I am looking for any recent experiences any of you have had with the quality of Dadant's economy grade woodenware. I read the thread from 2005 on this topic and saw they got pretty mixed reviews. Has anyone here purchased any boxes recently? If so what did you think?
Dadant economy grade woodenware
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165 Posts
Re: Dadant economy grade wooenware
I have never used Dadant's economy grade but I have used BM's commercial grade. While I like the BM standard grade and would buy them again, I will never buy the BM commercial grade again. The issue was not knots or blemishes but a third of the supers I purchased were unusable due to cracks and splits.
:doh: The few dollars I saved purchasing BM's commercial grade were lost replacing the unusable supers. Nothing said here that I haven't already said to BM.
I have never used Dadant's economy grade but I have used BM's commercial grade. While I like the BM standard grade and would buy them again, I will never buy the BM commercial grade again. The issue was not knots or blemishes but a third of the supers I purchased were unusable due to cracks and splits.
:doh: The few dollars I saved purchasing BM's commercial grade were lost replacing the unusable supers. Nothing said here that I haven't already said to BM.
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5,694 Posts
Re: Dadant economy grade wooenware
i purchased there economy grade med and frames last year as they were out of commercial grade. supers were fine, higher reject rate on the frames, would normally get there reg frames as the price difference is not that much. dadant has gone to a new producer(i think) of there wooden ware this year so any comments about old equipment may not apply. I purches med, shallow and deeps with frames this year(commercial) and all a fine.
i purchased there economy grade med and frames last year as they were out of commercial grade. supers were fine, higher reject rate on the frames, would normally get there reg frames as the price difference is not that much. dadant has gone to a new producer(i think) of there wooden ware this year so any comments about old equipment may not apply. I purches med, shallow and deeps with frames this year(commercial) and all a fine.
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1,391 Posts
Re: Dadant economy grade wooenware
I've bought the deep supers on two separate occasions and both times I wound up with about two percent that wouldn't work... not a problem.
I've bought the deep supers on two separate occasions and both times I wound up with about two percent that wouldn't work... not a problem.
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1,822 Posts
They say that it has the "same precise fit as the other 2 grades". What do y'all think? I am thinking about buying 50 economy boxes this coming winter. Do they have a good fit on the corners? Any milling defects?
Kignfsiher
Kignfsiher
These large beeware manufacturers cut parts by the truckload. They don't buy a few clear boards, some with small tight knots, and some lousy ones.
It's most all #3 grade. At best when the boards are run thru the auto-fed rip saw the loader flips the worst side to the trim side. Then it goes thru the auto-feed chopsaw for length, next stacked for the finger joint cutter(they are not really dove-tails) or it might be a continuous fed double end cutter.
Basicly when all the operations are complete someone grades the parts. The perfect clear ones are seperated out to one stack and the ones with knot holes, loose knots, Large knots, knots in the fingers, large gouges, etc. go in the economy pile, the rest(most) are commercial grade.
So all the joints should fit the same, you just might need a little wood putty for the knot holes or let the bees fill the gaps.
I find the commercial grade from Dadants excellant value and durability.
goodluck
It's most all #3 grade. At best when the boards are run thru the auto-fed rip saw the loader flips the worst side to the trim side. Then it goes thru the auto-feed chopsaw for length, next stacked for the finger joint cutter(they are not really dove-tails) or it might be a continuous fed double end cutter.
Basicly when all the operations are complete someone grades the parts. The perfect clear ones are seperated out to one stack and the ones with knot holes, loose knots, Large knots, knots in the fingers, large gouges, etc. go in the economy pile, the rest(most) are commercial grade.
So all the joints should fit the same, you just might need a little wood putty for the knot holes or let the bees fill the gaps.
I find the commercial grade from Dadants excellant value and durability.
goodluck
I just finished assembling 20 commercial grade mediums from Walter Kelley and they all fit together just fine.The guy at Dadant showed me their economy grade supers one time and there were a bunch of (mildly) warped boards in them so I went for the Kelley commercials.
I bought a pallet of the "economy" or "budget" grade from another supplier and the knots were plentiful, especially where the nails needed to pounded in.
I have nothing against the suppliers as they are straight-up about the quality, but the more I think about it, I'd spend the extra dollars and get the good stuff. Less frustration, more enjoyment for me...but the bees could care less.
Grant
Jackson, MO
I have nothing against the suppliers as they are straight-up about the quality, but the more I think about it, I'd spend the extra dollars and get the good stuff. Less frustration, more enjoyment for me...but the bees could care less.
Grant
Jackson, MO
i have had no problem with the commercial boxes from Kelleys, except I don't like having to get the frame rest (all their deeps are cut for those) 2 pallets worth and no problem. Some of the pieces were even clear of any knots and some just had a few small 1/4" knots in them.
We all keep bugs in boxes. We love are bugs. Does the quality of the woodenware matter to our bugs? Probably not. Does it matter to us? How could it not. We want our woodenware to fit, our wax to fit and a sensible way to keep our bees. Im very proud of our products. Our QC for the most part lives up to what we believe Walter would have expected. The staff at Kelley's works hard everyday to help build what we believe to be the best.
We welcome your fedback. (Yes we know the website sucks, were working on it). Let me pose a question, In a perfect world what can we do to improve our service and products? We really do want your feedback.
WTK Co.
We welcome your fedback. (Yes we know the website sucks, were working on it). Let me pose a question, In a perfect world what can we do to improve our service and products? We really do want your feedback.
WTK Co.
We build our own boxes. Just finished 100 deeps built out of cull 1x12 shelving material picked up at local building supply.
Gave them 50 cents per foot. Takes 6 foot to build box so thats $3.00 per box for wood. Set up stops on radial arm saw and cut up into sides and ends before ripping to length. As we cut, we tried to keep knots out of the end of boards to keep nailing and daddo cutting easier.
After cutting to length we would cut to width on table saw. This way you could rip the worst side of board. If it was extreamly bad cut down to medium width. If board was split, put glue in split and mate it to boards that weren't when assembling boxes.
When it all gets painted you can't tell apart. We hope to make money off our bees so pretty boxes don't count.
Johnny
Gave them 50 cents per foot. Takes 6 foot to build box so thats $3.00 per box for wood. Set up stops on radial arm saw and cut up into sides and ends before ripping to length. As we cut, we tried to keep knots out of the end of boards to keep nailing and daddo cutting easier.
After cutting to length we would cut to width on table saw. This way you could rip the worst side of board. If it was extreamly bad cut down to medium width. If board was split, put glue in split and mate it to boards that weren't when assembling boxes.
When it all gets painted you can't tell apart. We hope to make money off our bees so pretty boxes don't count.
Johnny
Bsupplier, you're correct, your website is the pits but your customer service is #1 and your prices are good.We welcome your fedback. (Yes we know the website sucks, were working on it). Let me pose a question, In a perfect world what can we do to improve our service and products? We really do want your feedback.
WTK Co.
Fix your website problems so folks can more easily find things and search the site and it will be a win-win.
I've ordered a number of things from you folks and could not be happier with the quick service and friendly folks on the other end of the phone.
Everything I've ordered from you was in stock and shipped promptly....thats the one thing that bugs the snot out of me about one of my more local suppliers....they sit on orders for up to 10 days before they ship...but will expedite packing your order for an additional charge.
I know when I order from Kelley that it gets packed and shipped pretty much immediately.
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264 Posts
I bought 25 deeps com.grade the only problem was that some of the box joint did not fit some of them split and the hole was not lined up where the nails should go I glued them all together.
I bought $1,000 from Kelly of bottom boards and deeps and suppers grade 1 made of cypress they all fit like a glove and had no problems. And I got free shipping Thanks Kelley plus the shipment came in 3 days. Some day I take a trip and stop in at the shop. The shipping kills me when I order out of the state.
Paul
I bought $1,000 from Kelly of bottom boards and deeps and suppers grade 1 made of cypress they all fit like a glove and had no problems. And I got free shipping Thanks Kelley plus the shipment came in 3 days. Some day I take a trip and stop in at the shop. The shipping kills me when I order out of the state.
Paul
Bsupplier-
I would like you to sell foundation that fits Dadant frames. Just got done cutting 2400 sheets down. I like your foundation better. I would like you to keep wax from miticide free operations separate, so when I bring in "clean" wax, I can get "clean" foundation.
I like the Dadant top bar better than yours, it is thicker in the area outside the top bar. I like your bottom bar better than the "new" 1/2' Dadant bottom bar. I am thinking of making my own top bar, and using your side and bottom bar.
As for Suppers(hive bodies), we use only deeps, and prefer the large hand holds of Killian the best, but then we have to cut for rabbets(frame rests).
Maxine was very nice and accommodating, and Arlyn in Hamilton is very precise and dependable.
Need any more comment? PM me if you want.
Roland
I would like you to sell foundation that fits Dadant frames. Just got done cutting 2400 sheets down. I like your foundation better. I would like you to keep wax from miticide free operations separate, so when I bring in "clean" wax, I can get "clean" foundation.
I like the Dadant top bar better than yours, it is thicker in the area outside the top bar. I like your bottom bar better than the "new" 1/2' Dadant bottom bar. I am thinking of making my own top bar, and using your side and bottom bar.
As for Suppers(hive bodies), we use only deeps, and prefer the large hand holds of Killian the best, but then we have to cut for rabbets(frame rests).
Maxine was very nice and accommodating, and Arlyn in Hamilton is very precise and dependable.
Need any more comment? PM me if you want.
Roland
I have bought both their commercial grade and economy grade. The economy grade was about $1 cheaper so I figured that every 8th or 9th box could be a throw-away and I would be even. I think I threw away 1 out of 50 boxes - mostly due to splitting. Even those were salvaged for repairing or cutting down to a nuc. Had some fit issues which isn't worth the dollar you save when you have to get a saw or chisel out to spend 15 minutes fixing, gluing and clamping. Some knots but few actually required more than some glue to fill gaps. As I mentioned only 1 out of 50 popped bad enough to discard the side. I have spread a bit of epoxy over some knots which can make them pretty strong and prevent pop outs.I am looking for any recent experiences any of you have had with the quality of Dadant's economy grade woodenware. I read the thread from 2005 on this topic and saw they got pretty mixed reviews. Has anyone here purchased any boxes recently? If so what did you think?
I've settled on commercial grade as my standard. Thinking about the long haul I want to see the boxes hold up.
I wonder if anyone has done any experiments with using epoxy on the end grain of the box joints. We use epoxy on boats and it can go under the waterline and last for years. Anyone tried? Stuff is expensive but seems like the corners of boxes tend to deteriorate where the end grain is exposed on the box joint. A quick splash of 2 part epoxy might extend the box for another 5 years. Stuff's expensive but if use only on the vulnerable spots might pay off.
I just bought some commercials from Kelly and they came with the frame rest so I didnt have to pay extra.When I walked in and ask for deeps they actually recommended that I buy the commercials because they were cheaper.i have had no problem with the commercial boxes from Kelleys, except I don't like having to get the frame rest (all their deeps are cut for those) 2 pallets worth and no problem. Some of the pieces were even clear of any knots and some just had a few small 1/4" knots in them.
Bsupplier,Your website is lacking but I still love to do business with you.The web dont matter much to me because I usually walk in or phone.I came in to buy a jacket one time and your girl stopped eating her lunch and went over and sewed a veil and jacket together while I stood there.You cant ask for much better service than that.Thanks again
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