Humble Abodes woodenware Maine

[JohnK and Sheri]

Does anyone have any personal experience with this company? They have a display ad in Honey Producer magazine offering frames and boxes for sale. They are out of Windsor, Maine.
Sheri

[George Fergusson]

Hey Sheri-

Humble Abodes is about 5 miles down the road from me. Needless to say, I buy all my woodenware there and I only buy their budget grade stuff. They use Northern White Pine exclusively. I worked there for a few months a couple of years ago. Darrell, the shop foreman, was always running around measuring stuff with a micrometer, a real precision freak. They make the best woodenware I've seen- tight tolerances, good materials. If you're familiar with northern white pine, you know what I mean.

Melanie Dumont runs the place, she and her husband Paul also run Sunshine Apiaries, a migratory outfit with about 1300 hives or so, last time I checked. Needless to say, they make all their own gear smile.gif

If you have any specific questions, just holler.

George-

[JohnK and Sheri]

Thanks George I was hoping you knew them, never dreamed you'd be neighbors smile.gif
John talked to them on the phone this morning and now with your feedback looks more favorable we might get a deal together. Possible hangup would be the shipping, that wood is heavy stuff!
Thanks again,
Sheri

[Garry Forsythe]

I use and sell woodenware from Humble Abodes. I've been happy and so are my customers. You're right about shipping costs though.

[George Fergusson]

Well tell them I recommended them. Probably won't help you, but it might get me a discount smile.gif

[JohnK and Sheri]

Will do George ;)

Glad to hear your positive comments as well, Garry.
Come to think of it, since you're a dealer, if we bought them from you maybe you could throw in free shipping? Or perhaps you'd like to deliver them. I bet you've never been to Wisconsin in January, eh?
Sheri

[nursebee]

Everybody brags about the version of pine they use...

I have been very happy with HA. I am happier to go local these days due to shipping costs but I highly suggest them. Amongst the cheapest price I could find. I have only bought the frames and boxes from them.

[kamerrill]

Overall, I like their budget grade. Two things:

1) Their deeps are cut 9 1/2 and not 9 5/8.

2) I need to clamp 80% of their boxes to straighten them enough to nail them (slightly cupped). Maybe it's just the batch I got?

[George Fergusson]

>Everybody brags about the version of pine they use...

True, but northern white pine really is nice to work with.

I've bought some bottom boards, telescoping lids, inner covers, but mostly boxes and frames. Very tight tolerances on everything. They make some nice nucs but I've never bought any except a few that had bees in them, and I had to give the nucs back smile.gif

I'm making my own boxes these days because I've got the lumber off my lot, and the time, but frames I'll continue to get from them. It's hard to buy lumber and make boxes cheaper than they can.

[George Fergusson]

>Maybe it's just the batch I got?

Probably. I've never had that problem.

The budget grade is the best deal- for frames, it's graded budget mostly due to blue stain which of course hurts nothing but looks "unsightly". No black knots in their budget grade anything. All the crappy stuff Melanie sorts out for her husband to use smile.gif I know, when I was working for them I saw a lot of boxes with tin nailed on where knots had fallen out. I commented one day to Paul about it and he complained about owning a beehive factory and ending up with all the rejects for his operation while all the good wood got sold smile.gif

Truly nice folks. Beekeepers. What would you expect?

[Garry Forsythe]

Sheri,

I'm not an official dealer yet, I got the woodenware when I bought out another supplier. I am thinking about a dealership (if they'll have me). Yes, I have been to Wisconsin many times, including winters. I used to travel to Janesville, Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay quite frequently. And, if you buy enough, I'll get them to you!!!

[kensfarm]

Do they have a website?

[tarheit]

Last I checked they didn't have a website. Very good woodenware in my opinion. I mostly buy frames and they are a prefect fit with little, if any, splitting. The wood is a bit softer than the frames I got from Mann Lake (which I had problems with a lot of them splitting).

I usually purchase them though Simpsons in Ohio. Humble abodes has been to the tri-county workshop many years, though they weren't there last year.

-Tim

[Garry Forsythe]

It is official now!! My firm has been approved as a Humble Abodes dealer. So if anyone is closer to Alabama than to Maine, give me a chance to quote you a price.

[Michael Palmer]

>I need to clamp 80% of their boxes to straighten them enough to nail them (slightly cupped). Maybe it's just the batch I got?

No, it's the wood. Look at the end grain. Wood will cup away from the center of the tree. If you see the end grain is in a circular pattern, with the center of the annular rings off to one side of the board, then the board will cup. If the center of the rings in in the center of the board, then it won't cup. Also, if the rings are perpendicular to the surface of the board, then the board won't cup.

The more you allow the board to dry out...like by storing it in your shop before construction...the worse the cupping will be.

Try placing the boards out on a flat surface, with the concave side down...overnight. This often will straighten the cupping. If not, wet the convave side...spray some water on your shop floor...and place it concave side down, just until straight. This is called "relaxing' the wood. This will straighten the cup. Too much water will swell the finger joints, and make assembly difficult.

[AstroZomBEE]

I would highly recommend Humble Abodes, over the last few years, i have purchased and built about 10,000 supers and 100,000 frames. Always a good fit. And i am about to order another semi load of equipment as soon as my Almond checks start to arrive.

Top notch people.

Aaron

[ February 13, 2007, 06:09 PM: Message edited by: AstroZomBEE ]

[George Fergusson]

Now THERE is an endorsement if I ever saw one smile.gif

[AstroZomBEE]

And for a 10% Discount i will make other various claims as well ;)

[Andrew Dewey]

Just received my annual order from Humble Abodes and I'm very pleased. All smiles here! ;)

[rainesridgefarm]

what kind of pricing do they have. I may be interested in spliting a load with you sheri