# Rough sawn boxes



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Anybody have boxes that are made from rough sawn wood? I just bought a portable sawmill and plan to start milling all the wood for my boxes. I don't have any plans to plane anything down right now, but with owning the mill I can cut it to 3/4 so it matches up with my other boxes..... I have a 4 day weekend coming up and plan to get some milling done, so maybe I will get some pictures up.


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## TwT (Aug 5, 2004)

I am looking into getting a planner, there is a few around here that sales ruff cut lumber cheap, and its dried wood, he said he cuts all his 1" thick so planning it would bring it close to 3/4"..... this is the sizes he mainly cuts 1"x6, 1"x8", 1"x12", nice looking wood......


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Anybody have boxes that are made from rough sawn wood? 

Yes. But if it's green be sure to allow for shrinkage. I've seen the numbers in a book somewhere around here, on what to allow for shrinkages, but can't find it off hand. If I find them I'll post them.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

well bluegrass if you are using one of those portable band saw mills the finish surface coming off the mill is not that rough. matter of fact with a once over with a sander most woods are usable right off the mill (for certain you would need to dry any green wood if you were making boxes). I would likely consider purchasing a used planer. have you checked the .com used machinery resources such as talladega machinery supply (tms.com I think???).


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

I'd plane the lumber after either kiln drying or stickering and air drying. If you plan on using green lumber, your girls are going to have to make quite a bit of propolis to attempt to seal your boxes, what with all of the warping, checking and twisting your going to get with green lumber! Not to mention getting the frames to fit properly...

I acquire my pine/spruce (and most of my hardwoods too) from a mill just down the road -- cheaper than me buying the equipment and doing the work, as it is .35bf (and he's got most of it dry)! If it is not dry (I check with a moisture meter) I sticker it, and allow it to dry -- pine doesn't take but 2-3 months total. I plane it to dimension, and paint it after assembly. It is easier to paint planed versus rough wood.

Here's a link to a handy chart - you'll find it useful when you mill the wood to rough: http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/woodmove.shtml

MM


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## bee crazy (Oct 6, 2005)

Congrats on the new saw. I have a woodmizer and I just love it. I actually use it a lot more during the winter as the bees keep me busy all summer. I sell the hardwoods and use the money to buy my pine for hive boxes. I tried using green hardwood lumber for the boxes but the weight was prohibited, even after it was dried.

Good luck and we want to see pictures.


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## Alan (Feb 13, 2006)

All of my equipment is made from rough-cut pine that I get from one of the local sawmills. I have built probably 1200 boxes so far, all 1" thick, with the interior dimensions matching up with the standard 3/4" boxes you can buy. I don't see any disadvantages/differences between the rough-cut boxes and ones that have been planed down. The bees seem to smooth-out the interior surface with propolis, which may actually be beneficial to the hive. The other advantages are the extra 1/4" of insulation, and the increased savings when buying the raw lumber. But if you can cut the boards yourself, you've got me beat.


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

I can get all the logs for free so the mill, (which I hope will pay for itself in sidework) the bands, and gas is all that I will have into them. I bought a TimberKing 1600 after looking at a few Woodmizers.......I had to go with the most bang for the buck and that hydraulic logloader is a must in my book Most everything I will be milling will be green, but I can air dry it all and I might set up a solar kiln one day. Most everything growing in Ky is hardwood so except for a little cedar and white pine, my boxes are going to be heavy. I have some elm I am supposed to pick up friday.


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## WVbeekeeper (Jun 4, 2007)

i've made some bottom boards out of oak. man they are heavy. i took this on out of circulation a few years ago to screen the bottom. guess i'll finally do it his winter. even after it was air dried, you can see where the boards still shrunk.
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/6203/img2050hn0.jpg
i've also made some supers out of different types of wood, but i really like poplar.
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/4987/img2051yo2.jpg
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/1865/img2052lk9.jpg
here's a nuc i made a few years ago, i've only used it once. the back part is a cavity for an inverted feeder. as long as the lid (for a jar) is in place, the bees can't get in. i am thinking of modifying it with some masonite and screen to hold a larger volume of syrup.
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5678/img2053mp0.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/1458/img2054qd1.jpg


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

bluegrass sezs:
I had to go with the most bang for the buck and that hydraulic logloader is a must in my book

tecumseh replies:
oh you lucky dog... and I bet your back just loves you too?


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Still plenty of back work involved, but for the same money I could have had a Woodmizer with just ramps and a cable handwinch for loading.... I had to pass


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## Hampton (Apr 24, 2007)

Bluegrass,

Congrats on the new mill. I have a protable Hud-Son mill and find it make anything I need or want. You could cut at 1" and make your boxes just like a previous poster had said. I cut most of mine at 1" and plain them but I suppose I could leave them rough. With your own sawmill you can do anything you want.


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## Walt McBride (Apr 4, 2004)

WVbee, interesting concept of your nuic box, rear feeder!
Walt


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## WVbeekeeper (Jun 4, 2007)

Walt McBride said:


> WVbee, interesting concept of your nuic box, rear feeder!
> Walt


thanks walt. i'm going to modify it this winter and repopulate it next spring, i'll let you know how it works. the three frame styrofoam mini mating nucs have a similar feeder like the one i want to make for it. the set up for the inverted jar worked great when i used it, but if i could set it up to hold greater volumes of syrup it would be less trips to the nuc to check on a jar of feed.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

mr mcbride sezs:
interesting concept of your nuic box

tecumseh replies:
I notice that one of those fairly know names that produces a lot of queens hereabouts uses a lot of double mini nucs where the feeder serves two nucs and divides the unit.


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## Hampton (Apr 24, 2007)

To carry on from a previous post. I was thinking of making a few hives using custom cut wood having a 1 1/2" wall thinkness vs. 3/4". These would be a little bigger than the standard box sizes, but would there be any advantage of the extra wood in insulation? The inside area would be the same as normal boxes. I'm planning on all mediums. The larger boxes would be used for the brood chambers. Having a portable sawmill I can cut any size lumber I want and the logs are free. The sawing cost to me is the same.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

The R value of wood varies from hardwood being about .75, and softwood around 1.4 per inch. So, insulation-wise, sure, there are advantages. But you're going to have an aching back lifting mediums. I think the box alone at 3/4" must weigh on the order of 6 pounds, then add the frames, foundation, comb, bees, honey... Ouch!

MM


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## Hampton (Apr 24, 2007)

The object of my plan is to make the brood chambers from 1 1/2" pine. The box would weight twice what the regular boxes do. Give or take. All mediums. I am interested in if the extra weight is worth the extra insulation in wall thickness of the brood chamber. I'm sure the weight of the larger box full in a medium will be lighter than a regular deep full. I don't think the extra weight is too much. I will be able to stack regular mediums on top for honey supers.


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## shylock3 (Jun 8, 2006)

I've got a B-20 timberking, the loaders are nice, but there is still a lot of backbreaking work to a sawmill. I sawed 3 days last week sawing out a barn pattern. 18ft 6x6s are hard to do anything with. I'm sore allover. I'm going to saw some Cedar for boxes, I've already got some Popular.


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## BGhoney (Sep 26, 2007)

*Ruff Saw*

Sounds like fun, I had a 96 woodmizer with hydro loader. It paid for itself in a little over a year, just sawing on the side. I bought a grizzly 20 inch planner that works great. You can put 3 2x6s in it at a time and dosn't slow down.

I milled all mine at 7/8ths dried it and planned it down to 3/4 worked good. Drying you dont lose much in thickness, but you do in length. Make sure it is very dry before you plann if you do.

P.S. with the bandsaw its not very ruff..


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

shylock3 said:


> I've got a B-20 timberking, the loaders are nice, but there is still a lot of backbreaking work to a sawmill. I sawed 3 days last week sawing out a barn pattern. 18ft 6x6s are hard to do anything with. I'm sore allover. I'm going to saw some Cedar for boxes, I've already got some Popular.


What bands do you run? I refrained from buying timberking because they want to0 much for them.... I am trying Simonds right now as they where recommended to me by another b20 owner. Do you do your own setting and sharpening?


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## Gene O (Feb 19, 2006)

I found that poplar is the best light if you let it cure out then plane it i buy rough cut and then when it's ready got my on plane works the best


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