Horizontal Starter Roller Design

[BWrangler]

Hi Guys,

The synergy of a hive produces better results than any single bee could accomplish, right. If the computer networking guys have started to make decisions the way a colony does, why not beekeepers too?

Here's the proposal: Lets use the synergy of the beesource hive to design the best horizontal starter roller.
Check out the part about the Swiss roller half way through http://www.bwrangler.com/bee/thor.htm

So, where to start? Following the tbh philosophy, it should be as simple to build and use as possible.

Next?

Regards
Dennis

[Heritage]

If you don't mind an ignorant beekeeper asking a question.... what is a horizontal starter roller?

[Chef Isaac]

See Heritage.... this is what happens to Bwrangler when he gets too much sun! :)

:)

[BWrangler]

Sorry Guys,

I've corrected my post. And yep, here it's been the second week of August forever.:>)))

Regards
Dennis

[Shapleigh's Bees]

Dennis, I don't know. Were I to use this, I think filling a dado with wax then running a small hand roller over it would be best. Something like this (http://www.cornerhardware.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=11405'), but with the die cut into it. I would anticipate some scraping (http://images1.hdpi.com/product_enlarged/oxo-scraperschopper-73281.jpg) to be involved.

It seems like it'd be an improvement, but it also seems like it'd be more work. If it's a 5% improvement and a 300% increase in labor... What's that part about the hive being an adaptation to make life easier for the keeper?

This doesn't seem to be one of your simpler ideas, but I'm interested in seeing how it works out.

-Todd

It snowed here yesterday and it's 15(F) this morning.

[Shapleigh's Bees]

OK brainstorm. You could build it out of laminated sheet metal. Imagine a stack of washers. Then imagine your design on the edge of the stack. Then think how each individual washer would be easily cut to get that shape. You'd have four saw like pieces, two solid circles the outside diameter of the saw-like ones, and two solids the inside diameter of the saw pieces. Would stack:

Large solid
Saw
Saw
Small Solid
Small Solid
Saw
Saw
Large Solid

Any metal shop with a water cutter could make it.

[Tim Hall]

To me it seems like it would be easier to pass the top bars along a tool that was stationary like a bench tool (but with moving parts if necessary) rather than passing a small awkward tool along a top bar.

I imagine myself passing a wax-coated top bar along a large stationary wheel, and then passing the imprinted bar along a stationary scraper to clean it up. The whole process would take all of 5 seconds.

Or perhaps a wheel is not even needed. What if the imprinting device were simply a fixed, embossed arc shape and you teeter-tottered the waxed top bar over - like a see-saw? Kinda like those those forms for shaping cowboy hats. I imagine there would be a way to build something like this without having to go to the metal shop.