Just need to make up a couple of simple jigs to pre-align the inner most ends before glueing. 1x2's would be better, but require more glueing.

Fuzzy

[wayacoyote]

I see what you're saying Fuzzy. At the cabinet shop, we saved all the 3/4 inch square scrap which was later glued up into pannels. Once planed down on both sides, they were used for various projects. very little wood was wasted there. I had to get down to the slimest pickings just to glue up a cutting board for my mom.

One challenge in your idea would be that you'd have to make sure the strips of wood were perfectly arranged or you'd have trouble when you tried to finger them together. We just let the ends run wild and then squared off the pannels when the glue sets. It can be difficult keeping wood from "walking" when you clamp it to dry.

Waya