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Wood working equipment

19K views 48 replies 27 participants last post by  snl 
#1 ·
Either some time this summer or early next fall I'm going to put together a wood working shop so I can build my own hive bodies and supers from the ground up. I doubt that I'll build my own frames because that seems like it would be extremely tedious work and you're probably money ahead just to buy pre-cut pieces and assemble yourself, however, I think I would save a boat load of cash if I were to buy lumber direct from a saw mill and build the hive bodies myself. I'm interested in what type of equipment I would need to build hive bodies the same as what is typically sold as the industry standard. Finger joints (not sure if that's what they are) hand holds cut into the boxes themselves etc... I think all if not the majority of it can be done with a table saw but I'm not 100%. Speed and efficiency is my number one concern. Just because a job CAN be done a certain way doesn't necessarily mean that is the most time efficient way of doing it. I've been looking at various table saws but I'm not sure which brand to go with.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-3HP-220V-Cabinet-Table-Saw-with-Riving-Knife/G0690

This saw is around the price range I'm looking at but I'm not sure of the quality. Would hate to pay that kind of cash for a piece of equipment that wasn't worth it.
 
#29 ·
I know I'm late to this thread, but if you're going to shell out money for a professional cabinet saw, I'm with Jim134 on the SawStop. I've had a SawStop PCS for a few years now, and it is awesome. Plus, no chance of losing fingers and more. Had a buddy back in SC get his hand caught up in a dado blade and he will never be the same. His right hand is fairly useless anymore. Sad. I bought the Sawstop for the safety, but was super impressed with the quality!

Also, you don't need a 1" dado blade to make box joints. You can make a box joint any size you want...1" is just what you see from the manufacturers because they have the big equipment to make them. Most arbors won't hold a 1" dado stack. You'll just end up with more fingers. I have used both the table saw with 3/4 inch dado and a router with a 3/4 inch bit. I prefer the table saw, but that may be more because my cabinet saw is super solid, whereas I have a somewhat cheepy tabletop router table. I use the same jig on either one, just have to adjust it a little between the two.
 
#30 ·
I'd like to add that you can make your finger joints any width you want, so long as it's at least as wide as your dado stack...all it takes is making 2 or more passes on your stack & you could make even 4" wide cuts with a 3/4" stack (although I think 1.5-2.5" would prob. be about the biggest that'd be useful for beekeeping purposes.
 
#31 ·
Rob is exactly right. In fact, you don't have to make the fingers the same size on both pieces, either. You could cut a couple of two inch fingers on one piece and just make the slots to match on the adjoining piece and you'd still have a pretty solid joint. That is what I plan to do on the next set of boxes I make.
 
#34 ·
Want to save money on your lumber, buy it from a local custom sawyer. Here in NC most are selling pine for 50 cents a board foot. A 1x12x8 is $4 that's for rough cut not KD probably common. At $1 a bf I'll KD and plane 2 sides for ya.

Rob was right on the finger joints, any size will do it doesn't have to be 1 inch or 7/8ths, but your set up jig will be the hard part. Get the spacing right and you wiil be happy, off just a smidge and you will hate them during assembly.

Eric
 
#35 ·
Good deal guys, this is my first table saw. I wanted the cabinet style saw dewalt made but they discontinued it (you can't find ANYTHING made in America no more) it was, mine I bought I will be lucky to have been built in Mexico. The American made cabinet saws were around 3500$:eek: so that was out of the question. I just hope that this contractor grade saw will be good for this kind of work.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Most commercial bee box , box joints are 3/4 or 7/8, but any size will work. The larger the finger, the smaller the joint at the bottom will be. I would not make them 1 inch because, if you do, the last joint would only be about 1/4 inch wide.. If you go with 3/4, the last joint will be about 5/8 inch.

I strongly recommend making you a sled for the box joints and let the sled glide in the two grooves in the table. Using only one groove with the T-Square will work fine, but, it is no problem to make a sled, and sliding in two grooves makes it more stable. Once you set it up, box joints are a breeze and fast.

You should be able to find a number of good Craftsman, Delta, Ridgid, table saws for less than $150.00 on Craigslist. I have 6 table saws for my bee box operation, all bought off Craigslist, most expensive one was $150.00. Been using the one for box joints for about 5 years, made hundreds of boxes, and never had a single problem. The others are set for bottom boards, inner covers, tops etc. Never had a problem.

My dado sets are Oshlaun (sp) (on e-bay for $85-$125.00) but, there are other good, perhaps better dado sets. I have been using these two, (one for box joints, one for the groove in side rail of bottom board) for five years and have not had to sharpen them yet.

cchoganjr
 
#37 ·
Home Depot sells Rigid tablesaws. Their tools have gotten pretty good reviews plus they have a lifetime guarantee last I heard. I vote for rabbets also for their simplicity. IMHO a tablesaw is all you need unless you are planning to get more involved in woodworking & make other things which I do enjoy. If you do opt for a planer get one with a segmented cutterhead. The initial price is a bite but you will never regret it. All those years of learning to set & tweak knives are gone.
 
#38 ·
I picked up 2 table saws for next to nothing from friends looking to upgrade. One was a nice old heavy Craftsman for $20 and the other a new portable model for $30. I added a new Porter Cable cordless tool set for another $125.

We just bought a stack of 16' cedar boards from a local sawmill. Both 2 and 1 inch boards from 4 to 12 inches wide. A stack of lumber 6' wide by 4' tall for $50. I will have to spend some time on a planer and cut some square edges, but I should end up with some nice boards for pennies.
 
#39 ·
Cleo,

That handle video is very nice! I could do that. (these finger joints will keep me buying woodware though, I can't do that, lack both woodworking equipment and time.)

Gypsi
 
#40 ·
Well Gypsi, Don't feel robbed. by the time you ad cost of the equipment. materials time and etc. it is actually cheaper to buy it. A couple of reasons to make it anyway woudl be control over the quality of materials and craftsmanship. I have seen a beekeeper or two that make some very nice looking hives. this woudl be another big reason to make your own. The last reason to make it yourself is that for those that like woodworking. they are going to be in the shop making something anyway. For me it is a good way to burn off that excess, "I should be doing something" energy.
 
#42 ·
I'm not setup to make boxes efficiently, and the cost of lumber vs. $9.40 just isn't with the time. Tops and bottoms, otoh, are worth my time.

As much as I can, I use a radial arm saw instead of a tablessaw..... a good ras (not a cheaper craftsman...older Delta/Rockwell, dewalt or sawsmith.... something cast iron, not sheet metal) that is kept in adjustment is safer for most operations (not ripping).
Deknow
 
#44 ·
I Buy 1 x 12 x 12 for $12 a piece, this makes me two deeps,

I use a Freid blade thats extra thin, and rip the 12' board to 9 7/8", which leaves me around 1 1/2" to make all kinds of extras, like bases, inner covers, outer covers.

So my $6 deep cannot be beat in my opinion. plus i love wood working.
 
#45 ·
I'm a woodworker with a full shop and so far I've made all my own equipment for my first 60 hives, BUT I have come to the conclussion it's silly for me to spend time woodworking to make bee equipment when I could be spending the same time making furniture.

Not to mention that making the same thing OVER and OVER and OVER again is MONONTONEOUS :eek:
 
#46 ·
If you like woodworking and already have the equipment, making your own stuff is fun and pretty cheap. However, if you are making large amounts of it (hundreds of hives, for instance) you are far better off buying it due to the time required.

You can make all sorts of non-standard equipment yourself, though, if you want to experiment. I'd not expect a sideliner or professional to be experimenting much, though, at least not on a large number of hives.

Peter
 
#48 ·
If you already have the equipment, and are making hundreds of hives, you should be able to make them for the same per unit cost as the commercial manufacturers. Then, depending on how much your time is worth, vrs how much the commercial manufacturers want for their labor and profit, you should be able to save big, do the work in the off season.

There is a lot of free wood out there if you look for it. I get lots and lots each year. Cypress is about the only wood that I have to buy. Once you get in with a half dozen building contractors you will have all you need. One apartment building or a commercial building will get you hundreds of short pieces. Short pieces of wood they normally burn.

If you are around saw mills, you will find lots of pine/poplar that is less than 8 ft long, and they sell those short pieces cheap, just to get rid of them. Stack and cure for one year, then ready to go. Old buildings have 1 X 12 shelving which makes good hives. Watch for them being torn down or remodeled. Roofing contractors have 1 X 12 sheathing, and 1 X 4 which can be glued to make shallow, deep boxes, and bottom boards.. Watch auctions of farm property that have stacks of lumber for sale. Pine, poplar, oak, is normally cheap. Check the Habitat for Humanity Restore. They get in a lot of wood of various kinds and lengths. If the wood is free, and you like woodworking, you can beat the commercial prices. If not, then just buy them.

cchoganjr
 
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