With all the "controversy" in the last poll, I figured I'd try to state a poll more clearly. Though I did get a bit redundant.
Hammer away! (No pun intended)
Hammer away! (No pun intended)
Point taken, and I believe it is a great one and can apply to a lot of things we do individually as beekeepers. I personally do not know how frames hold up without glue and nails, because I have always glued and nailed themI think beekeepers should always question a practice or manipulation and see if doing it differently works as well or better. Once you find a method that gives you good results, then stick with it. The bees don't care, it's all about pleasing yourself.
FWIW combining old parts with new parts is not worth it. Sawing through nails and staples can be dangerous.A while ago, on this forum, someone had a thread about gluing hive equipment, in conjunction with nailing/stapling them. I began doing it, first I used polyurethane glues, but they were messy and hard to clean from my hands. Then I tried Titebond II and III. Now I just use Titebond III and a pneumatic stapler. Easy to clean up, quick to go together, and stays together, very well. The only problem, now, is that when a Bottom Bar warps, I need to use the band saw, with its carbide toothed blade, to cut out the bad Bottom Bar, also cutting through the glue and staples, so I can install a replacement Bottom Bar. But, the way the Top Bar is connected to the End Bars, I'm afraid that Top Bar replacement is not as easily possible. If a Top Bar warped or twisted beyond usability, I'm afraid all I could salvage from that frame would be the Bottom Bar.
Mark's glue "goes away"?If they were glued the glue was gone. I experienced some of the same when I helped Mark extract one fall.
Yes, carbide can safely cut metal but it can also shatter when there is an interrupted cut. The rule of thumb is two teeth must be in contact with the metal at all times. With nails, especially small nails two teeth may not be in contact all the time and results in shattering the carbide tip tooth. Typically in these cases an abrasive blade is usually use. Carbide tipped blades for table saws are not meant for cutting ferrous metals.since I used my carbide toothed band saw. And it can be safely used to cut metal, too.
Yes, aluminum, copper, brass, lead will not harm a carbide tipped blade. Nobody is using these metals for nails.And aluminum is definitely not the same as ferrous metals.
ASTM is an independent standards organization recognized worldwide.Type I testing involves cutting the 6" by 6" assemblies into 1" by 3" specimens, boiling them for 4 hours, then baking the specimens in a 145˚F oven for 20 hours. They are boiled for an additional 4 hours, then immediately cooled using running water. The specimens are sheared while wet, and the bonds must pass certain strength and wood failure requirements to pass the Type I specification.
Type II testing involves cutting the 6" by 6" assemblies into 2" by 5" specimens, soaking them for 4 hours, then baking the specimens in a 120˚F oven for 19 hours. This is repeated for a total of three cycles, and the bonds must not delaminate to pass the Type II specification.
http://www.titebond.com/Libraries/LiteraturePDFs/FF681_TBIIIUltimateBrochureTB.sflb.ashx
The above is from this web page: http://www.bartleycollection.com/the-history-of-glue.htmlThe History of Glue
Glues are part of a larger family called adhesives. Most adhesives are chemical based, while glue is generally made from organic compounds. These terms, however, are used loosely today and most adhesives are still referred to as “glue.” The earliest glues were made from various plant-based materials. The history of glue goes much farther back then most people think. The earliest evidence of the use of glue can still be observed in cave paintings made by our Neanderthal ancestors in Lascaux, France. These early artists wanted their work to last and mixed glue with the paint they used to help the colors resist the moisture of the cave walls. The oldest known glue used to hold things together dates back to approximately 200,000 BC, and is from spear stone flakes glued to wood with birch bark tar. The oldest known compound glue was made from plant gum and red ochre approximately 70,000 years BC, and was found in South Africa, so our ancestors were figuring out ways to stick two things together a long, long time ago!
I think you are referring to a air nailer which is more like a staple vs. a nail. As usual anything American is complicated. A number 16 common nail would have a huge diameter in comparison to a 16 gauge nail. To make matters worse as the number gauge goes up the wire diameter gets smaller vs, opposite for numbered nails.I see on the web sites, in the US are in use 1-1/4"x16 nails.