[Brad Bee]

Is there any supplier that makes 6 3/4" tall sides for frames? I just don't understand the love affair with the antiquated measurement system that is still in place with beekeeping woodenware. It would be really nice to be able to use a dressed 1x8 (7 1/4") without ripping off 5/8" of it and throwing it away. It takes a dressed 1x12 to make a 9 5/8" deep, so more of that wood goes to waste. It seems that someone in the woodenware business would jump on this and make a fortune.

I think a 7 1/4" box would be a perfect compromise between a deep and a medium.

 

[burns375]

Im with you brad. I feel the same way. would like deeps boxes to be 9".... 9.25 finish size may be a little small. The 0.25 gives you a little room to trim and true the board.

I think a 1x9, finish size 8.25, ripped to 8" would be the perfect size for a universal box. Yes perhaps too heavy for honey, then I'de go 8-frame route. Otherwise I would go with 1x8, ripped to 7". I don't ever plan to manufacture frames. All mediums just seems like a waste, and is from a cost per area comb and the extra frames.

I plan to visit Kelleys field day in Clarkson, Ky this year. I think they allow visitors to go thru the wood-shop, definately taking many mental notes. EAS is in kentucky this year too!

 

[mathesonequip]

about the time 7 1/4 boxes came to be executives in the lumber industry and big box home centers would get together with Madison avenue advertisers and come up with "new and amazeing metric 1x8's that are actualy 6 15/ 16 inches by 9/16 thick {about}

 

[Brad Bee]

about the time 7 1/4 boxes came to be executives in the lumber industry and big box home centers would get together with Madison avenue advertisers and come up with "new and amazeing metric 1x8's that are actualy 6 15/ 16 inches by 9/16 thick {about}

And so the frames would then be changed to fit the new lumber dimensions. I personally don't see the US going to metric lumber measurements in the next 50 years but I could be wrong. I just don't understand hanging on to frame and box dimensions that don't fit the lumber that is milled today. When hive sizes were standardized, they went with what they had at the time. We don't have that anymore. If I had a CAD mill, I would start making them myself and capitalize on the ensuing push to move that direction. Nobody would have to switch over at any given time, but would likely want to switch over when their existing equipment needed replacing.

If frames were available, a deep could be made from a 1x10, a medium from a 1x8 and a shallow from a 1x6. It would be more cost effective for the mills also because they would be able to buy standardized lumber which would be cheaper than what they currently get and if they cut their own, they would be able to sell standardized lumber without changing the settings on their equipment.

 

[Michael Bush]

I agree it makes sense to make boxes to the standard size of lumber, but it's hard to change when people have a huge investment in current equipment and they want it all to be interchangeable. I always wondered why they ever made the 7 5/8" boxes when 7 1/4" would make so much more sense...

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

Actual lumber sizes (as compared to 'nominal' sizes) have been shrinking for over a century. A paper that documents some of those changes ....
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/misc/miscpub_6409.pdf

Its my expectation that 7 5/8" was at one time a standard size for 1x8 lumber, and that is how that box size was chosen.

 

[Michael Bush]

>Its my expectation that 7 5/8" was at one time a standard size for 1x8 lumber, and that is how that box size was chosen.

Well, that is how 9 5/8" and 11 5/8" and 5 11/16" were chosen, but I never saw a 7 5/8" box advertised until after a one by eight had shrunk to 7 1/4" after being 7 1/2" for many years.

 

[mathesonequip]

way back when lumber was mostly all rough cut the idea was it would air dry to 1x8 useable. if you planed this you would get to 1x8 or 7/8x7 5/8... when we switched over to 1x8 green to get more overcut we got to 3/4x 7 1/4 finished. I have seen some old roughly 25/32x7 1/2 and 3/4x 7 1/2. to make the bee boxes work together the thickness being 3/4 or 7/8 is not critical, the same 7 5/8 does help maintain bee space and keep stuff interchangeable. in Canada and with betterbee in the us 7/8 is still used. the actual depth runs from 7 1/2 to 7 5/8 depending on maker... overcut is the amount a mill can get in lumber over what they pay for in log scale... there is a good beesource article on variations between hive makers.