[Absinthe]

So two 8' rough cut boards from Home Depot. Will almost make three 8 frame deeps, with enough left over to make feeding shims, or frame out bottom boards (if a cdx piece of screen is added) or perhaps some parts of a top cover.

Oh, yeah. When setting the depth of the cut for finger joints, remember to use the planed wood, not the small cutoff that never went through the planer Hooray for belt sanders, because with the nails in place, I am not risking a plane iron on trimming them down

 

[Gray Goose]

they look good
why would you plane the end down?
If you look at one that is 20+ years old the ends rot back, starting 1/8 proud would add life to the box.

GG

 

[mamm7215]

I can promise you that none of the 40,000 bees in that hive will care about the uneven ends...

 

[JConnolly]

If I'm buying 1x stock then I usually buy it in 6' lengths (for 8 frame boxes). There is only 4" of scrap left, which is usually enough extra that you can square up the ends and reposition that knot that would otherwise end up in your joint.

However, if you have a planer and can resaw, don't forget to check the pricing of the 2x stock, it's often cheaper than the 1x.

 

[crofter]

If I'm buying 1x stock then I usually buy it in 6' lengths (for 8 frame boxes). There is only 4" of scrap left, which is usually enough extra that you can square up the ends and reposition that knot that would otherwise end up in your joint.

However, if you have a planer and can resaw, don't forget to check the pricing of the 2x stock, it's often cheaper than the 1x.

You will end up with stock that is under 3/4" unless you have full 2" stock and not the nominal 2X. Many of the box manufacturers are using actual size 7/8 stock.

 

[Jim Braun]

When I make 10 frame boxes I always buy 10' 1x's. The 19 1/8" long side leaves 4" - 6" left over. The 16 1/4" short side leave 10" - 14" or so left over. If I'm making deeps I have pieces for inner cover and other shim sized materials. I don't care for using box joints and so I make mine with rabbet joints. I have been making my wooden ware since 2012 and the only time I have had any failures is one batch 2 years ago the 19 1/8" sides cupped. Since I only use 18 gauge brads 2 out of 10 failed and I took them apart and cleaned them up and reglued and used screws on those 2. The big box stores rarely carry 10' but my small town lumber store does. And yes the lumber has been dimensioned to 3/4" but I'm ok with that.

The last batch of nucs I used 6" of scraps glued and screwed to the sides. My big fingers some times have a hard time holding on to the 3/8" groove I have been using for handholds.

Your work looks good!

 

[JWPalmer]

So absinthe, what did the final outside dimensions end up being? I would be less worried about the ends standing proud as I would be that the interior of the box won't accept the frames.

 

[JConnolly]

You will end up with stock that is under 3/4"

?? I don't follow what you are saying. If I resaw at 7/8 and set my planer stop at 3/4 then I'm not going to end up with stock that is under 3/4" I've done this many times from standard 2x, 1-1/2 thick lumber when its cheaper.

 

[crofter]

?? I don't follow what you are saying. If I resaw at 7/8 and set my planer stop at 3/4 then I'm not going to end up with stock that is under 3/4" I've done this many times from standard 2x, 1-1/2 thick lumber when its cheaper.

Sorry I jumped to the conclusion you were talking of splitting the 1 1/2" stock evenly. I see now you had in mind a 7/8 and 1/2" split. If you were into making the British box style joinery to Lang dimensions you could use the thinner stock there too. A bit fiddly but is classy looking.

 

[Gray Goose]

2 layers of the 1/2 inch with 1/2 inch foam in between makes a good lid.

GG

 

[Absinthe]

So absinthe, what did the final outside dimensions end up being? I would be less worried about the ends standing proud as I would be that the interior of the box won't accept the frames.

The interior is 12-1/4" x 18-3/4" (or 18 3/8"), Frame fits in there just fine. As a matter of fact, I can use the 1/4" groove down the center of each face to put in a splitter and comfortably fit 4 frames on each side of it. So I can double nuc it and not lose a frame as long as I don't need to do internal frame feeder.