Angled Top Bars - Quick and Easy

[DavesBees]

A quick and easy way to make top bars with an angled comb guide is to use corner molding. Here is how I do it. First I make 17 inch top bars with no kerf (not needed) out of ¾ inch stock. Then I cut 12 inch pieces of hardwood corner (cove) molding that I get at Lowe’s. Center the molding then glue and screw or glue and nail it to the top bar. I use an electric brad nailer and waterproof carpenter’s glue on mine. The bees are building on them nicely and I’m pleased with the results. I waxed the edge of the molding but on the advice of Michael Bush I’m not waxing them in the future. Another thing I like about this method is that you can buy just 1-8 foot piece of molding at a time if you like.

[oldenglish]

Great tip and one that I would never have considered.

[bakerboy]

I have been using 3/4 '' cove molding. I plane the curved bits flat, flip it over and glue, brad and go.

[Noelle]

Beefool,

I think I am in love!
your idea gives me hope of someday having top bar frames with natural comb.

thanks,
Noelle

[DavesBees]

bakerboy,
I think that is what I’m using. It is ¾” on 2 sides and 1” on the curved side. I run my glue along the bits you are cutting off. This may be a unnecessary step since mine seem to work fine.

[DavesBees]

Noelle,
Take it easy now. You may die of infatuation saturation when you find out how easy they are to make. And since I already made it past the hope stage for you; you can skip hope and go straight to success.

[DavesBees]

Dave,
Checked out your blog.
Don’t want to get all “tight throat and water eye” on ya but when I scrolled down and saw Anna working in her hive….. well it warmed my heart.
Great job to both of you.
Dave

[bakerboy]

Beefool

I thought you were using a thin flat corner trim I had seen. We are using the same thing. I think I only plane it because my dremel tool came with a planer attachment, which is very handy for a few jobs. I know that wood glue likes a flat surface, but between the glue and the brads and the bees I really can't see it going anywhere.

I build my hives rough and ready, this is the one picky thing I do. No fancy roof, no paint, no screened bottom, no observation window, no fancy entrance or landing boards. It's a dag-durned box full of bees !

I made the triangles for my first hive with a carpenter friend who said 'oh that's easy . we just set one table saw at 45˚ and the other at 90˚. Hmm two table saws ?

This molding idea makes it very easy to crank out a hive after dinner.

[Michael Bush]

You can buy chamfer molding. If they don't have it in stock at the lumber yard, they can order it. It's exactly what you want already and usually cheaper than fancy moldings as it's usually used in concrete forms etc.

[elsyr]

Thanks for the tip - at about $3 for 8' it's more expensive than popsicle sticks, but if it will help get my girls to stop making cross-bar comb, I'm in!

Doug

[frysl]

Any chance of getting someone to post a picture or two of the moldings ya'll are talking about?
Not a real molding smart kind of guy here.

[Michael Bush]

The cross section of the Chamfer is a simple isosceles triangle. The cross section of the cove molding is the same except for a fancy curved part that shows when you use it as molding, but I would guess this is going against the top bar.

[DavesBees]

Any chance of getting someone to post a picture or two of the moldings ya'll are talking about?
Not a real molding smart kind of guy here.

Go to the moulding area of Lowes and look at the moulding. I was in there today and they actually have pictures of the moulding with the name on the display. I used the cove moulding and glued the curved side to the top bar. I have not located the chamfer moulding the Michael is talking about yet. It is more expensive than popsicle sticks but no saw kerf and I get to keep my fingers.
Dave