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bajaboyd New Bee
Joined: 29 May 2014 Posts: 3 Location: USA, California, San Diego
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 3:43 pm Post subject: TBH construction |
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I have built my first hive following PJ Chandlers plans. I even have it loaded with very industrious bees I am very satisfied with the progress being made. I have an immediate problem though. Both the follower boards warped significantly. I replaced one of them using different wood. Ash instead if Western Red Cedar. That is beginning to warp also Is there some secret that I am missing? |
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Dexter's shed Scout Bee
Joined: 16 May 2014 Posts: 307 Location: Grays, Essex, UK
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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all woods will warp to a degree depending on water content etc, new/seasoned timber/heat/cold etc
as it's now happened twice, why not try either a plywood or plastic substitute |
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Manuel Robert Guard Bee
Joined: 04 Dec 2011 Posts: 73 Location: Bischofsheim, Rhön , Germany
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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you could also use tongue and groove boards ( not too wide ones ) screwed onto battens without pushing them too tightly together ( the boards ). |
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trekmate Golden Bee

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 1137 Location: UK, North Yorkshire, Bentham
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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If you try again use wood from the centre of the tree. Look at the end-grain, if you see part circles it's from the outer part of the tree, if you see the centre of the rings it's from the middle of the tree and less likely to warp, no matter what the wood.
The source of the problem though is high humidity on one side and low humidity the other. |
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stevecook172001 Moderator Bee

Joined: 19 Jul 2013 Posts: 443 Location: Loftus, Cleveland
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 5:21 pm Post subject: Re: TBH construction |
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bajaboyd wrote: | I have built my first hive following PJ Chandlers plans. I even have it loaded with very industrious bees I am very satisfied with the progress being made. I have an immediate problem though. Both the follower boards warped significantly. I replaced one of them using different wood. Ash instead if Western Red Cedar. That is beginning to warp also Is there some secret that I am missing? | If, by the follower boards, you mean the rectangular end boards of the hive, one way to limit warpage would be to construct a crude laminate board with two layers. That is to say, cut some tongued and grooved planking to the size of the board and push them together. Then cut some more and push these together but at right angles to the first. Then place one on top of the other and screw then together. The tendency to warp, of one set of planks, will be offset by the tendency of the other to warp at right angles to it. Overall, you should get less warpage. Finally, the thicker the boards you make, the less they will warp. In which case, you could laminate the above follower board with three layers. You could even, if you are skilled enough, vary these layers at several angles and not just right angles. This would limit the risk of warpage even further for obvious reasons.
Last edited by stevecook172001 on Thu May 29, 2014 11:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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biobee Site Admin

Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 1059 Location: UK, England, S. Devon
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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...or just use external grade plywood, sealed with shellac. That's what I do. |
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jumbleoak Scout Bee
Joined: 03 Aug 2010 Posts: 295 Location: UK, England, Kent
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 6:10 pm Post subject: Re: TBH construction |
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stevecook172001 wrote: | If, by the follower boards, you mean the rectangular end boards of the hive |
No, that's not what he meant - or rather, if he went by the plans, it's not what he should mean. The followers are the hanging trapezoidal shaped things that bound the extent of the hive.
It's seems to be a fairly common problem. Some people use ply. As said above, tongue and groove, or just glued together strips (thin planks) can be used, and might help. Some people don't use them at all. |
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CeeBee Foraging Bee
Joined: 16 Jun 2013 Posts: 107 Location: UK, Cambridge, Milton
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Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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Is the warping actually causing a problem? I guess it is, otherwise you wouldn't be trying different things. Mine (made of the same 'scaffolding board' as most of the hive itself, so about as thick as a top bar, certainly aren't flat - neither are the sides of the hive. I've planed and filed them (before bees were in residence) to achieve a compromise fit in the half of the hive where the particular follower is to be used. Better loose (too small) than not fitting at all - the worst thing, I reckon, is when it jams agsinst the sides (or hits the bottom) before the bar at the top is resting on the sides - if this happens, then it's likely to pivot about the contact points and leave a gap between it and the first bar. |
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Barbara Site Admin
Joined: 27 Jul 2011 Posts: 1857 Location: England/Co.Durham/Ebchester
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 9:18 am Post subject: |
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I agree with CeeBee. A perfect fit is not important, but if the warping is causing problems, I used an old sheet of quarter inch MDF which I had lying around. It certainly won't warp. I painted it with melted wax just to seal in any unpleasant chemicals in the glue from the bees but to be fair the bees are hardly ever on it. Sandwiched it between two thin lats at the top for it to hang from and works a treat. |
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andy pearce Silver Bee
Joined: 30 Aug 2009 Posts: 663 Location: UK, East Sussex, Brighton
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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External plywood... works fine.
A |
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catchercradle Golden Bee

Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 1550 Location: Cambridge, UK
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Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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Untreated scaff boards seem good. We get the ones that are rejects for scaffolding but can cut them such that the flaws don't cause a problem. Local place that also recycles wood round Cambridge does them. |
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jumbleoak Scout Bee
Joined: 03 Aug 2010 Posts: 295 Location: UK, England, Kent
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 4:26 am Post subject: |
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catchercradle wrote: | Untreated scaff boards seem good. |
For follower boards? |
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madasafish Silver Bee
Joined: 29 Apr 2009 Posts: 882 Location: Stoke On Trent
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Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:16 am Post subject: |
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I use Insulation - Celotex or Kingspan aluminised.. Fixed to top bar. Easily cut to shape.. and of course it can be easily made to fit using small bits of card. Cover the cut ends with aluminium foil and paint with masonry paint.
Nice and light.. |
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MikeRobinson Foraging Bee
Joined: 01 Apr 2012 Posts: 201 Location: Upper Northwest Georgia, USA
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Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:40 am Post subject: |
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Followers can be made of other kinds of (non-wood) building material fastened into a top-bar. But another way to deal with warping is to lightly coat them with Thompson's Water-Seal. (Just one thinnest coat will do nicely.) I used this on the outside of the hive (not the inside), and on the roof, and in three seasons they still look fine. If the follower seriously-warped, it might not have been made of a well-seasoned wood?
All of the wood that I used anywhere consisted of weathered boards that had been used somewhere-else on the farm during the past 20 years or so; dismantled sheds and so-forth, all unpainted. |
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