Making undercut hand holds on bee boxes

[Fishman43]

Mr. C I like your 2X4 with squaring jig for your boxes and might just borrow the idea and try that out. I just picked up a couple of squaring strap clamps and am going to try thos as well.

Have you ever had a top bar bind up and shoot out of that jig? Looks like a 10" powered top bar gun

[minz]

I made up a jig and cut a chunk of hand holds. I have also used more than one skil saw on the jig and only had to modify my center line a smidge. I would think that since you need to plunge the blade to make the cut that the saw would try to twist and bind sideways. I have found I set the ‘foot’ of the saw to the front of the cradle and plunge and move down the sled. I would not classify myself as a “good woodworker” but I have built a bit of furniture.
I was thinking of trying using the dato cut on the box first and then lining your jig with the nice sharp cut for the bevel.

[Mr. C]

Fisherman43:

No thus far I have not had any launches, but that doesn't mean I'm not standing off to the side the whole time just in case =). The trick is to keep feeding the boards slowly and smoothly (I keep a long narrow push stick to push the last one through). I don't let go of the one I'm putting in until I have another feeding behind it. I find most launches ripping boards are due to not holding or blocking them. If you aren't letting go they tend not to have the opportunity to accelerate against the saw blade.

Minz:
I played with my jig a while in order to get it to make the undercut properly. I found that you can't plunge the end of the last cut. I get close to the bottom and then let the saw slide down the rest of the way cutting as it goes. Not sure that explanation makes any sense, but it worked tolerable well. Never had any twisting with my saw.

[odfrank]

I made this funky video about my handhold jig. Please don't judge my carpentry by this box. I made seven out of re-purposed redwood siding and they were different thickness. The box in the video was # 7 made out of all the mismatched parts and hobbled together pieces. The bees won't notice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2q5Hnogvqg

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Good job Ollie. Good Video.

Can I be your agent when Hollywood starts calling.

cchoganjr

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Everybody....I saw a new video on UTube on making hand holds. This one using a radial arm saw.

To see it, go to UTube and search, Making Hand Holds in the Beekeepers Workshop by Steve Tilman Good video, good sound, and it makes a nice hand hold, and if you like the radical undercut on the handle, it will do it.

This one only makes the hand hold the width of the saw blade radial, requires adjusting the blade 3 times during the cut, but again, if you want the undercut handle, it will make it.


If someone knows how to do it, you could cut and paste the link to the video and anyone wanting to view it could just click on it. If I figure out how to do it, I will post it. UPDATE..... Check below, I pasted the link.

I think I will stay with my simple little jig that uses a Skil Saw. Simple, fast, safe.

cchoganjr

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Lets see if this link to the Steve Tilman, making Hand Holds in the Beekeepers Workshop video will work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyxfRMMD7SU

O.K. i just tried it and it works. Check it out, it may be what you are looking for.

cchoganjr