Hand Holds and Outer Covers

Tonight I was able to get some more done on Frankenhive.

First, I must say beekeepers are tremendously giving people.  I've found a ton of great resources that beekeepers are sharing for free on the internet.  So thank you all, for your generosity.  It's benefiting the bees in my backyard.

I found this video by Cleo Hogan about making a jig to cut the handholds with a circular saw.

Beesource also has a link to the plans for the Handhold Jig.  It was easy to make, and works quite well.

I found a roll of Aluminum flashing 20”x25’ at home depot which is PERFECT for the hive outer covers.  I worked off the same Langstroth Plans that I'd downloaded for the hive bodies.  I modified them a bit to fit the materials I had.  I cut them to the dimensions specified, even though they seemed long, knowing I could easily cut them down.  I dadoed the smaller pieces by 3/4x3/8.  This made the cover fit much better around the hive body.  Maybe still a little long, but it should provide plenty of ventilation.  I then cut a 1/4 dado on the upper inside of the frame pieces.  This was to drop int he 1/4 luan I planned to use for the top of the cover.  I assembled the frame with glue and brads, then glued and stapled the top in place.  Then I rolled out the aluminum flashing and cut it to length.  It's thin enough you can score it with a razor knive a few times and then it will fold and snap cleanly.  The flashing is easy to work with and forms nicely around the cover.  I pinched and folded the end corners and was able to staple the flashing into place.  They came out great.

Handholds, Jigs, and Outer Covers . . . Oh my!!

Now it's pretty much down to cutting all the hand holds and painting.