I think you should look at the type of hive bodies that have an upright corner piece to which the side and end pieces are nailed or screwed. Commonly the upright corners project slightly either up or down and fall short by the same amount leaving a pocket that will receive the projecting portion. Lots of posts here discussing it. Peg or Horn hive perhaps; cant think of the name of them.

If you keep the corner joiners flush top and bottom they will mix and match with conventional rabbet or finger joint boxes. Very simple construction.

 

Here; https://www.beesource.com/threads/non-standard-beekeeping.376888/

Thanks GregB

 

All of my boxes are made up of smaller pieces per side, though I'm using much thicker wood for beehives. You would need a sledge hammer to break my boxes.

I've made panels out of 3/4" (true dimension) and wouldnt be afraid of making a box out of them. I don't think you'll get away with butt joints for the panels.

 

I was thinking maybe a rabbit joint?

 

Cheap 1x4 "white wood" from the "box stores" is often poorly seasoned, and tends to shrink and swell. This tends to generate troublesome gaps on the match.

You can build up boxes with all sorts of scrap, but the labor required to make a long-lived hive body is often prohibitive.

I create many, many nuc boxes with 1x8 and 1x6 fenceboards for the long sides. I use better quality kiln dry for the short sides as the frame rest rabbet works better. Fence boards are often about 5/8" finish thickness.

Some boards get joined with a "biscuit", some don't

 

Would glue between the boards help prevent gaps?

 

The cheap "Chinese" boxes flooding hobby beekeeper market are made up of thinner strips edge-joined laminate --- these seem to be mostly New Zealand Pinus radiata plantation wood, but I suspect Chinese plantation wood as well. I've seen some catastrophic delamination of the edge-joined strips after weathering. The panels are likely edge joined under considerable pressure and tolerance.

I really don't think cheap American box store white wood will hold up very well. The west coast material twists and cups, and is a highly porous plantation pine and sometime "Hem-Fir" (ie "piss fir" white fir).

 

You be you "Boo". Whatever you like!
I see you are new here. Would you mind putting your general location in your Avatar box to help with the answer?
I say that because I'm in Texas and it doesn't generally get "sub zero" for very long at any given time during the winter. If you are up North, your hive insolation requirements may be a lot more restrictive.

"Has anyone ever done this before?"
You will find that on Beesource you will have a tough time finding any situation, no matter how Ingenius or ridicules, someone here at B.S. has likely dealt with it!!!!!!
Trust me, of all the abnormal or unlikely situations I have found myself in in the last 7 years, I have never been the first one to do it!!!!!!!!
Welcome aboard (No pun intended), have fun, get stung!!!!!!!!

 

I added it, I am from NW Ohio. I don't really think that this would be different from a normal hive insulation wise?

 

Can I make beehives from 1x4 lumber with the same structural integrity as the normal 1x12 or close? ...

sure.
The joint is loaded from above, so will stay all together. Plain wood glue is enough.

any gaps formed during the build or later will be filled by the bees w propolis.

The tradeoff is the extra work you will put in to edge-glue the strips into broader boards.

 

thanks, I think it would be worth it for the savings.

 

Glue is OK as a secondary feature but rarely holds together well over cycles of wet and dry because it does not expand and contract like the wood does.

Kreg makes a jig for edge joining wood. It works very well, I have made wide boards with it from narrow ones and they stay together like a single piece. Handy when I quit using mediums and turned them into deeps. Bees don't carexabout the pockets on the inside. No need for glue. They sell the jig at menards.

If you make a wide board from narrow ones, flip them over alternately so the grain of one is smiling and the grain on either sidecis frowning. The cupping of one will cancel out the cupping of the one next to it so overall it stays fairly flat.

An easy way to do this is

make your end boards the width of the inside end long. (14 3/4 inches for a Langstroth boxl.

Make your side boards an inch and a half longer than the outside length of your box (21 3/8 inches for Langstroth boxes)

Assemble the box with 3/4 inch of the side boards sticking past the end boards, and run a 3/4 thick piece top to bottom on the outside corner between the end and side. Screw or nail thexend and the side to the vertical piece in each corner.

this will work

Lots of ways to do it.

 

If you have a table saw you can cut a continuous slot in the edge of your stock and make your owne biscut stock = to blade width
1/2 lnch ship lap is too much
3x 3&1/2 inch stock Is 10 & 1/2 inch minus 1 inch
For the 2 joints = 9& 1/2. Deep Boxes are 9& 5/8

 

could I do the ship lap plus the Kreg screws, or would they not work together, and what would be better?

 

If you count the expense of glue, screws, dowels and extra gear to arrive at wider boards, the savings in dollars may be small. The tremendous increase in labor will make that proposition get old quick.

You seem quite set on this proposition so give it a shot.

Experience is the best teacher.

 

I mean I am not really concerned about the labor, as I work in the shop in my free time. I added the cost for the screws, and I am still shy of 8 dollars, half of the that of the other board. I think I will give it a shot this week.

 

It might please you to do so now, but when your children have to deal with the warped, twisted, and wiggly mess in the future, you will not like what they write on your epitaph.

We have some home made boxes with narrow boards joined, and I cuss at them every time.

Psycho Roland

 

Well! If you treat them like that of course they are uncooperative!

 

I use mostly found wood to make boxes. I watch CL for shelving boards or beds. I use solid boards for the ends, but the sides don't support weight so I can use more than one board glue together without much issue

 

I make mine out of 3/8" plywood or 1x. We favor light weight

 

On the "dirt cheap" topic, Home Depot has a cull lumber cart which is usually 70% off. In many casesxit is long boards with problems you can cut around for boxes. Also plywood sheets. I got one 4x8 sheet that had been cut to length and the customer didn't but it. 70%voff and easy to fit in my van. Just need to look when you are there. I have some 1x12's in the garage I got that way for the boxes i plan to make this winter

 

You're going to create more trouble for yourself, and, what really matters, for the bees, down the road than is worth the money saved in construction. In fact, you'll probably end up spending more in the long run on the DIY.

 

I have had good success with this. No problems. I suppose it makes a difference how stable the wood is.

 

I glue boards together all the time. Some are not very pretty, but I don't think the bees notice.
I use water proof wood glue Gorilla Glue I think. Just take my time and make a nice box .
The bees never complained.
I use boards that were used to ship pump valves. Not the best quality,but still solid.
And they are free just for the hauling.
Good luck

 

I have done so many times, but your joints need to be spot on. There are two ways- more if you want fancy joinery.
First the rabbet joint. One-half of 3/4" is 3/8". If you rabbet both edges and are able to clamp the boards tightly both for the tightness of the seams and the flatness of the boards, two sections will give you 7" and three sections will give you 10 1/2". It must be glued well and allowed to set. Bear in mind one surface will have to lie on another surface so keep in mind some material will have to lie beneath the glued boards that can be easily removed.
I do it more easily by using wood biscuits and simply butt them together. The biscuit cutter will need to be set very carefully to achieve alignment of the joints. Once set the joint is very strong.
The trade off for the price difference is your labor and your skill level.
Dovetail or finger joints could also be used if your joinery skills are good enough.
Is your time in the shop worth the price differential of the material? If so, go for it!
I lurk around home construction sites. Most of the crews will let you take whatever you find in the dumpsters. I have collected a lot of very useful material that way.
Prior to the enormous inflation beginning in '21 I would watch the sale prices of the lumber dealers carefully. I have acquired a lot of material for decent prices that way. Often they will clear inventory to rotate stock.
Bear in mind this discussion is pretty well limited to hobbyists. Commercial operations exist on expenditure of time and find it much more economical to buy pre-cut box kits. They can also acquire them at wholesale prices. If you can somehow finagle a wholesale license or get someone with a license to make the purchases for you that would help you immensely.

 

An addendum to consider. Using sheet stock in a Langstroth box is not advisable unless used in a Long Lang where edges can be protected.
The local commercial guy uses Advantech and makes only migratory lids out of it. I got the bright idea to use it for the entire box construction. I made a couple of dozen of both nucs and full boxes.
Some observations:
While not harmful to the bees, the composite materials make it very heavy.
It is water resistant as it is used primarily for sub floors.
It is not as permeable as plywood, and it is not receptive to wood glues. A polymer glue should be used. I joined the boxes with long gripper type wood screws.
The advantages:
Water resistant and does not delaminate easily. Edges should be sealed well.
It is flat and will not warp.
The boxes themselves are heavy, so imagine lifting one full of honey! It is a hernia in waiting.
You must use an oil based primer paint before top coating.
I have had these mixed in with common pine or Cyprus boxes. Not a single Advantech box has broken down over the last ten years!
It is pricey. I just saw 4'x8'x23/32" Advantech for around $57/sheet. One sheet can make several boxes, so it is still more economically advantageous than standard dimensional lumber.
Given the weight issue, I confine it's use to tops and bottom boards now.
I am very pleased with the nuc boxes made from it. Five frame nucs get tossed around a lot during Queen breeding. Mine have shown no evidence of wear and tear.

 

I found the best way to get lumber is to go to an Amish saw mill, if you can find one near you, give them a try.

 

I buy my 2×12s for LLHs from the Amish.

 

So the answer to the op is yes.

 

Kiln dried is a very broad term unless percentage moisture is also specified. Reading the grain orientation gets quite important especially as board width increases. Type of joint affects the importance of flatness of your boards.

If you plane boards that have only been recently sawn you best get them nailed in place before they start to cup.

Most of this can be disregarded in the OP's proposal as the pieces are narrow and probably dried enough to be stable.

If I was hard up against financial constraints I would use the narrow boards and make them quick and dirty. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear! @little_john would be familiar with that analogy.

Depending on what you are doing with them, narrow boards can be your friend!

Just for some wood porn below is Miss Fit! We spent a lot of hours together!
These came entirely from home sawn white and red pine logs.

 

Kiln dried is a very broad term unless percentage moisture is also specified. Reading the grain orientation gets quite important especially as board width increases. Type of joint affects the importance of flatness of your boards.

If you plane boards that have only been recently sawn you best get them nailed in place before they start to cup.

Most of this can be disregarded in the OP's proposal as the pieces are narrow and probably dried enough to be stable.

If I was hard up against financial constraints I would use the narrow boards and make them quick and dirty. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear! @little_john would be familiar with that analogy.

Depending on what you are doing with them, narrow boards can be your friend!

Just for some wood porn below is Miss Fit! We spent a lot of hours together!
These came entirely from home sawn white and red pine logs.

Very pretty, congratulations. I was pointing to possible problems in using green wood and not mandating their use or non use. Freedom of choice is exactly that: freedom. I too have used narrow boards for many things, and some of those resulted in being contacted to build for others and being paid handsomely for it. As a point of contention it is a non starter. As a reference to possible ramifications I could offer more first hand examples simply from experience. Many people use pallet wood for projects and some of those are quite attractive. That too is a taste consideration. As for bee hives themselves another consideration is that many of these pallets have been treated with various substances for longevity. That would be my best judgment on whether or not to use them without implying any advice for or against. Discussion can run off the rails when implications of motive are brought without evidence or justification.
So, returning to the original inquiry in order to submit opinions for the record, my advice within the context of the question is the original affirmative. Craftsmen of any skill level are free to indulge their choices and take joy in so doing.
I will leave the Discussion at that and withdraw from any additions without emotion or provocation.
Have a wonderful day!

 

Using biscuits was mentioned. You can also use wood pins. Make a template to drill the holes for the dowels to be exact spacing for each joined narrow board. Predrill, use an exterior glue (titebond III) to glue dowels and entire length of combined board length. Clamp together and voila! A solid board of wider dimension. Then cut these to length, width and router the frame rest and corner joints if wanting that corner connection. I'd just butt joint them.

Your mock up of corner joints is overthought out and really will not provide a longer lasting or stronger connection. Top quality exterior wood glue and screws or long staples will be just as strong. A rabbit joint simply hides most of the wood end grain and does not actually provide more support. It does aid in squaring up the box. If you have a router set up and it won't take any time then sure, they are nice to have. Otherwise just butt joint them and ensure the exposed end grain is properly sealed. Brushing on the exterior glue to the exposed end grain works if you don't have faith in your finish paint, stain or whatever you are doing. The rabbit for frame rest can be done on a table saw if you don't have a router. Once that is set up I run long boards through, my hand router is set for frame rests and use that full length board, then cut them to length needed for the size box being made.

 

I would not.
but I have all the wider wood I need.
the deep is 9 5/8 the rip off the 12 can be the rim for the lid.
the 1/4s can be glued and caulked then painted.

IMO for the work buy the wider wood up front.

 

I made twenty hives a few years ago. It was a headache finding lumber that reasonably straight. Even then, they need to be run through the miter saw twice, the jointer, and the table saw. Then there's the dado stack and building a jig for the box joints. In the end it's cheaper/easier to just buy them unassembled.

To use 1x4's you'd have those problems and the added issue of aligning and gluing them to get a 1x11. If you like the satisfaction of DIY, go for it. There's no reason it wouldn't work.

 

For many people their time is of no value.

If they spend it commenting in online forums or watching reruns of Gilligan's Island or watching the talking hair in their favorite news tunnel, it accomplishes nothing.

So for those people it make sense to do something constructive and useful, even if the value of that useful thing is small.

Not that all leisure is pointless, but leisure is like food. Most Americans have access to too much.

So now I need to apply my own medicine!

 

Hi there,

I made a beehive van 2by4 some years ago. Still works pretty fine Good luck with your project!

 

It's interesting the price of a 10 frame deep box that is. Last night I was talking with my Amish neighbor. He (Josiah) had stopped over to pickup business cards I had ordered for this lamb business. We got to talking about building deep boxes. I had mentioned 25-30$ for a single deep box. But if he was going to get into building boxes he needs to find a wholesale outlet and be pricing his boxes in the 15$ range per 1000. We do have another Amish family that mills lumber he could source his lumber from. I'm thinking that Josiah would have to buy his lumber for about a $ per board foot to make a decent profit. Josiah is constructing a cabinet shop at home. So the equipment he'll need he has already. He would have to make some jigs to reduce labor etc.. We talked further about the construction using finger/box joints etc. A couple years ago I bought boxes from an Amish guy up north and wasn't all that impressed with the construction of the box. This guy used a dado joint and nails. And I told Josiah that. This morning I went on 3 different websites to price volume purchases of deep boxes and found the best price at 16$ when purchasing 250 boxes. So if he can get the production time down to 5 minutes. Josiah could be making 120$ per hour. Not bad for a kid in his early twenties and three feet tall. Kind of funny watching a skid-steer drive by with no driver.

 

Be aware that to be competitive in the production of the box joints, the machine should cut both ends to width AND cut all notches in one pass. It is a huge machine, with stackable knives on two spindles, and a huge motor.

Psycho Roland.