# Can someone give me plan dimensions (in inches) for a Cloake board or...



## davel (Jan 29, 2011)

Can you tell me where to find the plans? I went to Cushman's site and I'm sorry but I can't make heads or tails from that. 
Thanks for the help!
Dave


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

First build a solid bottom board out of a piece of plywood 16.25" x 22". (note: it's not reversible but is totally flat on the bottom of the "bottom board") Use 3/4" pieces for the sides and back. 
Next cut a hole in it like shown in the photos.
Screw a queen excluder like shown to the bottom. 
Last step is cut a piece of aluminum coil stock 24" x the size that fits. Mine is approximately 14.75" wide. Bend it with your paws. 























Here is when I used it to attempt grafting which failed because I was trying to do it during a dearth. (silly me)


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## davel (Jan 29, 2011)

Thanks Aunt Betty!


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

I chose to screw 1/2' spacers on three sides of a wood bound metal queen excluder, cut a piece of 1/8" luan plywood to fit between the side spacers and extend slightly out the front. The plywood functions as the "slide" and you have minimal special equipment hanging around.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

By the way that coil stock stuff is perfect for covering your telescoping covers if you're wanting them that way.
Harbor freight sells hand-brakes for bending. I bought the 6" one that looks like plyers (seamer)
and a 18" one that's flat. (sheet metal bending tool) 
The sheet metal bending tool is perfect in that it makes a 1" bend. Perfect for the part you nail thru.
http://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-sheet-metal-folding-tool-96523.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-jaw-straight-sheet-metal-seamer-98728.html

If you're into building your own here's a video showing how to do it.


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## soarwitheagles (May 23, 2015)

Wow, I just made my first Cloake board last night. But after looking at various photos on Google, I thought the dimensions were suppose to be identical to the bee box! Are you guys making your Cloake boards longer for the purpose of a landing area for the bees?

Geez, all the pics on Google are showing the board the identical dimensions of the bee box if I see it right...

I am attaching a pic of my quick and dirty version of my new Cloake board. Hope I do not need to rename it to Croak Board!

Someone help me out here please!

Edit/update: Now that I look more closely, some of the Cloake boards are sized identical to the bee box, others have the extension.....wassssssup with that?


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Gleanings December 1993 article by Vincent Doyle is worth looking up to see how a Cloake board was designed by Harry Cloake and to read the sequence for using it.


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

mine are the same size as the hive, the slide sticks out enough so I can break it loose and pull it out.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Here is mine. I put the queen excluder under that box instead of on top of that box then other boxes on top of that.
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/FWOFFrame3.jpg
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/FWOF1.jpg
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/FWOF2.jpg

The sides are a piece of one by cut 3/4" by 3/4" with a 1/4" by 1/4" cut out of the corner and an 1/8" luan sheet cut to fit. A one by two holds the front (and makes a landing board if you care about that, which I don't).


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

Cloak Board a-la Dave Cushman

Conversion link


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

The Dave Cushman design appears to be intended for a square Brother Adam / Modified Dadant Jumbo beehive.

I'd recommend what Michael Bush has shown in his photograph, but I only use them for queen banking. Michael Palmer says he wants more control over the 5- to 15-day-old bees that the Cloake Board offers. His method works very well if you have at least 6 strong hives to support your Cell Builder colony. I'd recommend the Michael Palmer / Brother Adam queen rearing method for any apiary large enough to support it.

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If you have less than that, you can make fewer queen cells (try keeping it to 16 or less) in a 12-inch tall, ventilated 6-frame nucleus box, stuffed full of 5- to 10-day-old nurse bees. You can do this several times during the season, reducing the number of queen cells as the pollen flow tapers off.

The latter nucleus box method works very well with two such 6-frame, ventilated nuc's and 32 mating box hives, used 16 at a time, on an 11-day cycle. The bees stay in the mating nuc's for 22 days, when they cycle out to full-size boxes.

The Cloake Board is very useful in running a queen bank colony. See Dr. Susan W. Cobey's website, 

www.honeybeeinsemination.com

Click on "Resources", scroll down to the article titled "A versatile queen rearing and banking system Part II - conclusion: use of the Cloake Board for banking purposes. American Bee Journal 145(5): 385-386."


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## davel (Jan 29, 2011)

Thanks all!


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