Easy 5-frame nuc plans

[oldenglish]

I stopped by lowes today and a 4 x 8 15/32 was $29.97
The had exterior grade OSB particle board ($9) but I dont think it will hold up well.

[odfrank]

Help me with the math....if i make it out of 3/4" plywood do I have to make the sides top and bottom 1/2" longer?

[USCBeeMan]

With 3/4 you wouldn't need the end caps. You can cut out 3/8 of the inside ends for the frame rests. Just like you would with 1" (3/4") wood. That would give you a larger cleat imprint on each end of the top. If you put the cleats on the outside edge of the top instead of flush underneath the edges the length of the top could be shorter.

[standman]

I stopped by lowes today and a 4 x 8 15/32 was $29.97
The had exterior grade OSB particle board ($9) but I dont think it will hold up well.

My Lowes had three options in 1/2" plywood. I chose the middle one (about $15). It is not exterior grade, but I plan to paint well and don't plan to keep the nucs forever.

[D Coates]

I've done it out of the exterior chip board. It's held up well by the top bends when I pry it off and I had difficulty getting the nails just right to avoid splitting. Otherwise it worked well. I couldn't find it at HD in 1/2" or 15/32". It was more along the lines of 5/16 or 3/8. I just checked my HD receipt and I paid $12.46 for my 15/32 4x8 plywood. It was the chip board that I looked at but passed on that was going for over $9. Sorry for any confusion this created.

[Sundance]

Really nice and well done!! Thanks...

[tnmx]

Lowes 15/16 plywood 14.99 I bought glue and used staples I already had. In abought 2.5 hours I had 4 new swarm traps. Is is a nice afternoon project and it is fun wood work. I had lowes rip it in half. I ripped each half 10 1/4, 10 1/4, 9, 8 1/2, 7 1/2. I will do it again next weekend.

[Kieck]

These look like a great idea to me! I view them more as a way to send a box with a buyer, less expensive and more durable than a cardboard box, so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting my nuc boxes back.

[Sundance]

These look like a great idea to me! I view them more as a way to send a box with a buyer, less expensive and more durable than a cardboard box, so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting my nuc boxes back.

My thoughts exactly.......... I wonder how much labor
to cut, and assemble each one if you did 100? 200?

It would certainly be an selling point with Nuc sales too
and you could easily "justify" the extra $10 or so over the
"competition".

[johng]

I tired this also this weekend. But, I got the wrong size plywood. What I got was closer to 3/4in and it caused the frames not to fit length wise. Next time I will read the directions alittle better. It is a great design though!!

[paul.h]

Lowes 15/16 plywood 14.99 I bought glue and used staples I already had. In abought 2.5 hours I had 4 new swarm traps. Is is a nice afternoon project and it is fun wood work. I had lowes rip it in half. I ripped each half 10 1/4, 10 1/4, 9, 8 1/2, 7 1/2. I will do it again next weekend.

You took home two sheets of 4'X4'?

[11x]

I am carpentry challenged. can some one give me the deminsions to use if i plan od making mine to hold medium frames?

[D Coates]

SamG347 is working on exactly that. You may want to PM him for those measurements. If I remember correctly you need to remove 2 7/8 from the height for the sides, front and back and you're good to go. Check the height difference between a deep and a super and subtract the difference from the heights I specified.

[SamG347]

Yes I'm working on it...don't have measurements or hives built. I had a question for all of you who use a Mason jar feeder on the lid. How do you make it so no water is getting in when you have the jar on and when you have it off? And do you just make the hole the same size as the jars or just a little smaller?

[D Coates]

I've done that 2 ways. One I drill out a hole the allows a top to fit tightly in the hole then put screen on the inside. Water does get in until they propolize the jar to the screen. The other I simply drill out a hole and set the jar on top. The jar on top isn't as secure and the bees can get to you if so inclined when you change the jar. Water doesn't seem to get in as easily with the 2nd design, unless the jar blows off. Six or one half dozen of another.

[Hambone]

I am carpentry challenged. can some one give me the deminsions to use if i plan od making mine to hold medium frames?

You and me both.

I printed his plans the other day and quickly did the math for mediums. Sides 7-1/4" high and front and back 6-1/2" high. Everything else should stay the same. Though I don't know my measurments are correct.

[tnmx]

You took home two sheets of 4'X4'?

That is correct I took home 2 pieces 4ft by 4ft. Lowes will cut it at no charge. I ripped each half 10 1/4, 10 1/4, 9, 8 1/2, 7 1/2.
They are very easy to take home if your not in the truck. This also makes them easier to rip on the table saw.

[11x]

built some today to hold meduim frames. the deminsions for length stay the same and the deminsions on the bottoms and tops stay the same. the sides are 7.25 tall and ends are 6.5 tall. works great

[Chick]

The kerf is the wood lost to the cut. Normally, you will lose 1/8". They are making really narrow blades these days, that lose less.

[Joseph Clemens]

Here is a link to a SketchUp plan, inspired by this thread, in a Medium depth, without covers or bottoms, since I simply use pieces of styrofoam insulation for those parts. I also substituted pieces of 1x2 for the cleats. I like the feel of the more sizable cleats.

I am very impressed by the way the recess for the frame-rests is designed into this Nucleus plan. A very unique conservation of materials and at the same time using the 15/32" plywood results in a nice, light-weight, economical Nucleus box.

Standard medium frames are 5-3/4" between the underside of the top bar to the outer edge of the bottom bar, with 6" between the edge of the frame rabbet and the bottom of the box, this leaves a 1/4" bee space beneath the frames. Just how I like them.

I have now finished two additional SketchUp plans that are layouts for cutting sides and ends from 15/32" plywood. One 4'x8' sheet of plywood will make 32 side pieces, 6-5/8" H x 19-1/8" L, with enough pieces left over that the cleats could easily be made from the scraps (I prefer cleats made from 1x2 stock, myself). Layout plans for end pieces, 6" H x 7-1/2" W, shows that 42 can be cut from a half sheet (4'x4') of plywood, which also leaves left-over pieces that could be used elsewhere in these projects or in others.

The layout plans allow for 1/8" kerfs between components.