Hi Greg - nice examples ...
Ok - first a bit of chat about how this thing evolved. It started with me considering whether a one-piece Warre was a practical proposition. This was what I came up with:
As you can see, rather than nadiring boxes, all that's required is to move the floor panel downwards ... But - with such a small footprint, having so much weight up top would have meant a high centre of gravity. Visions of the hive falling over in even the most modest of winds.
So - how about rotating that hive down to the ground ? Such a horizontal hive would have the combs running lengthways - something we've already discussed. Only one horizontal hive in the world has that format: the Die Bienenkiste - so how about copying their basic concept, but keeping Warre dimensions, and replacing the Bienenkiste combs with removable frames, and staying with the convention of opening a hive's top, rather than inverting it and removing it's bottom ?
But why ? So that - as with the Bienenkiste - there is no longer a honey-barrier created, which defines the size of the brood nest and which demands beekeeper management in order to rectify this problem.
The other issue I very much wanted to deal with is that of the galleries. I'm going to stick my neck out here and claim that the galleries between combs are of significant importance to the bees, and yet their importance has been pretty-much ignored ever since removable combs were invented. So - what I wanted to create was a system which ensured that the galleries were restored to their former positions
exactly after each comb removal. And not just 'near enough', say to the nearest couple of millimetres - but to their
exact width and position. This is then what resulted:
It's only a concept diagram, but it's all I have handy right now. As you can see, it comprises of 3 sets of 8 standing frames and a built-in partition-QX.
I had originally planned to mount the frames on s/s rods (1/2" water pipe) but then decided to make the frames with legs instead. These legs sit on anti-friction strips, so that the frames can more easily be closed-up when heavy.
Closing-up the frames is done by three lead screws (not 6 as shown) which protrude through the hive side wall. For now these are common steel - if the hive has potential, then these will be replaced by s/s. The lead screws press against the centre of a pressure plate (not much pressure - but what else to call them ?), with the pressure being transferred to the corners of the plate where it interfaces with the four adjustable spacing screws which each frame is fitted with.
Although I've shown the frame designation as 2x8 brood, 1x8 honey - with your 6-frame commercial guy's method in mind, those frames could always be reversed: 2x8 brood until the flow starts, then relocate 1x8 (with the queen) into the back compartment - which is basically what D.L.Adair's New Idea was, back in the day.
Current Status: Box built, almost finished painting it. Frames built, still need starter-strips added. Pressure Plates and several dummy frames also built and are currently being painted. Still needs Crown Boards (inner covers) making, and a roof.
I'll take a picture of the real thing tomorrow and post it here.
'best
LJ