# 5 Frame Nuc - D. Coates Version



## jeremy12345

The PDF download doesn't seem to work. It just takes me to the homepage.


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## JWPalmer

Go to this thread.








Plans for D. Coates Nuc


5-frame D. Coates nuc plans.




www.beesource.com


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## Woofee

I have a cut list that can get almost 5 nucs from a single sheet 96x48 with a 0.125 blade thickness. I used https://www.cutlistoptimizer.com/ to do the calculations. See the JPG below, or the attached PDF. Have not tried the cuts yet. It is missing one Front/Back cut, one Side cut, and the Top Cleat, but it might be possible to get four of the Top Cleat cuts from what is left over. Please check my work to make sure I have not overlooked something. Thanks.

Also you might be able to get a big box store to make four cuts, and make life a little easier for you.

https://www.cutlistoptimizer.com/ allows you ten calculations a day for free.


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## Woofee

Rerun the calculations but this time with two sheets, looking to get 9 Nucs out of the available space. Here is the results, with no missing parts. 1/8 Kerf.


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## Woofee

Finally a very efficient 3 sheet, 14 Nuc design. 1/8 Kerf.


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## William Bagwell

Woofee said:


> Also you might be able to get a big box store to make four cuts, and make life a little easier for you.
> 
> https://www.cutlistoptimizer.com/ allows you ten calculations a day for free.


Thanks for the link! The combination here solves a dilemma for anyone who can not haul a full 4 X 8 sheet. Have a step side pickup so a single rip is all I need. Have used a utility knife and a straight edge in the parking lot several times the past two years. Works great for foam or lauan. Not so well for 3/4" sub-flooring... Wait in line at the saw


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## JWPalmer

Thanks for doing some of the "heavy lifting" in develoing a cut sheet. There is another program that does not have use limitations called maxcut. It works fairly well but sometimes I wonder about the cutting choices.





MaxCut







www.maxcutsoftware.com


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## AHudd

Woofee said:


> Finally a very efficient 3 sheet, 14 Nuc design. 1/8 Kerf.


Thanks for putting forth the effort as I intend to build about 30 of these this Spring. I was also considering making some two or three frame mating nucs.

Alex


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## Woofee

AHudd said:


> Thanks for putting forth the effort as I intend to build about 30 of these this Spring. I was also considering making some two or three frame mating nucs.
> 
> Alex


That would be great to make some three frame nucs. When you get the dimensions and the cut list from the website I linked to, I would be interested to try it myself.


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## AHudd

Woofee said:


> That would be great to make some three frame nucs. When you get the dimensions and the cut list from the website I linked to, I would be interested to try it myself.


I registered on the cut list website only to reach my very generous limit of free daily calculations before completing my cut lists. I played around with it quite a bit.
The dimensions I used are as follows.
Sides 10.25 x 19.125 multiples of 2
Top 6 x 22 (1)
Bottom 5.5 x 20 (1)
Front & Back 7.5 x 6.5 2
Front & Back updated 9.5" x 4.5" (2)
Hive Cleat 5.5 x 2 (2)
Top Cleat . 75 x 5.5 (2)

I opted to not upgrade as I will rarely use this type of tool.

I'll try again tomorrow.

Alex


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## AHudd

This one works for me because I need about 20.

Alex


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## mtnmyke

I made a sheet of these about 7 years ago. They've held up great but something got messed up because the frames fit very tight on the ends where is very hard to move frames in the box. I didn't have a table saw at the time so I had home depot cut them from the cut list...

Since then I've expanded my woodworking tools a bit but want to make sure it's done right this time.

I may give Sheathing Plywood 0.563 in. x 48 in. x 96 in. a go since it's only $40 a sheet and should hold up well. Not as expensive as the sanded stuff that looks prettier, but will hold up a lot better than OSB or other cheap options.

.06 is so close I also shouldn't have to adjust my cuts much, if at all. Although I may make my sides 1/8" longer to give the frames a bit more room.

Thoughts?


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## AHudd

The length of the sides is definitely the most important. You could measure the outside dimension of your frames, end bar to end bar, then add 1/2 to 3/4 for your side measurement. If that corresponds to whatever plan you're using you should be good to go. If not, whatever you add to the sides also add to the top. The bottom is not that critical.
There are many on this site that are much better carpenters than I am, so if this advice is wrong, please correct me.

Alex


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## mtnmyke

I'll definitely make sure the measurements are current this round. Other than having to force some of the frames in, they have held up really well.

The lids could use some work as they have warped. Not sure if it's the wood I used or just having them outside for years. I may trim them out to be more like a telescoping cover. I did this initially on a few and they seem to have held up much better.


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## Woofee

mtnmyke said:


> I'll definitely make sure the measurements are current this round. Other than having to force some of the frames in, they have held up really well.
> 
> The lids could use some work as they have warped. Not sure if it's the wood I used or just having them outside for years. I may trim them out to be more like a telescoping cover. I did this initially on a few and they seem to have held up much better.


What I was thinking of doing was get a single sheet of plywood design, build them to make sure I had the right size, and then use a multiple sheet design once happy with the fit.

I'm also going to check that the Kerf on the blade if I use Home Depot is a 1/8, and measure them as they are cut to make sure they are cutting it correctly. I don't need them to cut all the pieces for me, but at least three or four of the long cuts.


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## mtnmyke

The guy who cut mine was a little irritated that I wanted then precise.

Luckily, I now own a decent table saw so ripping everything myself will be easy. If you have HD cut it out, I'd have them add 1/8" - 1/4" length to the sides. I would have preferred these to be a hair long than short, as they are.


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## mgolden

Add 1/8 inch to length of top bar of a frame. Too long is also an annoying problem as frames slide off the rails.


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## AHudd

AHudd said:


> This one works for me because I need about 20.
> 
> Alex


This attachment contains an error. I have asked the mods to delete it. I also asked them to correct post # 11 which they have done.
With the current price of plywood even small mistakes can be costly.

Alex


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## BeemanBJ

Sorry guys but this design can be improved. The sides (A) and back (E) should form the height of the box. The witdh of the bottom (C) should measure the inside size of the box. This way, rainwater does not damage the bottom connection.


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## G3farms

If you did that then the front and back would be two different heights. The front would have to be shorter by the thickness of the plywood since the bottom extends passed the front piece.

Just an extra piece of the puzzle to get in the wrong place.


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