# So, what did you scrounge today? Braggin encouraged



## challenger (May 27, 2009)

Oh yeah, great scrounge day for me.I stopped by some dumpsters at a few houses being built. I was actually only "in the market" for some of those pull caps that go in the lids of 5 gallon paint pails. I made several hivers with 2" holes for feeders and these plug the hole when the feeder isn't on the hives. I found two full sheets of 6mm coroplast, many 3-4' drops of brandy new 1X6 clear pressure treated two 12' lengths of primed 1X4 and I don't know how many feet of 1X1. The last was ripped from some other stock but I always find a use for 1X1. 
Not bee related but I also found 15 half, well maybe 3/4 smoked cigarettes, I half bottle of orange juice, another half bottle of ice tea that wasn't iced any more. Actually it was kinda warm now that I think about it. I better check to make sure it's ice tea and not....ah forget it, this I'm throwing away. Lastly was one almost complete McDonald's McBisquit, McMega, breakfast burger. Someone must have tripped and accidentally flung it into the dumpster. No pickle. I can't understand why people spend all this money on gourmet food and intentionally leave out the pickle. Doesn't matter though. I always carry pickles with me so I was good to go.
What did you scrounge today?


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## Steve in PA (Jan 26, 2015)

An ice cream maker, 2 string trimmers, a router and router table, and some flower pots that were all bound for the dumpster.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I could have participated in this thread topic had you not put "today" on the title.

My scrounging is limmited when it is over 90 degrees cause I can't get off the couch.

Oh well maby next time.
Cheers
gww


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

Not today, but this week...

I went to HD to look for a little cull 1" X whatever. Loaded up about 25 4'-6' pieces and proceeded to the Pro desk for a deal. The guy said "70% off, as marked". I noted than many of the pieces were not even 1/2 of a board. He called the manager who said "Head out the front - no one will ask" (free...) . I offered $5- $10 (it was an easy $25+) and he repeated "head out the door"...

Free is good.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

I picked this mower up 2 days ago for free as it wasn't running at the time. I replaced the battery ($36.00) and cleaned up the safety switches' contacts under the seat. It fired right up. I changed the oil ($12.00) and sold it for $500.00
Free IS good.


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

OK, maybe I need to change the title of the thread to:
What beekeeping bound items did you scrounge this WEEK? 
Can titles be changed? I didn't think so. Too bad. 
Great score on the HD scrounge. 
No comments on the lawn mower. I'm to jealous to compose a decent reply. 
And to think I was bragging about some lousy 1X1 drops.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

I went back down to Home Despot, after a sheet of Luan to make more divided inner covers for the nucs. I asked to have the 4'x8' sheet ripped to 16" x 8' pieces, for easier transport & further cut down. 

The first sheet came out as two 17"s & a 14". The guy said - "Oh yeah, the tape is off..." We grabbed another sheet, measured to the blade with a tape, & tried again. This time it was 2 -16.5"s, and a 15". I told him I could still use it all, & would be cutting it down anyway. 

He insisted on giving me the "70% off" cull price for both sheets. $7 for 2 sheets of Luan - enough for 48 half width inner covers. Coupled with the earlier free 1X score, I'll have less than 15 cents each into the finished covers (not including glue & nails).

'Not exactly "scrounged", but I'm happy...


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Colobee, I'd have asked him to cut me another two sheets. :lpf:


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## cervus (May 8, 2016)

Bwahahaha! Good stuff. Scrounging sounds so...uncouth and dated. Recycling, re-purposing, and reusing are the current buzzwords.


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## Colobee (May 15, 2014)

jwcarlson said:


> Colobee, I'd have asked him to cut me another two sheets. :lpf:


Yea, but I already have more than I need... 

'Hard to believe - the guy that just fixed the saw also "reset" the tape... it was only off by ~1/8" originally.


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## Steve zone 5 WI (Jan 2, 2013)

A pioneer car radio w/CD, 4 scissor jacks, two 6x9 speakers. ==FREE
Oops wrong forum lol

This is for a teardrop camper build.

Thanks
Steve


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

I'm building an entire shed from free pallets. The "today" part; I cut all the slats off of 5 pallets, to get the 48" 2×4's. I cut thru the nails, with a sawzall, and that keeps the wood whole. It breaks if you pry. Slats are good Langstroth frame lumber, for all the parts that need to be milled because no lumber is sold in the proper dimensions for frames.


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

You make your own frames?


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

Frames go well, if you have the tools. (And more time than money). If I do, it's all recycled wood. If all the shaping of 1 part is set up, it can be fairly efficient to do a few 100 pcs at a time.
All the Warre hive topbars are easily milled out. As is starter strips, handles, inner cover pieces, ect. 
But, I'm retired, and it's a hobby, not a big business.☺


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

jadebees said:


> Frames go well, if you have the tools. (And more time than money). If I do, it's all recycled wood. If all the shaping of 1 part is set up, it can be fairly efficient to do a few 100 pcs at a time.
> All the Warre hive topbars are easily milled out. As is starter strips, handles, inner cover pieces, ect.
> But, I'm retired, and it's a hobby, not a big business.☺


I'd say well done then!


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## Afondren (May 8, 2016)

challenger said:


> Oh yeah, great scrounge day for me.I stopped by some dumpsters at a few houses being built. I was actually only "in the market" for some of those pull caps that go in the lids of 5 gallon paint pails. I made several hivers with 2" holes for feeders and these plug the hole when the feeder isn't on the hives. I found two full sheets of 6mm coroplast, many 3-4' drops of brandy new 1X6 clear pressure treated two 12' lengths of primed 1X4 and I don't know how many feet of 1X1. The last was ripped from some other stock but I always find a use for 1X1.
> Not bee related but I also found 15 half, well maybe 3/4 smoked cigarettes, I half bottle of orange juice, another half bottle of ice tea that wasn't iced any more. Actually it was kinda warm now that I think about it. I better check to make sure it's ice tea and not....ah forget it, this I'm throwing away. Lastly was one almost complete McDonald's McBisquit, McMega, breakfast burger. Someone must have tripped and accidentally flung it into the dumpster. No pickle. I can't understand why people spend all this money on gourmet food and intentionally leave out the pickle. Doesn't matter though. I always carry pickles with me so I was good to go.
> What did you scrounge today?


Ive always called this dumpster diving but i like scrounging better! I have lots of things I still use from 15 years ago or more! btw, what year challenger? We have a 72 cuda. Although the bees are getting the money right now instead of the cuda.


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## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

jadebees said:


> All the Warre hive topbars are easily milled out.


Wrong forum to ask this, but right thread. I been intrigued by Warres for a long time, and I finally started building one. I've got the boxes done. Any tips that you would care to share for milling the topbars? I was thinking of roughing them out on the table saw, then milling a V guide at the router table.


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## Outdoor N8 (Aug 7, 2015)

How about four sets of ten, metal, milk containers (not the little 4x plastic ones but the 6x); someone had 'bubblegum welded' together to make some 'collage shelving'.

Put a grinder with a cutting blade to it and came up with some steel hive stands.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I built a sawmill out of a weight set a garden tiller with the tranny bad and some lawn tractor/trailer wheel hubs. I built a chicken plucker out of an old stainless washing michine tub and a 1 horsepower dc motor. Some hives built out of barn wood and any other wood I could come up with for free (before I built the saw mill). It is just that none of this happened in the last week so unless I want to take the thread off topic, I can't brag about it. I can't tell you that my neibor gave me some 8 foot chainlink fence and some gates that I put around my garden. It happened a year ago or that my brother inlaw gave me a 14' john boat on a trailer with a trolling moter, That was ten years ago. Man I am really feeling left out.
Cheers
gww


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

JConnolly said:


> Wrong forum to ask this, but right thread. I been intrigued by Warres for a long time, and I finally started building one. I've got the boxes done. Any tips that you would care to share for milling the topbars? I was thinking of roughing them out on the table saw, then milling a V guide at the router table.



I do a flat warre topbar, 1" × 3/8" ×12 & 5/16" long. I glue a starter strip down the center , 8" long, 1/8" thick, cut from ordinary 1×" lumber, approx 3/4". I dip 1 edge in beeswax, lumpy unrefined wax. This usually is good enough to prevent cross combs.


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## Pinchecharlie (May 14, 2014)

Jeez you guys, I thought I was bad about draging stuff home lol! I got a commercial double sink my work was throwing out. A little bit of this a little bit of that and ta da new uncapping station . Rather have that little mower though lol!


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## lharder (Mar 21, 2015)

I was cutting up some plant shipping pallets from Superstore (Canada) to make some nucs and feed boxes. I had 1 by 10 cedar that I was working with. If I was into deeps I would have made a few. Instead they will be ripped down to make medium nuc boxes. The remainder will go into feed boxes. I split a few ripping them apart, but a few clamps and titebond 3 makes them good as new. 

Anyways the policy is that I have to deal with what I bring home before I bring home some more.


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

I scored a bunch of free brick today that I'll use to wrap my hive dipping tank.
I also finally scored a good deal on wax. I got 250 pounds of candles off c'list for $50.00


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## MiBees (Aug 9, 2016)

After about a 15 year absence from beekeeping I decided to get back into it this spring with the purchase of two packages. Mostly had to start out with purchasing new woodenware and equipment. Happened to be looking into the dumpster at our local airport and found a Dadant Junior Bench extractor that someone threw away. Not a dent in the thing, just a worn shaft that I'm guessing someone removed the hand crank and used a drill to operate. Took home, cleaned it up, replaced shaft and works good as new. Nice unit if you just want to run a few frames or a couple of boxes.


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## BroncoVol74 (Jul 12, 2016)

gww said:


> I built a sawmill out of a weight set a garden tiller with the tranny bad and some lawn tractor/trailer wheel hubs. I built a chicken plucker out of an old stainless washing michine tub and a 1 horsepower dc motor. Some hives built out of barn wood and any other wood I could come up with for free (before I built the saw mill). It is just that none of this happened in the last week so unless I want to take the thread off topic, I can't brag about it. I can't tell you that my neibor gave me some 8 foot chainlink fence and some gates that I put around my garden. It happened a year ago or that my brother inlaw gave me a 14' john boat on a trailer with a trolling moter, That was ten years ago. Man I am really feeling left out.
> Cheers
> gww


I would love to see some pics of that sawmill. Sounds like a neat project.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Bronco
This is mine, hope you have a good laugh.
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,82695.0.html

Plenty of builds on that site better then mine by lots smarter people but I am still proud and using it.
Cheers
gww


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## sakhoney (Apr 3, 2016)

GWW - My god man - I just thought I was bada$$ at engineering stuff like the box beast. I'll have to give it to ya on that band saw. If/when ya get it going - it will all be worth it. Keep up the good work.
SAK


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Sak
It is going such as it is and we have built some things. I only built it cause I ran out of scrounged wood when I started to build bee stuff. Now a club house and couple of sheds and out house later and I still have wood for bee stuff.

I looked at your box beast thread but am going to have to take a second look. I built a chicken plucker and thought maby an extractor would be next but maby I need to study yours a little closer first. I am not smart enough to engineer any thing. I am a copy cat.
Cheers
gww


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

Last year there was a new house being built in my neighborhood that I sometimes go by walking my dog. I had my eye on the left over cinder blocks laying out front, and on one of my walks the site supervisor was there so I asked about the blocks. I use them for hive stands. He said I could have them and it would save his workers from having to clean them up. I told him I'd be back later with my car. He gave me his card in case I had any trouble...good thinking! I went back early evening and I had to make 2 trips because my work car is a 2 door compact. On the second trip, a lady stopped and asked what was I doing. I explained I had permission, showed her the builder's card and number. She drove away. Within a few minutes a county police car showed up. I explained it all to him, and we called the super. While cop on the phone, the owner shows up and we tell him the same thing and I ask him if its ok with him (after having 25 blocks loaded). He says ok, I tell him I will bring a jar of honey at next harvest. I brought a quart after they moved in. Free? Well, sort of.


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## BroncoVol74 (Jul 12, 2016)

gww said:


> Bronco
> This is mine, hope you have a good laugh.
> http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,82695.0.html
> 
> ...


Well I lost almost a day due to being sucked into your thread on the forestry forum and now I must build a saw mill. Thanks a lot! I am jealous.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Bronco
Just remember, there are lots smarter poeple on that forum then me when it comes to building a mill. I understand the losing of time looking at things that interest you. I still have not seen a bought mill cutting wood except on you tube which I watched a lot looking for ideals before I built mine.
Good luck
gww


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Don't know if this qualifies as scrounging. I think it is exactly the opposite. I used to scrounge all the time, but in recent years I've been known to leave stuff out for the scrounges to find, as a way to clear the garage.

Sunday-Monday night it rained. Monday morning, as my wife was off to a meeting, she called me outside. A baby squirrel was on the patio beside the house. No sign of the mother, and it was raining, so she had me rescue it. This is the same woman who chases squirrels off with a super-soaker.

So there I am, 4-week old baby squirrel in one hand, typing with the other, finding out what this is going to cost us. The special formula is a puppy formula, $25 per container, and you start out rehydrating the critter with Pedialyte. We're out about $35 for starters. Warmed him up, hydrated him, washed his privates to make him pee, fed him, put him out. Been doing this three days and no mama squirrel has showed up looking for him. If we were to take this little guy to the 12-week minimum release date, probably could spend $200 on the rodent, and still have to feed him all winter. The wildlife rescue people don't seem exactly eager to take him but that's clearly what needs to happen.

Worst ... scrounge ... ever. 

But cute.


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

Phoebee, I love your scrounge! Thats just cool. 
I got my little dog that way, just showed up on the porch, no mom, just a pup in the middle of nowhere. Nobody around here knew anything, or didn't admit it.

After asking,"where'd you come from?" And getting no reply, I went off to get dog food....2 &1/2 years ago.
👍🐶


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Phoebee said:


> Don't know if this qualifies as scrounging. I think it is exactly the opposite. I used to scrounge all the time, but in recent years I've been known to leave stuff out for the scrounges to find, as a way to clear the garage.
> 
> Sunday-Monday night it rained. Monday morning, as my wife was off to a meeting, she called me outside. A baby squirrel was on the patio beside the house. No sign of the mother, and it was raining, so she had me rescue it. This is the same woman who chases squirrels off with a super-soaker.
> 
> ...


Once on solid food, feed it cheap dog food it's mostly corn and grain anyways, they are rodents and can live off most anything


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Sure, but between 4 weeks and 12 weeks, standard procedure is to put them in a fairly large outdoor cage we don't have, and that's the main extra expense. That, and paying our pet sitter to feed it when we're out of town. And then after release (by law, where the animal was found) the little devil would hang around and mooch. That's because I found it with eyes closed but its right eye is now open and it undoubtedly thinks I'm his mama. And my wife won't know if she should feed it or hit it with the super soaker.

For feeding, we've got deer corn and sunflower seeds on hand all the time, and could bring acorns from the WV cabin.

In this area, you are supposedly not allowed to raise rescue wildlife without a license. I'd be happy to turn this critter over to one of the Wildlife Rescue League experts, but I can't get thru to them. I've called, gotten a call back with a local number, the local number does not answer and their mailbox is full, and they've got me running in circles. They say I'm not supposed to attempt feeding it, but it would be dead by now if I had not, and I am feeding it the right stuff. Hopefully they will work this out.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Phoebee
All I can say is that freindly small wild mamals are frindly when young but seem to become more timid and crazy as they get older. I don't have lot of experiance. My grandma had flying squirls that ended up living in the attic and a couple of other relitives had ***** till they run off. My wife just raised a robin that fell out of the nest. It finaly flew off never to be seen.
Cheers
gww


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

It's usually never legal to raise orphaned wild animals without a license, but it's one of those things that unless you were robbing nests to raise and sell exotic animals, you'll never be charged. Pet squirrels are fun and crazy not eat your face off crazy, but what will they get into next crazy lol ***** are a ton of fun too, had one that came down in a storm and the impact of the hollow tree killed the momma and the other babies this one was the only survivor she grew up to be about a 25 lb lap dog that would come down out of her tree when called


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

Phoebee said:


> Don't know if this qualifies as scrounging. I think it is exactly the opposite. I used to scrounge all the time, but in recent years I've been known to leave stuff out for the scrounges to find, as a way to clear the garage.
> 
> Sunday-Monday night it rained. Monday morning, as my wife was off to a meeting, she called me outside. A baby squirrel was on the patio beside the house. No sign of the mother, and it was raining, so she had me rescue it. This is the same woman who chases squirrels off with a super-soaker.
> 
> ...


That's one expensive super soaker target


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

The Rescue League finally put us in touch with a vet clinic that volunteers as an intake facility for them. They seemed surprisingly happy to get this one. The vet was impressed with the care we had given, and his condition. They apparently usually get pinky babies or injured squirrels (lots of them), and a fully furred, healthy baby with eyes just opened will be a treat for the young ladies to take care of. 

We miss him already. Harley, I have known people who kept squirrels or raccoons as pets. Skunks, too. I know how much fun squirrels can be. I also know they're terrible house pets. Up at our cabin, we've got a serious problem with them chewing the logs and beams. You'd have to be nuts to keep one for a pet.

Sez the guy who keeps a quarter of a million stinging insects as pets.

The vet thinks, if the rehabber follows the normal rules, that this squirrel will be released at our address. That would be consistent with existing wildlife relocation restrictions around here. So in November the little mooch may be back and knocking on the door.


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

Last year my college age daughter brought home a baby squirrel (hairless) from a tree cutting crew. There were I think five dispersed out. Guess who had the only one that was taken care of good enough and made it... you got it. I was not happy when she brought (Stella) home. She was raise in a shoe box with a light for warmth far a while. Getting up at night to do night feeding like a baby. She was not expensive from the food angle. Love grapes and broccoli. Would hide pecans in the sofa etc if she could...

She opened her eyes first to see my wife and imprinted on my wife. Peeed my daughter off. Stella graduated to an inside ferret cage and we would let her roam often. She did not chew too bad but the nesting instinct came out and she would grab a newspaper piece or napkin out of your hand (while you reading or using it) and behind the entertainment center she went. I never knew a squirrel would purr like a cat or sputter and puff at you on your shoulder. He claws were sharp as razors and legs were easy to climb. Handled her with cloth gloves at times.

She finally got a little to much to handle inside and we found a place to take her. Would I want another one... notta... but it was fun and a learning experience.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

My wife got mad at me for a week over our dog catching a baby rabbit and me not responding to stop her fast enough. My mistake was that I told my wife I was proud of the dog. I get yelled at because of that dang dog more then for my own actions.
She gripes at me cause the chickens are hot.
I hope we don't find anymore small animals, I might not survive it.
Cheers
gww


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Could be worse. A friend rescued two fawns a couple of years back. Their mother and a sibling had just been hit by a vehicle a couple of minutes earlier, and were clearly dead or dying, so it was obvious they were orphans, and it was clear from the condition that they were just minutes old.

His problem was, his daughters were with him, and you can imagine the pressure. So he adopted them even though it is illegal to do so. 

Newborns this age require colostrum in the milk. He begged some from a deer farm (seriously, these exist.) Evidently it was pretty expensive.

Newborn fawns, like the rescued squirrel, need their mother to lick their privates to make them eliminate. Jay drew the line at licking, but a warm, wet sponge or rag works too. For the squirrel, I used a tissue wet with warm water.

Tons of trouble, but the rascals (both males) thrived. Due to their generous high quality diet, both developed antlers that fall, with one of them a 4-pointer. You NEVER see that in nature. When I visited, the 4-pointer came up to nuzzle me and lick my hands. Ever been approached by a 4-point buck? Pretty rare, I'd think.

Both were gotten by hunters that season.


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## lharder (Mar 21, 2015)

I got sections of foam panels yesterday. High end stuff sandwiched by thin sheet metal, r 30. Just the right width for insulating the tops of my hives this winter. About 30 feet of the stuff.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

My brother inlaw is building a house and made a mistake on the floor and had to rip up about 10 sheets of the 2 inch blue foam insulation. I picked through it and got enough that was big enough to probly do the top of ten hives with out haveing to use more then one peice. They are about $30 a sheet and alot was too small but I got enough to hold me for awhile.
Cheers
gww


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

My dad has a new neighbor that ownes a buissness that delivers to bakeries. He gave my mom 400 lbs of sugar (350 lbs which I got) that he said was too clumped to be able to sale to his customers. He had mentioned that he had given eleven hundred pounds to his mom for feeding humming birds and mom said she would take some if he just had to throw it away. So now I have 350 lbs for spring splits if my bees live. Merry christmas to me. My uncle has a whole bunch of micro fibra screens that I hope to get some to strain honey with and a bunch of cheap bee suits or nurse suits that I am not sure yet what it really is. I don't have these last two things in hand yet but will probly soon. The nets for straining are not big enough to fit over a 5 gallon bucket and so I have to figure out how to use them or cut them and put two together. They look about like a gallon size hole and maby 3 feet long. Tons of them though and brand new and still in the box. 
Cheers
gww
Cheers.


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## Tom06- (May 11, 2013)

I cut up my kitchen table and made a pallet. Does that count.


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## frogpondwarrior (Aug 2, 2016)

Tearing out and replacing a set of basement stairs. The stringers holding the bottom two treads split and now the band-aid fix is going fast. Should make lots of frames once I pull all the nails.


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

Tom06- said:


> I cut up my kitchen table and made a pallet. Does that count.


Only if you really needed the pallet.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm not even going to read this thread. Don't need any more encouragement to go dumpster diving.

(Commercial construction job sites are the best though)
When they demo malls and stores, they usually tear out great stuff and put almost the exact same new stuff right back in. Contact demo companies to see if they are willing to let you salvage wood products. Offer them some honey. Offer to pay a reasonable amount for the really good stuff like stainless sinks, etc.


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## 220 (Dec 28, 2016)

Drove past the woodpile up the farm an noticed my mother had a pile of 4 x 1.5 pine that was destined to be kindling next winter. It was slats out of an old double bed, ripped them to .5 x 1.5, 7/8 x 1.5 & .5 x 4. Asked my father about a pile of 3/8 ply that looked like offcuts I spotted a few weeks ago, the were offcuts and said take them if I want. Ripped it all down, enough for 8 x 5 frame nuc boxes, 2 x base boards and 2 x lids. Used the .5 x 1.5 as a edge strip on the ply top and bottom to give me a standard width edge, 7/8 x 1.5 on the bases. Had to rip a 1/8 step in the .5 x 4 to give me the correct size frame rest when matched up to the ply.
They have been doing a few renovations and managed to scrounge some 2x4 that was ripped to 7/8 x 2 and used on the lids.
A little concerned about how they would go in winter being so thin, found a pile of old foam vegetable boxes Nuc boxes fit perfectly inside them so wintering solved as I have a unending supply.


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## SHAWHANBEEK (Feb 7, 2016)

I work for a commercial cabinet company. The amount of material that gets thrown out is crazy. 

We had an engineer screwup a project and there was about a unit and a half of moisture resistant 3/4 plywood that was going to get thrown out. The parts are 22 x 50. I snagged it. I plan on making a ton of nuc boxes and other woodenware for this next season. 

I've been using this ply for supers, swarm traps, and brood boxes for a few years and it holds up very well.

I am able to get various other thickness plywood, homosote, and hardwood destined for the landfill. I mainly only have to buy frames and paint.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Have been snagging wood pallets. Even the daughters are using the wood for their pinterest projects. The future son-in-law made a headboard from pallet boards. Looks good.

Also got a 4x6 solar heat panel made from downspouts from someone at work. Needs work done on it. That'll be fun to use for house, the temp. greenhouse (cheap rip woven one) and maybe camping!! Well, actually for camping I may have to make a solar water heater for showers.

Picked a kitchen table and chairs off the curb for son. In the past, we picked up three glass patio tables that just needed a little work and/or spray paint.


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## Tom06- (May 11, 2013)

Was taking out a queen mattress and the box under it. Just a spacer used instead of box springs.
Pulled the material off the bottom and it was made of 1 x 4's and 1 x 2's. Knocked it apart, pulled staples in the middle of the boards then cut off the ends with staples. Got a nice stack of lumber for an hours work and do not have to pay the trash fee.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Got an old heavy craftsman table saw today for $25. Cast iron top and large. No riving knife or gaurds.

Now to figure the best thing to use it on with out changing settings all the time. I now have three table saws and need to figure out how to use them in an assembly line fassion.
Cheers
gww


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

I scrounged a food-safe barrel formerly used for deer food.

One part is filled with water for the bees, the top part I sawed off and use as a worm breeder for the chicken I will get in two weeks.
I read you could give the fruits, vegetables and such what the chickens don´t digest to the worms and feed the worms to the chicken.
It´s for kitchen waste too which does not go into my compost heap.
I want my chicken to have fresh worms in winter so I will insulate the worm breeder.


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## bobnjackson (May 7, 2016)

set one ts up for ripping, one with a crosscut sled and one for dado. I am a long time woodworker and make all my own bee hives.


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## Steve in PA (Jan 26, 2015)

SiWolKe said:


> I read you could give the fruits, vegetables and such what the chickens don´t digest to the worms and feed the worms to the chicken.


 I gave up on worms. There's nothing that my chickens won't turn into eggs that I've found yet. Most of the time the chickens are kept in my backyard orchard and help keep the bugs down too.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

bobn.....
I have made everything so far also but have did it in a more one off type manner on one table saw rather then trying to mass produce. In two winters I made around 13/15 hives and traps but my bees are starting to out pace me.

I put the dado no the craftsman for now but still have to change dado width all the time and the craftsman doesn't have a blade stop to help with changing blades. I need about twice the garage/shed space the way I am going.

I always like these scrounging type threads cause it is neat to see what people can do with stuff. I hope more people post thier finds.
Cheers
gww
Ps, I agree with the chickens do well with out worms ideal. Now for fishing, that would be a differrent subject. I had a hen sit and the eggs not hatch and rather then put more under her and tieing her down another 21 days, I have 15 chicks coming tomorrow that I will slip under her. Why 15? It was $3 cheaper to by 15 then to buy 3 Ha ha.


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

gww said:


> It was $3 cheaper to by 15 then to buy 3 Ha ha.


Well make space in your fridge, maybe they are all ****s...


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

SiW....
Nope, all hens unless they make a mistake. I gave my last four roosters away cause I got too lazy to clean them and I have one other problim also. My wife gets attached to them and can't stand the thought of butchuring things she has fed. I used to butchure them but things have since changed. It is still ok to buy the chicken that is always on sale but not to eat our pets, Ha ha. I have over 30 chikens now and should have been culling them for some time if I had any sense.
gww


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## shinbone (Jul 5, 2011)

gww said:


> My wife gets attached to them and can't stand the thought of butchuring things she has fed. I used to butchure them but things have since changed. It is still ok to buy the chicken that is always on sale but not to eat our pets, Ha ha. I have over 30 chikens now and should have been culling them for some time if I had any sense.
> gww


I have the same issue at home - the old (former)layers should be culled because they ain't laying anymore. But, the wife says "no", she likes them as pets. Problem is, we got 20 chickens to feed, water, and clean up after, and only about half produce eggs.

I am wondering if she wouldn't notice one or two go missing every once in a while . . .


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## Bowfinger (Apr 17, 2015)

scrounged a piece of RBB plywood siding. I cut 2 bottom boards from it. 
I put bees down in a place where someone had dumped a small barn or something. I scrounged quite a bit of bald cypress wood, and pine and made some supers. Also found a larger piece of Honduras mahogany about $50 worth.


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## Bowfinger (Apr 17, 2015)

today I found a trampoline safety net. I will make a bee hive cargo net out of it. ( or a mayhaw catching net)


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## Knisely (Oct 26, 2013)

I was given a 4" Delta Homecraft jointer and a Delta Homecraft jigsaw. Checking the vintagemachinery.org webpage and the serial numbers, it appears they were manufactured back in 1951. Well cared for and maintained. I'm not quite sure I needed the jigsaw, but having one beats not having one, and I've been hankering for a jointer on CraigsList but couldn't find one I wanted to spend $50 on. I am happy.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

I forgot about this thread last fall when I was given 1,300 brand new political signs. The candidate was running unopposed, but his political committee didn't want to seem like they were counting their chickens too much, so they ordered the signs anyway. Deployed a few dozen, and left the rest in cartons.

The candidate won, and it's a long-term judicial position so he'll never need them again.

Lucky me!


Enj.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

A woodmaster 8 inch thickness planer for $10 bucks and a electric hand sander for $5.








Works great on pine. I have not tried it on oak but have no doubt it is in perfect working order. I had to make a handle and that was it.

I also got a folding table with a 4x8 sheet of 3/4 inch osb board on it. I will cut it up and use it for telescoping tops and save the folding legs for a small shop table/bench if I ever decide I need more table space though I doubt I ever will. Ten bucks for the table also. My wife bought a bbq set just for the lighter in it for $2.

Very excited about the planer. I bought one before for $150 and the motor burnt out on the first board and so this is a big help. I took the blades off of the one I broke and put them on my uncles foley-belsaw but I have to drive to use it. Now I can keep the mess at home.
Cheers
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Great score on the planer!


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

Didn't score a planer but I got a small stack of ruff sawn wood wide enough for deeps, could use another planer


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Jw
Yea, thats what I thought. Thanks. Dan... That is good. I cut my own boards and it takes a pretty big log to make boards that wide. It is one of the reasons I went all mediums. My logs were not consistantly bigg enough.
Cheers
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Found a medium ten frame super hiding in a board I scrounged from a shipping crate. Didn't know it was there until this evening.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Jw
Are most shipping crates 3/4 inch boards and do you pull nails or just cut out what you can between nails holding the shipping crate together? I was so excited that I went back out to the garage but didn't really have but two short bowed boards that I flatened a bit. I had however cut out three medium boxes and so while there put one of them together.

I have to make frames next. It is unbelievable how many boards even just building frames takes. It all takes lots of wood.Yours looks good to me. I put all mine together with just lots and lots of 1 and 3/8 inch brads and no glue. I use a dado groove for handles on four sides. I believe those handles could be an eventual weak spot cause I use no angle for water to run off. But they are so easy to make that way.
Cheers
gww


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Bee Bliss said:


> The future son-in-law made a headboard from pallet boards. Looks good.


Ya might just be a red neck if you post the above!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

snl


> Ya might just be a red neck if you post the above!


Does this get me red neck status? I made it for my daughter.








Cheers
gww


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

gww said:


> snl
> 
> 
> Does this get me red neck status? I made it for my daughter.
> ...


Nah, that gets you furniture maker status! You did good!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

snl


> Nah, that gets you furniture maker status! You did good!


Thats why I took such a crappy picture so nobody could see the truth but thank you. My daughter actually does like it. I actually hate with a passion doing things that I have to try to be neat on. Every one has differrent tallants. She has sent me several more plans of things she would like but I am ignoring them.

I have made a couple cedar chest. I have to say that there are artist out there that do know what they are doing and I am in awe of them. 
Thank you
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Most of the pallets and shipping crates I scrounge are made of 1 x 4s. So yes, 3/4" thick material. I pull the staples and nails. Time consuming but relaxing. I am going to try using my biscuit joiner to make wider boards for some hive bodies. Harder to find used 1 x 8 and 1 x 12 material. Hopefully my planer will make whatever I glue up look like a real board.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

jw
On the cedar chest I made, I used my table saw to toung and groove. I have seen windmill blades and cutting boards made with just clamps and glue. Since I have run out of plywood, I have just been making my bottom boards by putting three boards side by side to make the floor. If they shrink to much it might cause me problims later but I did dry the boards for several months first and am hopeing they cause no problims.

Till I got the osb board, I was getting ready to do the same for my teliscoping tops and then just put 2 inch blue foam on top in the hopes of it covering the crack. As you can see, I have a hard time buying plywood and stuff that I know would work better if I have stuff I think will just work. Who knows what type of problims I am creating for myself.

If you look at one of my junky cedar chest, I had pretty bad break out of the toung and groove on the ends grains but the face boards fit pretty good. If I were working with out glue, I would probly do this type of joint to make wider boards. But I also am not a wood worker and have never did a biscit joint.








Cheers
gww
Ps Thanks for answering my questions


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

I am reminded that I was able to scrap out about 100 ft of 1 x 6 from a 12 ft crate. It should work for numerous parts, bottom boards, tops, etc. Of course, I had to order over $2,000 of brass tubing to get the crate, even pay for crating fee. I'm not sure this would count as bragging rights scrounging.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Danial
Too me it is a heck of a lot better then putting the wood in a burn pile. I say it qualifies quite hardily.
Cheers
gww


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

I feel better now gww. Thanks.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

My dads neibor brought me another 150 lbs of sugar today and 50 lbs of flower. That leaves me sitting on 200 lbs come spring. He is also going to bring some lard. I guess I am going to have to make a few pies with the lard and flower. I should have used that last 50 lbs of sugar from last year to add a little winter weight but I was afraid he might not bring me more and wanted to keep a little around. I gave him one quart of honey this fall. He is going to have to wait till next fall for when I hopefully get some more honey to get more.

I doubt this should count but my mom gave me a black and decker 19.2 volt drill set. I got a resip saw, two circular saws, a light, two drills and a four battery charger and two lithiam batteries. It is all well used but all works good. She got tired of dealing with two brands and decided to keep her dewalts. It is funny cause I had just dropped my cheap drill and broke off the part that held the battery and was using it for two days with just the little wires holding the battery dangling. Now I can quit using my plug in drills. 

Building has never been better, I just wish the builders skills would improve a bit faster. 

I feel like a very lucky scrounge.
Cheers
gww


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

gww, those pies are going to use up the sugar.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Danial
I am willing to buy the sugar for my pies cause doing my best, I can't eat as much sugar as the bees can.
Cheers
gww


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

I got two truck loads and trailer loads of 1x12x16' pine plank subfloor that was laid in the 1920s. It has no cupping, twisting, bowing etc and is thoroughly dry with no checking. I also got quite a bit of pine flooring which is also 1x material and 2 truckloads and trailerloads of 1x oak flooring plus some 2x joists, studs, etc. The usable 1x12 came out to almost 700 board feet after I cleaned the lumber up. The tongue and groove pine flooring is going to be used for cleats and maybe frames or other things depending on the quality of the wood. The oak flooring is honestly pretty terrible on one side with stain and grime.

I think I might plane the stain off of some of the iffy oak and use it to make lye and save any good stuff for other projects. Just the scraps, cutoff and the garbage wood already looks to be enough to heat my shop for the winter and all I've been able to really sort and wash was the subflooring. If I just burned the oak for heat it would probably last 2 winters easy. It's an insane amount of wood.

I asked the business owner if we could take the wood and he gave us the go ahead. He was shocked we emptied a 30 yard dumpster. He called me and said the only things in the dumpster when it got dumped was a bit of drywall and two weeks worth of trash from his house. He said that if he would have known someone wanted the wood he would have just paid for a small dumpster that a trash truck could have picked up lol. Lots of lumber for hives and tops/bottoms now


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

rwurster
Great find, I'm jelous.
gww


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

rwurster said:


> I got two truck loads and trailer loads of 1x12x16' pine plank subfloor that was laid in the 1920s. It has no cupping, twisting, bowing etc and is thoroughly dry with no checking. I also got quite a bit of pine flooring which is also 1x material and 2 truckloads and trailerloads of 1x oak flooring plus some 2x joists, studs, etc. The usable 1x12 came out to almost 700 board feet after I cleaned the lumber up.


With no pics, it didn’t happen!


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

That was a bonus scrounge! 700 board feet is over 100 deep 10 frame hive bodies.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Got a Bunn TDO-4 iced tea dispenser that I am going to use as a bottling tank for squeeze bears. Not a true scrounge because I paid a dollar for it at a restaurant equipment auction. Missing the valve, and that will run about $17.00 Holds 4 gallons.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

jw
Is the dispencer stainless? I have a resturaunt that I have set empty for going on ten years now and thought also about using two of them but thought they may be aluminum and might not hold up to the acid in honey? 

Either way, my view, a scrounge means a good deal and does not have to be compleetly free. I thought the table that I bought for 10 bucks but still made 6 or so hive tops when cut up was still a scrounge. Good to keep your eyes open.
Cheers
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

The Bunn unit I got is definitely stainless. Used oven cleaner on it to remove accumulated gunk. Can't do that to aluminum without damage. I kinda thought a scrounge was any really good deal also but 100% sure. Always on the prowl for a good deal. The wife doesn't like me spending money on the bees. Strangely though, she doesn't have a problem giving the honey to her side of the family.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

My wife doesn't like me spending money on bees either. She thinks I am wasting my time and has a much better honey doo list then bees which I do my best to ignore. I would be the one to give all the honey away if I was given the chance but my wife does see some value in it once it is bottled and kind of takes control of it to where I don't give every drop away. Thats ok, I hope she finds a way to sell it with out my help, cause selling is not my strong point. I don't mind if she gets extra money from it, I am doing things that interest me and it is nice if somebody can make it worth it. Only pride wants me to make a little no matter who spends it.
Cheers
gww


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

JWPalmer said:


> Got a Bunn TDO-4 iced tea dispenser that I am going to use as a bottling tank for squeeze bears. Not a true scrounge because I paid a dollar for it at a restaurant equipment auction. Missing the valve, and that will run about $17.00 Holds 4 gallons.
> 
> View attachment 36701


That's an awesome find. I know a couple of restaurant owners that may have accumulated stuff out in the back and it's time to pay them a visit!


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## brushwoodnursery (Feb 10, 2012)

Not today but I scored a really nice electric soup warmer for $5 at a restaurant auction. Came with the stainless insert pot, too. Makes a fine wax melter.


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## brushwoodnursery (Feb 10, 2012)

Not today but I scored a really nice electric soup warmer for $5 at a restaurant auction. Came with the stainless insert pot, too. Makes a fine wax melter.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Brushw...........
You guys have me thinking I am going to have to take another look through all my resturant equiptment with an eye of how I can use it with bees. I have all kinds of stuff that I am stupid for not just having an auction or selling myself. I have a couple of the tea dispencers but am pretty sure mine are the cheaper alum ones. You have me thinking though as I have two warmers with drawers that have stainless pans in them that I use for bolt and small parts (junk)containers. Now I am wondering if they get warm enough for a wax melter. I have steam tables, cold tables, deep fat fryers, rice cookers and lots and lots of stuff. Most is natural gas and I only have propane at home but maby some of the electic stuff would work.
I hope people keep posting stuff cause even just the ideals they come up with to repurpose stuff is very interesting. I am an ideal thief.
Cheers 
gww


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## brushwoodnursery (Feb 10, 2012)

Good stainless is a beautiful thing. Just 2 days ago, I realized my main pot scrubbing sink (2 bay restaurant grade) in the greenhouse would make an excellent uncapping tank. The left side is a little bigger. I can set a bucket with an uncapping rest on it down in there and not make a mess. The right side is just exactly perfect to rest frames waiting to go into the spinner (very lucky coincidence). I already have a 3 bay waiting to go in its place (fits my main pot size better) and was trying to figure out what to do with this one. I'll remove the faucet and rebuild the drain assembly to simply drain into buckets! I just splurged on a motorized extractor. These two in line will be a game changer for me. 
By the way, there are a lot of inexpensive extractors on the market that are billed as 4 frame tangential but work fine as 8 frame radial for mediums. Not really a "scrounge" but a real bargain for those looking wistfully at $1000 extractors.


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## Hickory Point Hollow (Mar 23, 2017)

Picked up 15 - 5 gallon buckets of exterior paint for free. Shared the wealth with a fellow beekeeper.


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## Hops Brewster (Jun 17, 2014)

I had an old pop-up camp trailer that broke down beyond repair. I disassembled it to convert a flat utility trailer. I was able to salvage the heater so I can use it to heat my shed. I salvaged the stove, and plan to use it to build into my patio remodel for the outdoor kitchen. I also got 2 sheets of 1/2in marine grade plywood I will use to build nucs or other woodware.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

opcorn:
Cheers
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I've been looking for a stainlees steel sink and table but they are selling outside of my current budget. When I get to 15 to 20 hives I wll revist that idea. 

Gww, natural gas fryers, depending on brand and model, can be converted from NG to LPG for around $100 in parts. It is what I do as part of my moonlighting career. Can't see how a fryer could be used in beekeeping but it would be great for cooking up a mess of chicken. Soup turins on the other hand could be great for melting wax as bushwood already said.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Jw
My problim is storage. I have a big up right freezer but no real place to put it for only wanting to use it every once in a while during deer season or to freeze a few supers. I alread run 3 refidgerators and a freezer in my house and every time I add something it gets full and I don't know how it happenned. I just built a 50 by 21 pole barn and it is now full and not even a year old. I keep thinking that all my bees might die or I might get to a point where growing doesn't give me anything I want and so I am doing any infrastructure stuff really slow. 

If I had the money for the structures and wanted a party place, I have lots of stuff that would make it work. Even the stainless sink for decapping has to be cleaned and stored and so a guy almost needs to garrentee the need to go to the trouble. When we ran the resturaunt, I had a great time working with the commecial stuff. I was a cook in the army and they really have every neat big cooking appliance made to man and I found it all pretty cool. My resturaunt stuff is some of it pretty cool to but I can not really justify it at home yet.

I got side lined with a differrent job and then had to also move for almost 4 years to a differrent state to get my retirement and I just did not have the ambition to touch the resturant again and don't believe I ever will. My poor kids are proby going to be stuck with getting rid of it when I die. I am now pretty much only doing what is fourced on me or what I enjoy.

I could sell it but have always sorta looked at it as fall back stuff that I already have and it is not killing me to keep it or get rid of it and so I do nothing.
I have turned into one lazy (bad word).
Cheers
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I can relate. In 57 years, I seem to have accumulated 100 years worth of junk, all (or mostly all) good stuff. One small bedriom in my house is now the bee room where i store all my hive stuff and soon to be built incubator. Both of the sheds are so full I can't even get inside them without climbing over something. My kids are going to cuss me terrible when I die.


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## brushwoodnursery (Feb 10, 2012)

Here's the sink. Over the years I've picked up some bargains. I think this was about $100. Just keep your eyes peeled. Craigslist, restaurant auctions etc.


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## mbear (May 18, 2017)

This is not on the scale of some of you but....
I just got 2 sheets of 3/4 mdf and 72 board feet of 1*8 and some 2*4's for $10. If I don't screw up I will have 12 medium supers. Also a table top for my chop saw.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Mbear
I paid ten bucks for one sheet of osb and thought it was pretty good. You kicked my butt. Sounds great to me.
Cheers
gww


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## davpress (Mar 8, 2005)

gww said:


> Brushw...........
> You guys have me thinking I am going to have to take another look through all my resturant equiptment with an eye of how I can use it with bees. I have all kinds of stuff that I am stupid for not just having an auction or selling myself. I have a couple of the tea dispencers but am pretty sure mine are the cheaper alum ones. You have me thinking though as I have two warmers with drawers that have stainless pans in them that I use for bolt and small parts (junk)containers. Now I am wondering if they get warm enough for a wax melter. I have steam tables, cold tables, deep fat fryers, rice cookers and lots and lots of stuff. Most is natural gas and I only have propane at home but maby some of the electic stuff would work.
> I hope people keep posting stuff cause even just the ideals they come up with to repurpose stuff is very interesting. I am an ideal thief.
> Cheers
> gww



just a different orfice(sp), last time I bought on for my furnace about $6.00


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## brushwoodnursery (Feb 10, 2012)

Pretty easy switch. I bought a lot of used Nat Gas unit heaters for my greenhouses and converted them to LP Gas. Look up the model number to find a kit. In my case, it's a set of orifices and a spring to change in the gas valve. 
Some things can't be converted. Usually, the instant water heaters can't.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

davpress said:


> just a different orfice(sp), last time I bought on for my furnace about $6.00


Maybe for a furnace. On a fryer the control valve and the pilot need to be modified as well. And a fryer can have a lot of orifices, 18 on a Frymaster GF40, although the lower cost Dean series fryers only have 3-5.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Mbear, you did really well. I was about to post how I got 4-1×8×8' for $5 each. Nowhere near as good of a deal as you got.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

On changing to propane from natural, ranges are easy and it seems you just have to change the air flow. I can't justify home use for the comercial stuff cause most would be one time uses here and there. Storage is the biggest issue with it. I have three commercial sewing machines and they take up about the room of a small closet. I am kind of attached to the stuff just like I am with my guns. I have bought better ones and always end up selling the new nice ones and keeping the old ugly ones. I do thank you guys for your advice though cause who knows what the future will hold.
Thanks
gww


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

I was helping my mom's friend clean out her father's garage after his passing and I got 12 bundles of old shake shingle siding, 20 2x4s, and 22 packs of steel wool of differing coarseness. There are two drill presses there though that I want badly, badly enough I offered to buy them. One is a standup craftsman drill press from the 50s and the other is a newer bench top craftsman drill press. 

I had to knock the chuck off the standup and clean the shaft, put the chuck back on and it only has 0.0015" of runout which is great for something that old. The bench top has 0.002" of runout which I can definitely live with. I've seen .004 runout on new harbor freight machines. It looks like the newer machine has a garbage belt on it which is probably causing some of its runout.

She said she would give them to me if I helped her clean and sort out that garage and a small shed which will be a bit of a job in itself. I just need to wash my coveralls because it's getting cold.

There are also 2 monster vices and an anvil that I'm going to ask to buy.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

*rwurster*
Nothing is for free. I built two wind turbines and a home made saw mill and did all my drilling with a super cheap cordless drill. Mom has a little bitty drill press that I didn't know she owned. I used it one time and it was unbelievable how much better it drilled then what I was doing. I don't have one yet and am reduced to wood work and building with brads and staples instead of metal and welding. If you have more time then money, that sounds great and is also a win win for both of you. 
Cool
gww


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

I've enjoyed reading this thread from time to time.

As a (Jobsite) dumpster diver / savager by nature, I appreciate the rush you all get by your 'finds' 
.
I remember going to the dump with my dad as a kid, being in wonder at all the treasures folks threw away.
Now close to 60, I have a _little_ money and I keep a tighthold on my pennies until I find a deal I can almost steal and buy it all.

Lumber, steel pipe and stainless anything are my favorites.
Auction purchases have been good to me.

I recently got this unit of 5/4" x3" x 20 at an auction for $60.










Dadant 32 frame extractor for $500. (Motor has an issue. May be a loose wire, may need to be replaced) Local purchase-not from auction


















Tub of barrel & bucket warmers from a local auction. $60.

Wider barrel and bucket warmers are complete, 
The tape warmers need a temperature controller, however. Too bad I didn't know, there was probably a tub full of them right next to it I didn't realize I needed and could have picked up for a few $$. Still looking for a cheap controllers. Have 25 of the silicone heat tapes.









https://www.briskheat.com/products/heaters.html


Just a few of my finds recently. I'll continue below with more photos


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

This is the third load and I"m still not done.









I also bought most of the extraction equipment including an oldie but goodie Cowen Mini chain uncapper, pumps for honey and for feeding, small trailer for hauling with my car or tractor, beekeeping equipment, jacketed tanks & clarifiers, bottling tanks, bee nets for shipping, etc etc from the same family. It was quite a find and they were very kind to me. 

























4 grommeted nets for hauling bees for truck with 20 x 8'deck, sealed boxes hold new one gallon feeders and new rite cell foundation









This stuff has been for sale for months, I couldn't believe anything was left by the time I got there. Some of the larger commercial stuff was gone, but they got more for it than I had to pay for this, which they said was their back up equipment & misc bee stuff.
I am still in awe at my good fortune.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Lauri
I had seen your other thread where you got the extractor and where you were looking for ideals on water heat for your stuff. 
Good job is all I can say and my hat is off to you. I hope every body keeps posting stuff so I can keep in mind the possibilities.
Cheers
gww


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

One of the few benefits I see living close to Seattle is, is the opportunity for local auctions that are of an industrial or scientific nature. 
Here are a couple things I recently got from the Former Intel Manufacturing Equipment auction.

Several of these NSF wire carts. Sold in lots of 2 or 3. Paid about $10-$15.each for the smaller carts depending on size. 500# weight capacity

















Although Amazon is not always cheapest price, here is about what those carts are retail priced: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017KHNUD...&ascsubtag=9e0f3ac8f4221b4668a195f083ed3513_S

I've needed a few more shelf units and noticed as I've been shopping for a good price, that the retail prices have gone up pretty significantly the last couple years. Finding 18" depth is easy. Finding 24" or larger depth is hard to find and is usually only available in a commercial quality product.

View attachment 36735


Got this one, 36" x 48" for one of my bottling tanks to sit on. (Will have to be cautions of the weight and reinforce or give additional support to the top shelf just to be on the safe side)









A few shelf units I plan to put into my bee trailer to hold paper nucs under cover and protected from rain & wildlife until they are ready to go.









This is what my trailer looks like. 6' x 14' deck. 
I had it fabricated a few years ago, but by the time it was done, I had already outgrown it for it's original use ( to take production hives up to mountains to follow the flow.)
With steel shelves and a tarp, I think it will temporarily hold transport nucs pretty well. I'll lay 1" rigid insulation on the shelves prior to placing nuc boxes.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

gww said:


> Lauri
> I had seen your other thread where you got the extractor and where you were looking for ideals on water heat for your stuff.
> Good job is all I can say and my hat is off to you. I hope every body keeps posting stuff so I can keep in mind the possibilities.
> Cheers
> gww


Thanks. I do my research and usually know my prices, save my pennies so when the right deal comes along, I can recognize it and pick it up. I may not use the stuff for a few years, but when I need it, I have it. I could never afford what I do without being thrifty.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

As usual, Lauri has shown us what it means to be serious about something. Way to go Lauri!


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Remember, w/o pics, it didn’t happen!


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

One of Lauri's posts was a duplicate [sometimes happens when the server (or perhaps the connection) is slow]. Sooooo .... I was cleaning up the duplicate, and then discovered to my horror  that while the post I removed was a duplicate, the photos themselves were only in one post, and that was the [duplicate] that I removed. The second copy of the post simply linked to the [now deleted] photos. Once I saw what happened, I tried to reverse the delete, and while I can undelete the post, the photos don't come back.

So, its my fault. 

UPDATE: I see that Lauri has come to my rescue and re-uploaded those missing photos. 
Thanks. 

.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> One of Lauri's posts was a duplicate (sometimes happens when the server is slow). Sooooo .... I was cleaning up the duplicate, and then discovered to my horror  that while the post I removed was a duplicate, the photos themselves were only in one post, and that was the the [duplicate] that I removed. Once I saw what happened, I tried to reverse the delete, and while I can undelete the post, the photos don't come back.
> 
> So, its my fault. I PM'ed Lauri, but so far no resolution.


Got it.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Abandoned for years when the beekeeper passed and no one picked up to the torch..
Hive on the right with the round weight had the top box full of honey, pink 4 stack upper left had bees in the top 2 boxes! I was only had a pick up so only took about 5 hives (2 deeps and a super) worth. things were in ruff shape and the amount of surveacebul woodwear was limited, and i was the 2nd one to pick threw things


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

So you are saying you scrounged 5 hives worth of wooden ware and a hive of bees to put in them? Great job!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

msl
How cool would it have been to be first? I am glad you posted and let me share in your good fortune.
Pretty cold?
Cheers
gww


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## 220 (Dec 28, 2016)

Dont know if it counts as a scrounge as we were throwing it out ourselves. 
I turned a old TV cabinet into a solar wax melter. To big and heavy to drag around so cut up the steel from a old weights/gym to make a frame, couple of wheel off a old mower. Got given the cabinet, gym and mower originally so I guess it counts as a scrounge.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

220
I say it counts great. I made a saw mill with a weight set and garden tiller being the base junk used. I made a chicken plucker with a old stainless steel washing machine tub and a lyson dc motor. Yours looks like a nice job of it.
Cheers
gww


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## brushwoodnursery (Feb 10, 2012)

Hey, you know all those old projection TVs have giant fresnel lenses in them. I've heard they can make good solar ovens. Maybe make a nice wax melter, too.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

I am jealous just to look at that pile of wooden ware "msl" scored! 
Such a good deal. Tons of good uses. 
I'd take any well used hive board I could, no matter how busted, even if for traps. 

Last year, though, I scored few nice pieces myself (at the cost of asking) - made excellent traps and already paid back.















(Dumpster diving is one of my many useful hobbies, being a sustainability freak. Amount of good material tossed away is just mind boggling. Lots of beekeeping equipment is to be built from pure scraps. This is a really good thread, I think. Thumbs up!)


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Just to add, in my city, the metal recycling container is one of my favorites. 
I am pretty much set for years, if not for life, with #2 wire screens for any of my hive building projects.
If you, folks, have a metal scrap dumpster near - just subscribe to it.

Or yeah... Last year, a crew started ripping a roof of my neighbor's house (she decided to replace).
Well, told them I take all the scrap sheet metal to save them the labor of hauling it. 
Now set with sheet metal too. LOL 

Speaking of US anyway, it is not worth buying anything if you build stuff yourself, just the amount of free material for the taking on Craigslist is huge.
I say - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. 
That's the responsible way, anyway,


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

Hey GregV,
so you are bored in Sol`s forum now?
Kind of talkative, are you?
Where is your introduction to be found?
Sibylle


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I must be getting lazy as I get older. I just subscribed to the freecycle.org group. Now I will get an email whenever someone in my area is giving away something for free. Armchair scrounging, yeah.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Jw
I had never heard of that. I did look it up and the closest listed town to me is 30 miles away but does not look active. I guess I will still have to relie on my relitives to keep finding me stuff. My dads neighbor just brought me 5 bags of flower. I like sugar better but did just make some more cinnimin rolls and threw in some bread for the chickens. I will have a hard time going threw 5 50 lbs bags of flower but will give it my best shot.
Cheers
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

At least flour is useful, baking bread, biscuits and such. Several years ago a friend that is in the kettle corn vending business gave me a 50# bag of popcorn kernels. The kind that makes those huge puffy pieces like you get at the county fair. I put it in five gallon buckets. 50# makes A LOT OF POPCORN! I still have most of it left and I eat popcorn two or three times a month.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I wonder if that kind of pop corn would kill chickens? My wife, right after christmas, bought two tins of pop corn, the kind with butter, cheese and carmal. They are usually on sale then. I have ate about half of one can so far. It is the only time I eat pop corn. I could see it being hard to get rid of 50 lbs. Still, doesn't cost you anything to eat it if you get the erge. That is good anyway. My bread turned out really good even though I cut down all the ingredients in half except the flower sugar and substitute water (instead of milk). I was trying to make it just eatable for me but cheap for the chickens and was surprized it still was really good.
Cheers
gww


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## Fishmaster50 (Apr 30, 2015)

I got some composite decking and pvc 1 xs last summer (left overs from work) so was board and made some screened bottom boards. Plus was got stainless screws to to put together!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

fishmaster
Cool
gww


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

I got a brand new (still in plastic wrap), solid core pine door. 
Smaller standard size that fits walk-in closets.
Don't know what to do with it just yet.
Usage ideas are welcome.

Coffee table was suggested already, but unsure I want it.

Please stop me from cutting this up into boards and makes hives from it!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Greg
You could always keep it around for an instant table. I have two that are not solid core that I keep around for yard sales or painting on. They store pretty easy if you have a dry place and are still there for use if you ever have an emergency project. We built a club house of sorts for my little brother on a lake he had built and it had an upstairs bed room that took a door that was pretty small and having one laying around that we were able to cut down turned out to be a good thing. I have used lots of nice stuff to build some pretty crappy stuff if I had the need/want of the crappy thing and had the nice thing just sitting there with no use. It was still better to have it then have to buy something. Right now I use a lot of aluminum tape like they use on duct work. It is not cheap stuff if you had to buy it and my use is not best use but I was given two rolls and best use is not the work I am doing now and don't think I will do that kind of work in the future and so it works good for what I am using it for.
Good luck
gww


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

Scrounged some nice wooden beams yesterday, pine. We will put our hives on top of these.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Siw.....
Cool
gww


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

Was out walking the dog and a couple of guy were taking out a old cast iron bath tub. Before they got it loaded I told them just put it under my trees and I'll drag it behind my garage. Just what I need for my cabin in the woods.


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

Dan the bee guy said:


> Was out walking the dog and a couple of guy were taking out a old cast iron bath tub. Before they got it loaded I told them just put it under my trees and I'll drag it behind my garage. Just what I need for my cabin in the woods.


I´m envious...


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

SiWolKe said:


> I´m envious...


Good thing that I have 3 strong sons. It's going to be a place for my bees and my dogs a great place for them to run free. Now I just have to start building it.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Dan
I have moved those tubs before. It takes three men and a boy. My dad has a neibor that paid $750 for one to put in his small house.
I have actually threw one away when younger. I didn't know people paid for them when I did it.
Cheers
gww


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Finally got my scrounge months later but it was worth the wait. Got this old Craftsman drill press, an old hand drill which is very cool, a nice vice, a box full of staples, a really nice old rolling floor jack, a pancake compressor with 3/4 horse motor, a big battery charger, and a hedge trimmer with "chord issues" all for $0


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## bee keeper chef (Nov 1, 2015)

Scored some scrap boxes from a tube mill these are made up of 1 x 12 boards 36 inches long to 52 inches I see some nice 5 frame nucs in my future


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

This is probably the best I've ever scrounged - 'twas a couple of years back, but have only just spotted this thread ...

Found amongst all the [email protected] at the back of a pallet yard was this stack of coloured polycarbonate sheeting. The bloke couldn't sell it to recyclers as they only want clear/transparent polycarbonate - so he was stuck with it, and the landfill guys wanted money just to bury it.

So - I 'did him a favour' by relieving him of this logistical burden ...
LJ


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Nice scrounge LJ  Bartering and scrounging makes me happy!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

rwurter
Zero is a very good price
bee keeper chef
nice
little john
recycle loss your gain. 
I love this thread to share in peoples good fortune and also to see what poeple get that they repurpose and use for things it was not origionally made for. I get some of my best ideals from threads like this.
Cheers
gww


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

Scored around a 100 large aluminum sheets for telescoping covers for $20. 









There JWP!!


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

If you don't post a picture, it didn't happen!



After seeing the picture, all I can say is... good scrounge!


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## mbear (May 18, 2017)

So my wife found this one. A guy was giving away end pieces of 2x6. I was thinking 6 inches to a foot each. But no this guy was throwing away pices from 2 foot to 4 foot each. She came home with a mini van full.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

mbear
If they were not treated, I would have been happy with a foot long, I make my frame end bars out of stuff like that. Longer is better though.
Cheers
gww


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Did a little research on the drill press I scrounged. It was made around 1942 and would have cost about $97 at the time. Still has original paint and all I.D. tags. Has 0.0015 runout at the chuck. The on/off switch has been replaced with a light switch but I can deal with that. Beast of a machine running like its brand new at 75 years old lol.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I don't have a drill press but would like to. Good for you. Sometimes things just work out perfect. 1942 must have been a good year for drill presses.
Cheers
gww


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

rwurster said:


> Did a little research on the drill press I scrounged. It was made around 1942 and would have cost about $97 at the time. Still has original paint and all I.D. tags. Has 0.0015 runout at the chuck. The on/off switch has been replaced with a light switch but I can deal with that. Beast of a machine running like its brand new at 75 years old lol.


You might be able to use it to mix syrup or sub.......


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Does a good deal on a purchase count as scrounging? Twenty-one one brand new beginner assembled and painted mediums with brand new Mann Lake Ritecell frames for $15 each and 33 deep brand new Mann Lake Ritecell deep frames for $1.00 each? It comes out to about $.23 on the dollar. I have done better on slightly used equipment. 
New factory assembled mediums are over $55 and the deep frames are $3.50+.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Oddfrank
Counts enough to me that I am jealous. I don't know how you come on to such good deals. I am guessing that I need to be more social cause I never see stuff like that on craigs list. 
Cheers
gww


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

odfrank said:


> Does a good deal on a purchase count as scrounging? Twenty-one one brand new beginner assembled and painted mediums with brand new Mann Lake Ritecell frames for $15 each and 33 deep brand new Mann Lake Ritecell deep frames for $1.00 each? It comes out to about $.23 on the dollar. I have done better on slightly used equipment.
> New factory assembled mediums are over $55 and the deep frames are $3.50+


I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who brags about their bragging. He texted me earlier today saying, “See my bragging post” on this thread. Really?


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

A super deal is still a super deal, unless bloodshed is involved. Ollie had every right to make sure you knew about his good fortune. So return the favor when his swarms mysteriously end up in your traps.


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## cbay (Mar 27, 2017)

gww said:


> I am guessing that I need to be more social cause I never see stuff like that on craigs list.
> Cheers
> gww


Same here! Hardly ever found a good deal on CL and bought something around here and check often. But, i use it a lot for selling and almost always get a decent price for stuff i sell...


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I was given another 100 lbs of sugar today plus 50 lbs of whole wheat mill ground flour. Now I can try a more nutritious sour dough recipe and so guess I will search the internet for one.

I am going to have to remember my mom and dads neighbor come july harvest if my bees treat me right.
Cheers
gww


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Didn't actually scrounge it, but got something I have wanted all my life, an arc welder.

I can weld as I did that for someone I worked for when young. But never had sufficient cause to buy my own welder although I've always hankered after having one in the shed, just in case.

Anyhow, I broke a vital piece of equipment, went to the local engineer, and was told we are run off our feet, come back in 2 weeks.
So, I went to the store and purchased a welder plus helmet and the other bits and pieces, brought it home and welded up my broken equipment. Felt so good doing some welding for the first time in around 30 years, but the skills have not left, I did it just as good as I did all those years ago.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Oldtimer
I bought my first welder about 20 something years ago cause I bought a craftsman riding mower that the deck cracked over and over on. I still got seven to ten years out of that mower. It had weld lines going everywhere. I have did a bit of welding building things and I still can not weld. I see poeple that can, but I am not one. I still like my welder and it is nice to "try" and fix things on our own, feels good.
Congradulation on yours
gww


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Cheers GWW


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Oldtimer said:


> Didn't actually scrounge it, but got something I have wanted all my life, an arc welder.


Me too OT. Never needed one badly enough to buy one. When I was 30, I had a job with a company making maple syrup cans. My job was to solder the inside side seam. Thousands a day. I got good at the process real fast. Then I moved over to the maple syrup utensil side of the company. Made "one cone" syrup filters. All from scrap stainless. 3 a day. I asked for a raise the second year. Didn't think $5 an hour was sufficient. They offered $.10. Sayonara Baby.

I imagine welding is a bit like soldering?


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Good story Michael. 

Welding is kind of like soldering in that there are skills that only practise will make perfect, and sounds like you got plenty of that! Difference between welding and soldering would be getting correct penetration and not getting carbon inside the weld. To get ticketed, as they call it here, you have to do a range of types of welds, then they xray them to see if there are any flaws on the inside. Once you got a ticket you can get good money.

Basic welding can probably be picked up in about 5 minutes, after that it's just practise. If you feel like getting a welder, it's fun!


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Third year I worked on a farm I went to the maintenance shop. I remember days and days and days of hard facing with an arc welder, and grinding, and hard facing. I have an arc welder but would prefer a little mig. I'm not a welder by any stretch of the imagination.


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## 220 (Dec 28, 2016)

Have been scrounging at the farm going through the old pallet and fruit bin piles. Most will be burnt come winter and that is about all they are good for but have found some usable timber. 
Purchased a cheap table saw a month back and so far have made 8 mini mating nucs for my first attempt a queen rearing next season, 10 frame feeders for the mini nucs, 5 full size deep frame feeders, 5 inner covers, 5 2" shims, 50 end bars and have plenty of odd sized bits of timber left over.
I cheated and raided the plywood stash for a sheet for the inner covers and feeders so out of pocket for glue, screws and nails.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

220
Cool, That is how I started, raiding left over stuff from other projects. My stuff and dads stuff. I do wish I still had a plywood stash cause it sure makes building some stuff easyer then using boards.
Cheers
gww


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

C'mon OT, where are the pics? How can we critique the welding if we can't see it? I learned acetylene welding in body shop school back in the seventies and then moved on to stick and mig. Still working on mastering the tig welder with stainless and aluminum. Always had a company owned welder at my disposal for the past 30 some years. When I retire, I may have to buy a nice Miller Synchrowave. Congrats on your purchase.


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## oldsap (May 1, 2016)

30 deep 4 frame nucs, 30 medium 4 frame nucs, 10 frames for Miller hive top feeders. 2 4 way mini mating nucs. Various other hive parts. All with found wood from pallets, shipping boxes etc.


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## dott (Aug 1, 2015)

been looking for a non-working upright freezer to make a honey warmer, guy next door who dose electrical work pulls up with one in his truck. someone was remodeling their home they just gave it to him because they didn't need it anymore. plug it in and in about 3hrs it was down to 0, checking data plate it is a 2015 whirlpool 15 cu ft unit. so now I have a working freezer but still looking for a non-working one.


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## oldsap (May 1, 2016)

I use the same freezer for different tasks. I installed a light and thermostat in the freezer to warm honey. And use it to freeze frames in the summer to hold honey for when needed. Saves space in the honey house. I also reset the thermostat on the warmer to 93 degrees to hatch queen cells.


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

JWPalmer said:


> C'mon OT, where are the pics?


LOL, I should be able to get a pic tommorrow, I didn't do a perfect job but it's amazing how many mistakes can be hidden by a couple coats of cold galv.


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

Nothing like a welder,
but a few days ago I scrounged these screws, nuts and brackets from the waste box which is placed in the company where my husband works.


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## dott (Aug 1, 2015)

a family member has a retail outdoor equipment business. the mowers are shipped in metal crate/frames that are the throw away type, they are made out of 1" and 1" x 2" square tubing. I use them to make hive stands. if I could figure out how to add pictures I will put some up.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

Dott what type of mowers? So th rest of has have a idea on who to hit up.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

>> if I could figure out how to add pictures I will put some up.

Beesource forum has limits on photo size - if the file is too large the upload process fails with a cryptic message. Reducing the photo size to no more than 600x600 pixels before using the "Insert Image" button on the toolbar should cure that. If you want an easy way to resize a photo, see: http://www.picresize.com/ then upload the resulting image here.

Or, use a photo host such as Postimg.org and then post a link here. Using a photo host allows you to skip resizing - the host deals with that. More details on photo uploading here: http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...-Photo-uploading-and-misc-other-forum-tips-**


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

Had a radial arm saw given to me awhile back by a friend that had two or three in a shed that he didnt use , now I can dedicate it to my crosscut saw for cutting 1x8x6 ft lumber into box length boards for supers . And sears /craftsman had a safety program running with certain models that the blade cover was deemed unsafe that they offered a free brand new table for the saw no matter how old it is , I might have posted this recall before .

Here is the link http://radialarmsawrecall.com/


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

laketrout
I have the saw in the recall but it looks like the recall only gives $100 rebate if you make the saw unusable. I paid $125 for it used. I aint giving it up for $100. I guess I take me chances cause I use it lots.
Cheers
gww
Ps I do wish I had a friend that had three of them and would have just give me one. Cool


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

I too have one of those radial arm saws subject to the recall, and I too paid $125 for that saw about 2 years ago. (The seller advised me of the recall before my purchase.) It does have a tendency to pull itself into the board that you are cutting. One needs to have a firm grasp on the handle, and be prepared to provide 'push back' so the head does not come towards you too fast. And, obviously, _never_ put any part of your body in the possible line of travel for the saw head. Its a great tool, and I'm pleased with that purchase. But I am very careful to keep my limbs and fingers away.

And speaking of bargains, I responded to a CL $100 listing for a "router table", and the item turned out to be an old Craftsman Shaper ...








.. which is similar to a router + table, but uses shaper cutters rather than router bits. It was in good working order except for a pulley issue. After fixing that, and buying some new cutters from Grizzly, I used it to build some kitchen cabinets. It has more power than a table mounted router IMO as it has a belt drive induction motor rather than a 'universal' style motor found in routers. Since the motor is separate from the cutting head, the motor can be much bigger than those found in a router. This shaper has a reversible motor, which a router can't do. I did add one of those "mushroom" on-off switches as the existing switch was a combo reverse/on-off knob and subject to movement by getting hooked on a pants pocket. Fortunately I experienced that 'learning moment' while the shaper was _unplugged_.

As I purchased that $100 shaper, the seller offered me a Hitachi 12" compound miter saw for free! He said it needed new brushes, and he couldn't find any locally and just wanted to be rid of it. So with some new brushes (Ebay, less than $10, I don't recall exactly) its been working fine. 

.


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## DanielD (Jul 21, 2012)

Radar, there are blades specific for radial arm saws that will diminish that danger. The tooth angle is changed so the blade isn't pulling into the wood. You may know that already.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Danial
I didn't know that.

Rader, I could have had a shaper like that also from where I bought mine as well as a router and table and a wood laethe. I didn't know what things were worth and had already spent five hundred and by the time I went back for more they were all sold.
Cheers
gww


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

I have one of the recalled Craftsman saws too circa 1974. Paid $50 for it  It's one that couldn't be retrofit with a fancy blade guard. They offered me $100 for the motor carriage LOL We used a 12" radial saw in middle school with half the blade guard mine has. Do what the shop teacher said back then, don't stand in front of the blade :kn:

I got a nice old rolling floor jack and a bunch of body tools along with 100 pounds of lead that was used as body filler two days ago. Everything is old school. Floor jack just needed hydraulic fluid lol All I wanted from the guy was some sections of felled tree that were spaulting. He threw in a paper shredder too


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## dott (Aug 1, 2015)

he has hustler bobcat and husquavna, one brand he has to keep and send those crates back


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## Fishmaster50 (Apr 30, 2015)

got this stuff last fal






l from work. Going to be my new hive stand


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

yeah I read that not sure what there talking about when I did the recall a couple years ago I could get the new table free or a 100.00 sent to me , and there wan't anything about sending anything back or making the saw unusable , I chose the table and they sent it . Maybe it would be worth a call to see what there doing . .


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## laketrout (Mar 5, 2013)

I did some reading and it sounds like they have to honor the recall until all the saws are accounted for it says to call Emerson not sears and tell them you don't want the 100.00 but you want the free table kit for safety and they should send you the kit .


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

When I called, years ago, mine was on the "not upgradable" model list. I laughed at the $100. I asked if they would send me another complete saw of equal quality (around $1200 when I checked) so I didnt send them the carriage. Also, the recall period was set and it passed so I figured it was a one time deal. 

That saw can rip like a table saw, do compound miters, and spin an 8" dado pack with absolutely no problems. It is still rock solid. It does have a propensity to bite into a board and want to come out and get you. As far as the old table, I made a new one for it with holes for dogs and a wood vice on one side. 

edit: I enter my model number and it kicks me right into "order a box" lol There used to be a toll free number you could call and debate the finer points of the saw. No more


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## 220 (Dec 28, 2016)

Scored about 100' 3x1.5 and 4x1.5 pine in 12-30" lenghts. 
Just need to turn it into something now.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

How about a 'Better Way Wax Melter'? 

Old timers will probably recognize this one. Just brought it home yesterday and need to get it tidied up of old slum and dead mice bodies.  To be expected, for an old barn find.

Interesting unit, decently made with insulated exterior.

I am thinking it just might warm crystallized buckets of honey as well, if I can control the the heat well enough. Will hold several 5 gallon buckets.

































Steel stand needs a new spot weld, but is otherwise sound.









If anyone has info. on this relic, I'd appreciate it. Did some searching but found virtually nothing other than the company is apparently still in business. 

A little scraping, wire wheel and touch of cold galvanizing paint on the stand and It should be handy


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

I Started to clean it up, but thought I better make sure it works before I put a bunch of elbow grease into it.
Both fans and both elements Fired up like a champ!

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=VRWGr4CBIWA


I was surprised to find the interior liner to be made of stainless steel. As I scraped and scrubbed, it became apparent.









Now that I know it works, one more good scrub and this part should be ready.


----------



## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Dang lauri
That looks like you have used a lot of elbow grease. Shines like a new one.
Cheers
gww


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Lauri,

My first thought was what brand of elbow grease did she use ? That SS liner sure does look good.

Steve


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Hive tool and a couple Brillo pads, hot water. Wasn't bad at all.


----------



## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

I also picked up this unit, a monster of a box joint milling machine.

It is 3 phase/ 440 Volt so I have not run it yet, will clean it up and store it until I have the power to use it.
More than I need for my scale.

Rumor is it was custom built for the old owner, I can not find any manufacturer mark.
It wasn't free, but darn near for what it is.
Looks like it will do 8- 10 boards at a time.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Made it a new pallet with locking castors,( it will eventually be on a concrete floor) old pallet was pretty much crushed. My husband thinks the box on the side is a phase converter. Will have our electrician take a look at it.
Will do 10 boards at a time, teeth are a full 1".









































From my research, I think it is called a Hauncher

http://www.usconceptsinc.com/haunchers.cfm

From the internet:

The machine is called a hauncher. It has a horizontal arbor that allows you to stack blades and spacers. It’s used to cut finger joints, box joints, and any other shaper type cut primarily to the end of boards. Mine has a 12” arbor, but you can put an index pin in the table and shift the board to allow an endless cut. I too originally was going to build my own machine and spent time and money on the arbor and bearings and steel, but realized in the long run it would be easier to buy the machine. There aren’t a lot of haunchers out there for sale."


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

Wow, Lauri, that´s the most wonderful machine if it´s working!
I´m envious!


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

SiWolKe said:


> Wow, Lauri, that´s the most wonderful machine if it´s working!
> I´m envious!


They say it runs like a sewing machine. Yes, it was quite a find. A little above my pay grade, but I'll try to be worthy of the opportunity.


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## 1102009 (Jul 31, 2015)

Lauri said:


> They say it runs like a sewing machine. Yes, it was quite a find. A little above my pay grade, but I'll try to be worth of the opportunity.


Yes do! How wonderful! You can do some work for others to make it pay.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

SiWolKe said:


> Yes do! How wonderful! You can do some work for others to make it pay.


Yup, especially if I have a couple slow years with bees, I can fall back on fabrication of some kind if I have to make a buck.


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## Knisely (Oct 26, 2013)

You may well be able to make a go of turning sawed off ends into hive components. Making the exact same equipment as the big boys won’t be price competitive (even if you price your labor near zero); your niche could be the specialized equipment you’re showing us you use for raising queens. Like the dual colony half-frame deep boxes that share a division board feeder. Ship them knocked down. I’d buy a few.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Picked up a gallon of Valspar exterior satin for $10 at Lowe's today. Best of all, it isn't some funky color, just plain ol' white. Looks like some spilled on the sides of the can. Not a fan of Sherwin Williams so the big clearance sale they are having on the Ovation paint did not interest me.


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Went to buy a 3 x 18" brand new Ryobi belt sander for $40 off a guy on Craigslist and ended up buying a craftsman benchtop drillpress, a benchtop bandsaw, and the belt sander all for $90. Everything's in excellent condition. The one thing that shocked me is how well the diablo belts I bought for the sander have held up under heavy use.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

rwurster
Cool.
gww


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## Jadeguppy (Jul 19, 2017)

Gallon on lime green exterior paint from Sherwin Williams that usually runs about $70 for a buck! Happy scrounger here.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Jade
I am so glad that people remember this thread and post their good fortune. Lucky you.
gww


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

I know it is not much and I should have grabed more but it should make an easy swarm trap or something.








Cheers
gww


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

GWW.........I think you should go scrounging with Lauri, I'm sure you'll do much better...........


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Snl
Three reasons against your ideal. One is that I don't think I own as much elbo grease as lauri. I am sure I don't have the storage and lastly, I don't have near the ambition. Her 150 hives sounds like more work then I am looking for. I do look up to her scrounging skills though.
Cheers
gww


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Nice scrounge gww! Advantech on top of it :applause: I bet you could get two nuc bodies complete with top/bottom out of that :thumbsup:


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

2 recently dead out "Golden Mean" topbar hives for the cost prossing the honey for the owner.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Msl
Another owner getting out of bees? Crush and strain? 
Cool for you.
Cheers
gww


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Owner getting out of topbars. The packages were installed and quickly became a cross comb mess and the hives were never opened as they bought a biz and had a child and didn't have time to muck with them, so the hives satthere as the langs just worked on there own with little suprevistion till they passed this winter
They were in bad shape in the cross comb dept and compleatly unworkable ... reinforces why I like the 16" bar vs the 19" and a thin comb guide VS the wedge as wide a the bar. I will get them cleaned up and FBS in to them, the daughter is very excited over the OB window... the solar wax melter has some work to do lol.


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## Swarmhunter (Mar 5, 2015)

20- 8 ft. deck boards from a torn down deck at a new yard I'll be using. Good shape yet. Going to use them for hive stands. Yard on the edge of 300 acres of pollinator CRP. The owner even said he'd make a batch of mead for me. Jackpot!!!!:banana:


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

W/o pics, you can’t brag! 😤


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

msl said:


> 2 recently dead out "Golden Mean" topbar hives for the cost prossing the honey for the owner.


I wanna see pics.
But darn!

OK, fine, these I got last year (stopped while driving by - asked "is this a hive?" - was told "please, just take this junk away").
Was a single hex hive by design. 
One of those "natural" designs that supposed to take care of themselves and people just get the honey (hehe). 
I made two free-standing traps out of this gizmo.
My most productive traps so far.
1st pic - hive pieces salvaged; 2nd pic - final product.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I saw these two Ikea fancy what I thought were saw horses, free on the street and went around the block to grab them. They are "trestles with shelf, $40. each. I envision a hive stand, or mini mating nuc stand. They are slightly too narrow for side by side 8 frame hives, but one could add a wider top. 

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80150095/





[url=https://postimg.cc/image/tbgksbjrp/]
[/URL]


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Oddfrank
Cool
gww


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

You must be very proud Ollie


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

A near lifetime supply of smoker fuel. Coffee roasters are wonderful folks!!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Mike
You should probly sell your smoker fuel and buy some cheeper stuff to use. My uncles mother inlaw died and when they held an auction of her estate, gunny sacks were selling for high dollar.
Cheers
gww


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

Yeah, but I love burlap smoker fuel, have used it since the 80s....burns cool and stays lit. 🙂


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Nice Ollie! I nailed some 2x4 to the tops of two saw horses and I have 300+ frames stored on top of them. Ikea "trestles" sounds better than "saw horses" any day of the week :gh:


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## soarwitheagles (May 23, 2015)

Picked up a bunch of metal for pennies. Just finished making and then priming






new beehive stands...


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## Jadeguppy (Jul 19, 2017)

Cool find. Did you weld them?


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## Fred Bee (May 5, 2007)

NasalSponge said:


> A near lifetime supply of smoker fuel. Coffee roasters are wonderful folks!!


Love to use burlap as smoker fuel. Good find. Also, soarwitheagles...I’m not much of a metal worker, but you are. Nice hive stands.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

A honey flow in a eucalyptus forest can make for some tall hives. I would have made those stands a foot and more lower.

QUOTE=soarwitheagles;1634575]Picked up a bunch of metal for pennies. QUOTE]


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Scored a nice batch of jumbo frames (not Dadants, but jumbo Langs mb?) - 11 1/4 deep.
60+ frames.
FREE.















I think I will attach a medium Lang frame to the bottom of this puppy and have actual Lazutin frame going.
Already have some equipment for these made up too - drop in and go.
Excited!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

greg
nice find
gww


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## Kamon A. Reynolds (Apr 15, 2012)

nice find greg post some pictures after the bees have drawn them out.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Sugar warehouse has been bugging me to pick up their waste sugar. Figured they had a couple broken totes. Wrong. Brought home 10,000 lb. so far, and 6000 more to go. Swamped! 2019 sugar needs in the house!


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## Knisely (Oct 26, 2013)

Sweet!


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## jkellum (Dec 29, 2016)

wow 16000lb of sugar!


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

Michael Palmer said:


> Brought home 10,000 lb. so far, and 6000 more to go.


Strewth ... 

I was about to post about my full-time scrounging activity over a nine-week period between the middle of September and the middle of November - 1800 good quality wooden pallets, thousands of 10mm and 15mm thick battens, and a whole lot more - it was like scrounging on steroids ... but even my bonanza can't compete with that !

Nice one MP. 
LJ


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Flag on the play! 

Is it even scrounging if they call you?

More like manna.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Good one salty.
Michael
Here I was bragging earlier in this thread about getting 400 to 600 lbs of free sugar. Your post put me in my place (though I was still happy).
At least you have a place to go with all that sugar. 
Very nice.

Lj
That is a lot of pallets. Impressive in its own right. 
Cool
gww


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

gww said:


> ...
> Here I was bragging earlier in this thread about getting *400 to 600* lbs of free sugar. ...gww


Hey, if you only running 10-20 hives - you got yourself a plenty!
A great deal anyway.
Of course, 16000lb of sugar - that is some scale there.

I got myself trivial 50-60 pounds of free sugar last spring (a free give away from a warehouse - thanks to a good employee of theirs for saving the resource - was going to get tossed)

All in all - think this "scrounging" activity is a very good public service that we do here.
Resources must not be wasted!

PS:
hard to believe what people toss - last year pulled excellent cooking ware from metal recycling (heavy stainless steel pots and stuff).
I happened to have my spouse along - she was excited!


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

greg
Having nice pots is a nice thing. Good thing you were around at the right time. I always liked this topic thread.
Cheers
gww


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## Sour Kraut (Jun 17, 2012)

Well, not lately, but last spring I scored 3 very long shipping crates used to ship parts for FM transmitting antennas

Each about 10 ft long 1 x 12 construction

after getting rid of all the staples holding them together (UGH) I had enough to build about 10 of the 20 x 20 12-frame deeps


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this thread and I do hope folks keep posting their finds here.

So far, it looks like Lauri takes top prize for total scrounge value, Michael gets the award for best single haul (bonus points for having the gifter call you) and GWW gets honorable mention for the most consistent scrounger.


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

Not scrounged today, but around 10 days ago ... a caravan refrigerator.

I've started writing some web-pages about it - they're not properly online yet: 'still under construction' as the saying goes. But - here's a preview link anyway. http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com/incubator01.htm
LJ


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

lj
Good luck on the project. Lots of new queens in you future hey?
Cheers
gww


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

LJ,

In your design process why don't you keep in mind that this incubator can also be used to de-crystallize honey in jars or a five gallon bucket. I'm actually working on a similar project to yours, but my first objective is to de-crystallize honey, and secondly as a backup incubator. 

Cheers,
Steve


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

Hi Steve - I live in what might be described as 'a nectar desert', and the amount of honey produced here really isn't worth harvesting - so I've become a 'bee-farmer' rather than a 'honey-farmer' ...

But in truth, the amount of bees produced here isn't that great either - not by your country's standards - just enough to pay the sugar bill and provide a retired old fart with a reason for getting up in the morning. LOL

But - because this area is pretty-much a 'nectar desert', there are precious few beehives in the immediate vicinity and my drones are effectively swamping the area. As a result, queen-rearing here has become a little more controlled than elsewhere - and that's how a queen-cell incubator comes to fit into the picture 
LJ


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

5 mini pallets. From Farm & Fleet's free wood junk pile. They throw away a lot of display racks, pallets and occasionally decent wood. Last week got a half-dozen pieces of 8 by 2 board.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

little_john said:


> Not scrounged today, but around 10 days ago ... a caravan refrigerator.
> 
> I've started writing some web-pages about it - they're not properly online yet: 'still under construction' as the saying goes. But - here's a preview link anyway. http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com/incubator01.htm
> LJ


LJ:

This is a really interesting project- very good modification workmanship.

I had to look up 'caravan' - we call them 'campers' here in the States and typically call them 'RV' or 'Dorm' refrigerators.

Thanks for posting- I'll look forward to seeing how it works for your purpose.

Russ


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

AR1 said:


> 5 mini pallets. From Farm & Fleet's free wood junk pile. They throw away a lot of display racks, pallets and occasionally decent wood. Last week got a half-dozen pieces of 8 by 2 board.


What are you going to make out of them, AR1?


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

Litsinger said:


> What are you going to make out of them, AR1?


Won't decide until winter, when I start doing indoors stuff. I just collect wood randomly if it looks decent. Never enough and I hate buying it. The mini pallets will be hive stands this winter.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

AR1 said:


> Never enough and I hate buying it.


I can certainly appreciate this position. Good luck with your winter woodworking efforts.

Russ


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

A friend of mine is taking a break from beekeeping, he was TF and kept having his hives die. Called me up to come get all his woodendware. 3 deeps, 4 supers, a complete BM nuc, 4 Beemax feeders, and some misc. tops and bottoms, one still in the box. Also scored about 30 Acorn plastic frames, 20 are brand new. Figure it would all cost around $350 if purchased new. Wants me to take a freezer full of frames too, but we will need to extract them first.


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## oldsap (May 1, 2016)

Good for you, sad for him. I have someone whose husband passed and wants to rid herself of his equipment. We are going use to help a beginner start up.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Great idea. I may do the same once I get everything cleaned up. The only thing I wanted was the nuc and the feeders, as I already have 20 hives and that is plenty for now. It would be a feel good moment to be able to help a newbee out. Course he or she will still need to buy the bees, generosity does have it's limits.

:bus


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## oldsap (May 1, 2016)

Of they have to be vested in the process. Without that they likely would not care enough to be a good beekeeper.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

JWPalmer said:


> A friend of mine is taking a break from beekeeping, he was TF and kept having his hives die. Called me up to come get all his woodendware. 3 deeps, 4 supers, a complete BM nuc, 4 Beemax feeders, and some misc. tops and bottoms, one still in the box. Also scored about 30 Acorn plastic frames, 20 are brand new. Figure it would all cost around $350 if purchased new. Wants me to take a freezer full of frames too, but we will need to extract them first.


Good for you, JW. I am glad you will have the opportunity to 'pay forward' some of the hive set-ups.

I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving.

Russ


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Thanks Russ, I owe oldsap for providing the idea. I am extremely thankful this month because my 30 year-old son finally rented a place large enough for him to get all his junk out of my house. PTL and TYJ! (He has been on his own for some time but was using his old bedroom as a storage shed.)


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

JWPalmer said:


> (He has been on his own for some time but was using his old bedroom as a storage shed.)


God is certainly good all the time. This sounds like a great opportunity for a dedicated 'bee improvement library' complete with observation hive... before nature reclaims the space. As Aristotle pointed out, "Nature abhors a vacuum."


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Major score this week. I regularly bid on restaurant equipment auctions to find stuff for the honey side of beekeeping. I had bid up to $12 for a small digital scale with a 2# capacity. Got outbid. While picking up another item, I casually asked about any other scales they might have. Guy pulls out an NCI 6710-15 (15kg cap.) with remote display and power adapter. All that was missing was the the stainless steel skirt which I can easily fabricate. Sold it to me for $20. The scale is NTEP approved for point of sale use so is legal for trade. Just looked online and see that this scale retails new for $473. Oh yeah!


----------



## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I was given free this '80s vintage two piece Dadant bottling tank but it is hours and new parts away from being usable. Still seeking an experienced mentor to advise me on it's repair. Penny and Kent at Dadants Metal Shop have given me some help. At this point I just need two gaskets. I can see that they don't hold up well as they are in hot honey and water for days at a time. Any advice on what kind and where to buy proper gaskets? Dadant does not have them.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

odfrank said:


> Any advice on what kind and where to buy proper gaskets? Dadant does not have them.


Around here, places that specialize in making hydraulic hoses (e. g., Cardinal Rubber) also cut custom gaskets. I would have thought Buna-n or neoprene would have held up well in that application, but you could also try EPDM or Viton. If the fitting is flat and the tank is round, you will want a lower durometer, like 40 to 50, so that it will seal well. Just bring in the old gaskets, or the fittings if the old gaskets are destroyed, and they will make you new ones.


----------



## Robert Holcombe (Oct 10, 2019)

I often refer to Parker O-ring handbook for suitable materials - https://www.parker.com/literature/Praedifa/Catalogs/Catalog_O-Ring-Handbook_PTD5705-EN.pdf Go to section 6.7.4 for approved FDA materials for use with consumer foods. The agency is pretty particular about what to use as food safe gasket and o-ring material. I am surprised Dadant cannot provide food safe information related to gaskets.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

This is a late '80s tank, not welded. But plumbed together with gasket-ed fittings. They do not stock the gaskets 30 years later. 





Robert Holcombe said:


> I often refer to Parker O-ring handbook for suitable materials - https://www.parker.com/literature/Praedifa/Catalogs/Catalog_O-Ring-Handbook_PTD5705-EN.pdf Go to section 6.7.4 for approved FDA materials for use with consumer foods. The agency is pretty particular about what to use as food safe gasket and o-ring material. I am surprised Dadant cannot provide food safe information related to gaskets.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

80's bronze fittings and even the pipe from that age likely contain lead. Is that mess previously welded ? Heat will bring the lead to the surface. Is it going to hurt anything? No, but.

For gaskets I would remove the mess and go with lexel and food grade paint. Remove any excess lexel while wet.


----------



## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

JWPalmer said:


> Just looked online and see that this scale retails new for $473. Oh yeah!


Nice score, JW. Merry Christmas to you.

Russ


----------



## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

Litsinger said:


> God is certainly good all the time. This sounds like a great opportunity for a dedicated 'bee improvement library' complete with observation hive... before nature reclaims the space. As Aristotle pointed out, "Nature abhors a vacuum."


----------



## mbear (May 18, 2017)

I just started a new job. I kept seeing plywood, underpayment the size of pallets. It is all used to hold awkward size things on pallets for shipment. The company sees them as trash and give them away. I have been setting the best pieces away for myself. I made 18 nuc boxes out of them today. I should have no problem getting all the wood I could ever want for nuc's, tops and bottoms.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Mbear,
Lucky you! Congrats!


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Mbear, that is great! Most of the ply we get is too small to make boxes out of.


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

mbear said:


> I should have no problem getting all the wood I could ever want for nuc's, tops and bottoms.


Let us know when you’re ready to take orders. Should be inexpensive since you get free wood!!:thumbsup:


----------



## oldsap (May 1, 2016)

Good for you. I lost the job that was getting me similar wood this year. But I found that a local lumberyard had an order for Advantech siding that was canceled. They sold me 10 sheets at their cost to get it off the books.


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

mbear said:


> I just started a new job. I kept seeing plywood, underpayment the size of pallets. It is all used to hold awkward size things on pallets for shipment. The company sees them as trash and give them away. I have been setting the best pieces away for myself. I made 18 nuc boxes out of them today. I should have no problem getting all the wood I could ever want for nuc's, tops and bottoms.


Nice. My local Farm & Fleet store has a 'free wood' dump at the corner of their parking lot. I stop by every week or so and scrounge plywood. This last time I got some good posts, thin plywood and a couple of 2 by 4s. The plywood is very cheap stuff, thin, but it should hold up a season or two. Made 4 nucs so far and have cut out panels for a few more.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

>>>The plywood is very cheap stuff, thin, but it should hold up a season or two.

As someone experienced in making baithives out of wine boxes, packing crates and styrofoam fish packing boxes.....I warn you that the time you waste building with free materials is worth a lot more than the money you are saving. When you have to start over in two years you will realize you no longer have the time you lost the first time around nor do you have usable nucs.


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## mbear (May 18, 2017)

I don't need any more bees but as an experiment this year I am going to buy three nucs and grow them and split them as often as possible to see how many hives I end up with to winter over. So I am going to build a lot of nucs boxes and even sell some to help offset expenses.


----------



## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

Litsinger said:


> What are you going to make out of them, AR1?


No scrounging today, but I have made 10 5-frame nucs from cheap, thin plywood scrounged from Farm and Fleet's free wood pile. Tonight I am starting in on top covers for these nucs, which will be nothing more than sheets of plywood with a big rock on top to hold them down in the wind.

I am wondering how long these boxes will hold up, given how crappy the material is. I sealed all the edges and painted them so they should last a couple of seasons at least.


----------



## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

AR1 said:


> I sealed all the edges and painted them so they should last a couple of seasons at least.


Glad to hear you were able to make productive use of your find, AR1. Seems to me if are able to keep water saturation to a minimum through diligent maintenance of paint and caulk and keep them off the ground you should get more than a few years service from them.


----------



## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

AR1, the swarm traps I make from plans at Horizontal Hive use 1/4" plywood for the sides and lids and 5/8" plywood for the ends and floor. They stay out in the weather year round and seem to be holding up real well here in year three. Just keep your nucs dry and they should last a long time.


----------



## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

JWPalmer said:


> AR1, the swarm traps I make from plans at Horizontal Hive use 1/4" plywood for the sides and lids and 5/8" plywood for the ends and floor. They stay out in the weather year round and seem to be holding up real well here in year three. Just keep your nucs dry and they should last a long time.


Hope so, but this was crappy plywood the day it was made. Poorly laminated with minimal glue, then nailed, stapled, busted apart, chipped, gouged. With the work put in re-gluing the lamination edges, caulking, painting, it isn't saving me much. More for fun and 'can I do this'. Gives me something to do in the winter anyway, and keeps bills for lumber from appearing on the credit car, where my wife can see them!


----------



## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

"keeps bills for lumber from appearing on the credit car, where my wife can see them!"

You need to make something for her and pad the material list.


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

AR1 said:


> Nice. My local Farm & Fleet store has a 'free wood' dump at the corner of their parking lot. I stop by every week or so and scrounge plywood. This last time I got some good posts, thin plywood and a couple of 2 by 4s. The plywood is very cheap stuff, thin, but it should hold up a season or two. Made 4 nucs so far and have cut out panels for a few more.


thin stuff will make inner covers and dividers. could go thin ply, 5/8 styrofoam and another thin ply,, for a top cover, case it in Thin flashing tin.


----------



## Robert Holcombe (Oct 10, 2019)

I finally managed to use the excess memory foam I bought years ago. It became a porous foam gasket between my 5-sided slip-on insulating box and a lip screwed into my bottom board. I can see the foam accumulating water, like a sponge, for the bees while providing a water vapor gate out while wind blocking. 

But I also need ideas. I have a 22 ft. fiberglass sailboat hull ( swing keel) that I decommissioned  What can I do with it related to beekeeping. I intend to sink it, dig a hole, in my vernal pool to provide a year round deep spot for fish, frogs,etc. if I cannot find an alternative.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Not much you can do with an old hull. I think the idea of removing the top deck and turning it into a pond(with koi?) is actually pretty good. Certainly unique.


----------



## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Stack 1/2" foam core signs, cut them in to the parts to make 50 mating nucs for a club work shop.


----------



## Robert Holcombe (Oct 10, 2019)

I took my GE horizontal, high speed spin Washing Machine apart a few years ago. I had salvage parts and wanted to find out why it failed so early -- P*&^ - Poor "spider" fatigue design. 

To solve my dancing extractor issue I am building a platform for the honey extractor which is being mounted on swivel dolly wheels. I am using 4 dampers (like shock absorbers) and bushing bolts from the wash machine to reduce the platform motion induced by an unbalanced load in the extractor. It tries to spin about it's C.G. I may put the dolly wheels on soft rubber to convert motion prevent damaging or a hard board. 
my new bee-sheds new vinyl floor (cheap remnant piece from HD). 

I am really curious to see how it works - strictly trial and error. I will be prepared to add weight too. ( FYI - The bucket goes on the platform  )


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

Robert Holcombe said:


> To solve my dancing extractor issue I am building a platform for the honey extractor which is being mounted on swivel dolly wheels. I am using 4 dampers (like shock absorbers) and bushing bolts from the wash machine to reduce the platform motion induced by an unbalanced load in the extractor. It tries to spin about it's C.G.


Sounds pretty ingenious, Robert. Here's hoping it works even better than you anticipate. Maybe you can post some photos of the finished product?


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

2 4'X8'X1" sheets of particleboard. There was a lot more but bigger sheets that wouldn't fit in the minivan. Sad. I hope someone gets to them before they get wet. I will probably cut some up for hive tops. Good for one season maybe, and I am a bit short tops and bottoms.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

AR1 said:


> I will probably cut some up for hive tops. Good for one season maybe...


If you had some of MSL's Corroplast political signs, you could make a quick cladding to put on top of the particleboard to help extend their life as lids.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

Litsinger said:


> If you had some of MSL's Corroplast political signs, you could make a quick cladding to put on top of the particleboard to help extend their life as lids.


Or an old freezer lid and some tin snips.....Paint and cover with tin, I have several with OSB covered with roof flashing.


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

Litsinger said:


> If you had some of MSL's Corroplast political signs, you could make a quick cladding to put on top of the particleboard to help extend their life as lids.


I am anticipating a lot of political sign availability this year! 
My plan is to wait until a few weeks after the election. I figure if the people who place the signs can't be bothered to clean up their waste in that time, it's my civic duty to remove the eyesores.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Your best bet for collecting political signs is immediately after the polls close. Where I live, most are gone within 24 hours. But I do agree it is your civic duty to remove them as fast as possible, especially the ones of the candidate for whom you did not vote.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

> If you had some of MSL's Corroplast political signs


1/2" foam core, much, much more usefull as it can be glued/screwed and has 3x the R factor of 3/4 plywood


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

JWPalmer said:


> Your best bet for collecting political signs is immediately after the polls close. Where I live, most are gone within 24 hours. But I do agree it is your civic duty to remove them as fast as possible, especially the ones of the candidate for whom you did not vote.


Some political groups collect and re-use the signs. I don't want to accidentally steal property. Around here some rural corners however will have signs left over a long time. I call those fair game.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

An assortment of heavy, ceramic, very solid floor tiles.
1'x1 to 2'x2'.
About 15 pieces.
Many great uses:
- ad-hoc hive cover just as is (heavy, will not blow over).
- weight for existing hive covers
- perfect flat surface for assembling hive boxes and similar projects

The give-away lady asked what will I be using these for.
I said - bee hives.
She looked puzzled.
LOL


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

15 ? Nice score. Dozens of uses.
LJ


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

little_john said:


> 15 ? Nice score.
> LJ


15+/-
I guess I did not count.


Pretty happy with the flat surface I get using 2'x2' ceramic square.
Great for getting the box surfaces to be true at the assembly stage, as I am slowly working on my 300x300 multi-box hive project.
Hard to have factory grade flat surface otherwise.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

little_john said:


> 15 ? Nice score. Dozens of uses.
> LJ


LJ, do share some ideas!


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

Hi Greg

Right now I use a glass-top table as a reference flat-table - it's pretty good, but even glass does bend very slightly - ceramic doesn't bend at all, and so would be ideal. 2 x 2 would be a brilliant size. (very envious) Me ? I'd make three reference tables - two for glue-up, and one for general-purpose work. [but - I know you're stuck for space]

I use a lot of thin (1.5mm) coloured polycarbonate sheet - being coloured no-one wanted it for recycling - so it came my way ...
But - 1.5mm is very flexible/floppy. But - two sheets glued together with Gripfill(tm) from the Evostick/Bostick people, and it's lovely and rigid. However, it really needs to be sandwiched between two reference flat surfaces until the glue dries - two sheets of ceramic tile would be perfect.

One of my uses for the (now) 3mm polycarbonate is as Crown Board feed hole covers - I need four for each hive, and two for each nuc - but they tend to go missing and I never have enough. An alternative would be to use 3" x 3" ceramic tiles. Cutting-up a few of the tiles you have would be one solution - but would be sacrilege. I'd be more inclined to trade a few to other DIY-ers (to use as reference flat tables) for whatever goodies they may have to offer.

Those are immediate ideas - but I know there must be lots of others - anything which requires a weight added to it, but perhaps with not much headroom - or a flat surface on which to mount something. Or onto which can be placed something HOT.

The ultimate hive bottom board - guaranteed rot-proof !!
LJ


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

little_john said:


> Hi Greg
> 
> .... I'd be more inclined to trade a few to other DIY-ers (to use as reference flat tables) for whatever goodies they may have to offer.
> 
> ...


Trading - a good idea.
Though I am greedy. LOL.
But actually, will be looking out for more of these ceramic tiles (I kinda ignored them in the past; they flew by).

Ad-hoc bottom board - sure.
A box sandwiched between two tiles is, basically, a ready to go temp hive.

One thing with the ceramics, maybe need to bring them inside for winter storage.
Unsure if these will be suitable year around for outside usage.
A bit worried about cracks due to hard freezing.


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## William Bagwell (Sep 4, 2019)

Not exactly a 'scrounge', but got a whole pick up load of used PT 2X8s for free today. Enough for 3 or 4 big hive stands! Son re-decked a boat dock and called me asking if I wanted the old decking. Naturally! A bit rough on the sun exposed side but all still solid.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

Good score, William. Means you need more bees to go atop those hive stands.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

little_john said:


> The ultimate hive bottom board - guaranteed rot-proof !!


Good ideas, LJ. And the cut-offs work good for leveling up hive stands and bottom boards- I agree they are good property to have around.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

> about 300 1x4x16 pieces of cedar


https://madison.craigslist.org/zip/d/monroe-fence-leftovers/7185621237.html

Man, I donno what to do!
Am itching to go and get them - about an hour drive.
Wife will chew me over, like I need more wood (and I find time for this non-sense while no time for the "family time").
But these could be a great fit for Warre-style box construction.
Grrr..


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

GregV said:


> https://madison.craigslist.org/zip/d/monroe-fence-leftovers/7185621237.html
> 
> Man, I donno what to do!
> Am itching to go and get them - about an hour drive.
> ...


get her something on the way there or back 

GG


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## little_john (Aug 4, 2014)

Free ? Cedar ? Strewth - no hesitation if it were me. Has to be worth a bunch of flowers/ new dress/ trip to MacDonalds or whatever ...

Kindling or bonfires indeed :no: - the man's got no soul. Obviously not a beekeeper. LOL 
LJ


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

GG is on the right track. Small ceder chest? 
Just a little extra stock left over from the main reason you bought any.


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## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

Wish I had that much cedar! Or any decent wood. Or...the time to do anything with it. In truth I have a bunch of old old rough-cut walnut that was laying on the floor of my dad's barn, since at a minimum 1950, and probably long earlier.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

It's a no-brainer Greg. Tell the wife that the two of you are going on a short road trip. Get the wood, and treat her to a nice dinner after you pick it up.


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## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

JWPalmer said:


> It's a no-brainer Greg. Tell the wife that the two of you are going on a short road trip. Get the wood, and treat her to a nice dinner after you pick it up.


Just make sure you give full disclosure before leaving for said trip. 😉

Took my wife on a short road trip and a nice dinner date that just happened to include picking-up a cutout on the way home.

Wouldn't you know that the one bee that happened to remain on the outside of the hive after screening the opening stung her- made for an awkward trip home.

We laugh about it now, but my wife is not too interested in mixing beekeeping and a night on the town as her idea of a good time.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

GregV said:


> about 300 1x4x16 pieces of cedar


I did ping the source pretty much right away I saw the posting (just so to start the conversation - regardless of the outcome).
No response.
Pretty much someone snatched them before I saw the posting.
Sniff.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Litsinger said:


> Took my wife on a short road trip and a nice dinner date that just happened to include picking-up a cutout on the way home.


I would not mix the bee project into a date with your spouse.
LOL.

The boards are much more predictable, to compare. 
I did pull off few trips after the stuff mixed with the "spouse time" before.
But she kinda knew what I was getting at. 
But just getting away from the kids was worth it too.


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## Robert Holcombe (Oct 10, 2019)

GregV "Pretty much someone snatched them before I saw the posting."

I jsut scored an 18 Cubic foot, nearly new refrigerator. Put it in my workshop (unheated) as a storage facility for frames and veggies. Eyes open for an old freezer  for honey storage.


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