A double-ended tenoner.

Though the initial cut to length is typically done with a cut-off or "chop" saw.

Many years ago, I worked in the Marvin's Windows plant in Warroad Minnesota.

They had a lot of large machines. Green painted cast iron. Tailing the molding machines was my least-favorite assignment. Stacking sticks as fast as humanly possible.

Motivated me to get an education.

 

A. Novice - the blank is purposely cut oversize, so that the depth of the box fingers are not effected by the cut length. The stagger in cutter diameters determines the depth.

Psycho Roland

 

Correct.
The blank is also not very precise. The entire end is cut by the big machine like you said.

It makes a lot of sawdust. And noise.

 

Copy that.

Psycho Roland

 

The driver less skid steer pulled up the driveway this afternoon and Josiah hopped out. We talked a little more. He's thinking that someday he might get in to beekeeping and build his own equipment. I asked if he'd talked with Joel, another Amish guy in the community that does keep bees. He hadn't. There's also Yost Miller in the Amish community to the east that does make bee boxes. But I didn't mention that to Josiah. Yost is in the Augusta community where they don't use rubber wheels or have phones. I live in the area of the Canastota community where rubber wheels on their buggies and phones for their business is the norm. Yost has a diesel driven shaft that drives belts to power all his wood working equipment. If you've ever seen factories in the late 1800s you'd know what I'm talking about. Josiah on the other hand uses a diesel electric generator to power his shop. I'm kind of getting off topic. Josiah has too many irons in the fire so I'm not holding my breath on whether or not he ever get bees.

 

I use Advantech subfloor sheets to make my hive bodies. I have been using Advantech for 9 years now and the boxes are still in fantastic condition. The edges have held up better than pine holds up. I prime and then paint the boxes. Using Advantech will add about three pounds to the weight of a box.

I can make 4-1/2 deeps plus a medium out of a sheet, Or four deeps and two mediums, or 8 mediums. At 2025 prices its about $9/box for deeps and $7/box for mediums.