Here are plans and measurements for nucs I make. I think they are simple and you can make 4 five-frame nucs out of one 4' x 8' sheet of 15/32 plywood that sells for +/-$10 at Lowes or Home Depot. I use them for swarm traps, queen breeding nucs, and I overwinter nucs in them. I also leave the bottom off of some to stack on other nucs to make 10 frame nucs. I use thin 1 1/4 inch nails, titebond III glue, and I paint them to ensure I get many years of service out of them.
Under the respective pictures there's a brief description. I make the entrance 2" x 1/2". By slotting it I've found critters aren't interesting in making their nest in there.
Do you have a template of how the 4X8 should be cut without wasting any of it? Do you cut out the parts the same way every time or do you just start cutting out parts randomly?
No template, (though I should) but I focus on the sides first top to bottom. They consume a lot of material. Then I focus on the tops and bottoms. At that point I then focus on the fronts and backs. I use the remander for the end caps and scraps. I have the wood cut in half at Home Depot as my Expedition can't handle an 8' x 4' but it can handle 2 4'x4's with no problem.
Well if you're using plywood and the bees are still alive, maybe its more of a cdx/particle board issue since the glue would be more exposed and on the surface? Guess I'm off to Lowe's tomorrow morning.
I guess ignorance is bliss. The first ones I made are from exterior chipboard I tore out of my garage that the previous owner had used as shelves. Some of the shelves even had motor oil soaked into it. I was a little concerned about it thinking they would reject it and obscond. Nope, they don't seem to care and lightly propolised over it like everything thing else in there. I've used scrap and new plywood on the remainders with no problems. With the places I found and seen bee's make hives I've come to the conclusion they are quite hardy
Looks great and I happen to want a bunch of these!
Perhaps I didn't notice it but it seems the hardest part of dealing with 4x8 sheets is the initial rips to get sized down to something managable and avoid a big scrap factor.
Are they there someplace?
It's scary but photobucket already knew who I was and copied the pics to my folder
After thought - any small cheap hinge to attatch the lid along the side could be handy
Fully agreed. I have the 4x8 cut in half at Home Depot. Dealing with 4x4 is no problem on a table saw.
No problem, add a hinge if you want. I don't so I can add or take away tops that have feeder holes in them or if I want to stack another nuc body (without a bottom) on top of that I can. For me the hing makes the unit less fexible
It seems the rips could be at 9.0, 10.25, 10.25, 9.5, and 8.5 adds up to 47.5.
Seems that a 2feet x 4 feet piece should get me one and still fit in a compact car!:thumbsup:
I know the prices on a 4x8 are better but ...... we do what we must.
You also have to account for the kerf (the width of the cut). Add the 5 cuts at .125 inches and you're over 48".
For cutting down sheet stock, if you don't have feeder stands, get an inexpensive 8' straightedge (it breaks down in 2 pieces) for drywall that comes with two clamps. Measure, clamp it so the kerf will be dead center (on the footplate on my circular saw it's 5"), and use a skill saw.
Don't forget to add 1/8 inch for the blade width on each cutting pass (that 1/8 inch is converted to saw dust). Based on the way I figure, you could still get the rips out of 48, but barely. Keep in mind that you will have 4 kerfs between those dimensions.
Never even heard of a kerf but I know what it is now. However you choose to cut it, when you're done and you got 4 nucs off of a 4x8 there's not much scrap left.
Thanks for the pics. My son and I made 20 today out of 4 sheets and a little scrap I had laying around. Really easy. Might build some to sell to our local beeks. Can't wait to fill mine up with swarms and splits.
I can see how the double end pieces for the frame rests add some strength, but I don't see how the box would be strong enough to use as a super to add to the top of a nuc. The bottom adds a lot of strength and a "super" would not have a bottom for that strength.
I didn't think so either but the end caps end up really seem to strengthening it up. I use the same glue and nails either way. Will it stand up to being dropped on a corner? I doubt it, but I treat them no differently than any of my other hardware. I have to remind myself that full, it's 1/2 of the weigh of a 10-frame deep. It's pretty light to handle. It works if you've got a nuc that's getting to big for it's britches but you don't want to put them in a deep.
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