I made three nucs per your instructions and they came out great! Thank you. My nucs came out 1/8" short of the standard 20" box. Is that intentional or should should the side measurements be 19 1/4? Or should I back my dado cut off a 1/16?
20 inch is not standard and is a common mistake. A properly made box made from 3/4 inch lumber should be 19-7/8 in. long. Sounds like yours is perfect.
Thank you so much for posting! I know nothing about woodworking yet, this video was easier for me to understand than all of the others. I wish that I worked for you with your operation!
Great video Bob. I'm building hive equipment also. I found in my first few years that getting your equipment and any thing else you need in the spring and summer done in the winter will keep you from scrambling when spring comes.
Just a tip for John when putting on the handle, the gauge block can be made L shaped, hold down tight to the top, hold the handle with your thumb, nail it.
Bob words spoken so true . My father use to tell me people does not have time to do things correctly BUT they have time to do it over . You sound like a very smart man also . It it so great to see how good you take in your craftsmanship. THANKS
Please keep your videos coming! They are so great and you are a wealth of knowledge. Hope to make a drive down from just above Knoxville TN to see you some day and me you in person.
Don't know if you still check comments on these older videos, but I finally got around to making these nuc boxes and had to offer my thanks for sharing this with everyone! I love how they turned out. I'm looking forward to putting them to use this season.Thanks again, and best wishes!
Bob, i always stay on Sunday morning while I have my coffee and see the videos of your play list ...It’s a saying in Romania : “every beekeeper must to be a carpenter as well” ....you need to know and have wood working skills otherwise you can’t be a good bee keeper Thanks for your videos !
I bet I could ask any of your guys and they all would say that your a great guy to work for. It just shines through everything you show. Thanks for sharing your business process with us.👍👍 good health to you and your family 👍
I wish I had the opportunity to work for you when I was younger. I'm just totally impressed by your organization. It looks like everything you touch is running so smooth. I've done this exact same work from A to Z with very minimal tools and there are so many things I've seen you guys did to facilitate your work and keeping it safe it's amazing to watch. I'm learning a lot as I'm watching you every-single-time. Thank you so much again for sharing what you do. You are a real professional and a great entrepreneur. @11:22, look at those hands, I mean, those are hard working people! All the best for the next season! Merry christmas and happy new year to you Bob and your family and all your great employees! Much love
Been beekeeping since the 70's. Bought another retiring beekeeper out. Was blessed to have someone like him to fall back on. 35 hives to start out made me dizzy. Yes mentor is number 1.
One suggestion for your nuc assembly jig, if I may. You could place a small strip of wood, that is just small enough to fit into the handle slot of the sides of the nuc, and affix it to your jig sides so that when the nuc sides are in place they still fit snug against the jig sides. If the nuc sides are in place any other way, the small strip of wood will prevent the nuc side from sitting flush against the side of the assembly jig and you’ll instantly know that it’s being installed wrong.
Great video as usual and the finished boxes looked really nice. My only issue was i couldn’t hear a word you said while the radial arm saw was running. Subtitles would be nice for that part.
You can use a framing nailer parallel to your wood, but when using a finish nailer you should go perpendicular. the finish nail has a wedge end and if you don't go perpendicular the nail can curve to the outside and stick out. if you go perpendicular even if the nail bends it will still be inside the wood. Just a tip from a very old cabinet maker. Also if your worried about the boards splitting when using the framing nailer, spray the nails with furniture wax.
Thanks Bob. I appreciate your videos, experience and especially your transparency. I was surprised to see in the comments that you are not selling these Nucs in your store but instead intend to use them all! I am very interested in knowing more about how you incorporate these into your operation. Splits? Mating Nucs? I have been beekeeping for just long enough to learn a couple of things. 1: I need to make colonies every season if I want to avoid buying bees every spring. 2: I can save a lot of time by paying careful attention to how beekeepers that have got a system that works are doing their beekeeping. Happy New Year! Dennis
Hi Dennis. We will be using these nucs for both making splits and mating queens. We have had both 5 frame and 3 frame nuc boxes for mating queens and we're replacing the 3 framers with 5 for a couple of reasons. One, you can allow the queen to lay longer before harvest if needed and two, they're more versatile. I know I could sell lots of nuc boxes like these but there is only so much we can do. So funny that we purchase factory made nuc boxes to sell in our store but save these for ourselves. You're right in checking out other successful beekeepers. I've always said that the ones that get good fast are the ones that gather all the "good" info they can before coming up with a plan that works best for them. If you haven't noticed yet you will see that even the most successful beekeepers do it differently than their best friends. Good luck and happy New Year to you.
I know you've done the same thing for years & have a process that's been honed thru the years but have you ever considered building out of Hardie Panels? Cement board is virtually indestructible, holds the paint, & the cost can't be anywhere near what you're investing per box. I'd attach a picture but I haven't figured out how! Love your videos. Stay safe in Tennessee...we opted out d/t the pandemic.
Nice nuc boxes Bob. I built some a couple of winters ago. They aren't that difficult to build. Just need a good table saw. I'm my opinion they are just to expensive to buy.
Great video once again. Please keep up good work. Do you ever make swarm traps to put at your yards to catch any boxes that swarm? If so what lure and box do you use? I use a router table for mating nucs I made. Why dado over routing table?
Thank you. We don't put out swarm traps but if I did I would probably use lemongrass oil in a single deep box with an old comb or two in it, about ten feet off the ground where we could stand on a truck bed and get it. A router table would certainly work well, and would make cleaner cuts too. We used a large industrial router in the shop I worked at in Oregon for many things but the dado blades held up better and did a good enough job for grinding out thousands of rabbit joints for bee boxes. Also makes it easier to use the automatic feed.
I like that smaller entrance on the nuc and of course your whole process. What a nice bunch of boxes. How many weeks do you keep the crew busy making all the wooden ware? Have a great New Years Bob and the crew.
do you not make this style nuc box anymore? with the rounded entrance and dadal cut faces? this was a really good looking box and was looking forward to getting some.
Great video, Do you make your own hive bodies? I'm setting up my woodshop and figuring out how to make finger joints on a large scale or just buy hive bodies. Thanks
Hi Brian. Although we're not currently making hive bodies for ourselves we have in the past. When we buy them we use finger joints. When we make them we use rabbit joints. They'll last years if you do a good job making them.
Good morning Bob, happy holidays. You may have said in the video, but where did the spring-loaded chop saw stops you have come from? Thanks for the timely video.
Hey Bob - great video as always. Question for you. When you have your Nuc in a deep and want to add a second deep for the brood are you adding it below the original Nuc with the queen or above the box she is in? I like to have the double deeps for Queen and brood and then add the honey supers (medium) on. Is there a rule of thumb to follow on this? Thank you and stay safe! - Tom
Could you tell me where you found the 71 mm hole saw that you use to cut your holes in your lids ? The manufacturer and where you found it would be a huge help. Love your videos! Thanks!!
Hi George. The hole saw we use was custom made and very heavy duty. A link for the company that made it is in the video description of Feeding Bees Part 3. You can find 71mm hole saws online through Goggle search. Good luck.
Fantastic information Bob. Many thanks for putting so much into bringing us these video’s. Could you please tell me the brand of fence you use with the radial arm saw. Such a fast and efficient setup. Cheers John Australia
Hi Bob! Love your videos! What is the model number of your Grip Rite Nailer in this video? Or if they don’t sell that model anymore, what is the equivalent?
I'm not near the shop to look at it right now but I believe it is a GRTCS 250. www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/grip-rite-grtcs250?feeds=shopping&gclid=CjwKCAiAirb_BRBNEiwALHlnD0WnmGyyk6PHX33NccZPiTbv1_vhqeVRDugmYeVRLnu9i201V4HJIRoCLcsQAvD_BwE
You have more fun than anyone. Lol great boxes. One question, do you think if I didn’t cut in the handle slot it would be missed? I feel I would use the the ones in front and back more.
Good morning Mr Binnie. I have always done my splits in regular size brood boxes. Is there an advantage to using nuc boxes for the splits instead of the regular brood boxes?
There is a slight advantage with thermoregulation in cold weather. Our reasons for using them are easier handling in large numbers and easier to find a queen when used as a queen mating nuc.
A very good video. I build boxes similarly, but I believe that the sides and the back are better when overlap the bottom board. The seam is hidden from the elements. Good lack in 2021.
Thank You for putting this all together and sharing, Bob! Great Video. Love your shop. Love your fence system on the radial arm saw, too. Are you making your own frames or buying them in bulk?
@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks Bob. Do you buy them pre-assembled? or assemble them yourself? I know you run a huge operation. I would rather put the frames together using TiteBond-3, and staples -so that I know that they are well put together.
@@joecnc3341 We normally build a big stock ourselves in the winter. It gives the beekeepers something to do in mid winter. We also use Titebond glue. This spring we sold and used more than anticipated and had to purchase some preassembled and they looked well done. Of course the cost and freight are always a factor. I can pay employees to assemble for less than preassembled and the freight is less.
@@bobbinnie9872 I'm a big fan of TiteBond-3, and staples on frames. They seem to hold up- but I don't have the years of experience that you do. But it sure helps being a woodworker (and a cnc lathe, mill, router aren't bad to have around either). For my hive boxes - I use 0.75" Finger/Box joints, Titebond-3, and Deck Screws. I want to put together a parrafin dipping tank in the future..... My plan is to make the beekeeping a part of my "working" retirement.
Our wood preservative recipe: 1 gallon "Cu-Nap 8%" copper naphthenate concentrate 6 gallons mineral spirits 2 gallons raw linseed oil We soak for 5 seconds and stack to season while still wet.
Hi again Bob, I was just doing some calculating on the lf cost of 3/4 in HDO (32 lf at $50/sheet = $1.56 lf) whereas 1x12 lf for pine is over double that at Lows. I realize I could find a lumber broker and likely get the cost down for a unit of 1/12 pine but my questions is, is there any reason, when considering bee health, or other factor I may not be considering, that it might not be good to use HDO for the entire nuc? I live in WA, Bellingham to be exact, so long wet winters. I have been using Inter lux 1026, a marine grade sealer to seal my exposed end cuts before priming and painting. Thanks in advance for any advice. I love your operation and wisdom, invaluable!!
HDO is heavier than the white pine we use per board ft. It's not a big deal if you are making a limited amount but when you're moving dozens or more that extra weight may be a consideration. Also, the price in our area ranges between $90.00 and $95.00 per sheet for HDO. Besides that I think it would good and probably hold up better.
Hi Bob i noticed you placed the glue on the end grain of the HDO rather than the side grain @13:30 then you drove the nails through the end grain. is there any reason for applying the glue to the end grain rather than the side or does it not matter likewise with the nails im an ametuer woodworker and was taught to put nails and screws through the side grain rather than end grain to prevent splitting. again is there a reason or does it not matter with HDO. Thanks for making this video and any advice is greatly appreciated. :-D
Hi Wayne. Good catch that most people miss. In most instances you would be correct. However, this plywood is so tough it's a little harder to shoot a small staple through three outer resin layers and because of the way it's manufactured it's very strong sideways. It never splits or separates.
Bob, have you ever used Jigs like Leigh's RTJ400 for constructing Finger-jointed Deep brood boxes. If yes, are they useful and durable for long term use. They seem to make the work easy, and if so, I would like to import a couple of them from USA! How are they in reality? Kindly comment.
We do sell nuc boxes but we don't currently have the same one as in this video because of lumber prices. What we have now is cut from paraffin dipped plywood. If you're interested they can be seen in the video I'm putting out this coming Sunday morning (3-27).
I watch these videos and haven't any idea where to start sourcing the quantity of wood necessary to make a shop like this work. In particular, the 1x material which doesn't leave so much waste. I have also have very marginal luck finding MDO or HDO stock, and frankly none which is truly affordable. Ideas on how to get started?
Hi Byron. We're lucky that in our area there are several small mills that we can purchase from. Every once in a while our local lumber yard can give us a good deal on 1x12 from New Hampshire. When buying from small mills we always make sure it is kiln dried for best results. HDO is always expensive, even by the unit. Bridge contractors will occasionally have used HDO to give away or sell cheap.
Radial Arm Saw, your table and dust collector look great. Thought you started in woodworking. I try to understand the spacing under what seems to be a 3/4” plywood. Hope you did plans or more pics
I love the way how you make the handles. It's so easy. Unfortunately, such saw blades (dado set) are not approved by the employer's liability insurance coverage in Germany.😪
Thanks for the information ! Here in europe we make our hives jointed with clips , joints.The lid and the bottom are connected with them so when we move to another area to hunt the honey flow ,the hive stays in place so are the bees inside.How come your nucs and regural hives stays in place?I mean i see that you tight them with straps but all the other time the hive is ready to open? What if some animals push them (cattle ,hogs)?
@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you for the answer!But still dont they dismantle during the transportation?Or when you cary hives when unloading from the truck? Here we drive bees through the mountains in very rough terrain.
@@RKalos In the summer we try to wait several days after working the hives before moving so they will have time to stick together well. They can come apart easier in cold weather when the propolis isn't sticky. We do our best to tie them down well and rough mountain roads would definitely make it more difficult. We've moved thousands of colonies thousands of miles and of course have had many problems along the way. I suppose I don't have a perfect answer for you, we just do the best we can and it works. Thanks.
Can you confirm the taller box design is to accommodate a pollen pattie up top without having to add a raised ring to the lids? If so is that simply to save material and time or possibly other benefits?
We use a 10 inch box instead of 9-5/8 because there aren't any strips below the box on the bottom board which in our case would be 3/8 in. The bottom board is flat. If you are referring to the frame rest being 3/4 instead of 5/8 that's just to provide a true 3/8 in. bee space between the top bars and the flat lid.
@@LaraLovesBees We use extra shims on our nucs when feeding patties to keep the hive beetle problems to a minimum. The bees need to police as much surface area as possible on the patty.
Another question Bob . So you said you use a 3/4 dado for the frame rest on your nucs but not on the supers or hive bodies . We used to use it on all our supers so we had bee space above the frames and out hive cover was a flat 3/4 " board . Why the 5/8 " on the supers ???
I like to keep everything standard in most cases so equipment from a variety of sources will stack and work together. I do think the bees benefit from the extra 1/8 inch space under a flat lid and I don't ever stack nuc boxes, so I don't worry about being standard in that particular case.
Thanks for the info I find in this area the supers being sold have the frames flush with the top of the super which forces you to use an inner cover . I just deepen the frame rest so I can use my 3/4" ply reversable lids one side has an upper entrance in it for cooling and ventillation during hot spells and drying in large nectar flows and the other is flat to close the entrance off if needed . Turning the inner cover over floods them out thru the feed hole during rains if you want to close off the upper entrance I like the keep it simple too ... one lid for multi purpose .
On the holes for the lids, are you putting a lid in the hole with no holes in it? Also, I notice when you feed, you don't put an outer shell around the bucket. Is that ever a problem? We use 1 gallon buckets to feed with. Thanks for the video. Good one.
If we aren't feeding we do put in a cap without holes. The only potential problem with buckets is the wind could blow them off once they are empty. If we're worried about that we put a small brick or rock on top.
