I don't know how you guys do it. Over the pass spring and summer I made a lot of woodenwares out of necessity and didn't have time to paint it with anything before putting it into use. I figured it wouldn't matter, some people don't do anything to preserve their stuff anyway. All I can say is "wow". As I get ready for winter I'm cleaning up stuff around my yards and everything I left unpainted is so dry it's scary and some stuff was cracking pretty bad after just a few months. So now I'm painting everything I put away with whatever paint I want to get rid of. It looks like a rainbow in my yard, it's kind of fun. :-D
Ah, to paint or not to paint - that is the question!
I painted the hive furniture that I purchased in the spring - two deeps and two mediums. The boxes I made myself I have not painted. One hive is in service housing a feral colony. The material is Eastern White Pine from a tree from my back yard. Although there is that attachment, I don't plan on painting. I also don't plan on spending the time to paint the furniture I'm currently constructing. I guess I'll report back in a few years on this plan.
Wow, ya'll have it made in your climate(s). If you didn't paint or otherwise protect your woodenware here in Central Fl, you'd be lucky to get a season out of it (unless of course you're making out of teak, ipe, jatoba or some other resinous hardwood @ 4x the cost).
Let me know how it works for you...I'm really interested :)
Scott
Some lumber is more likely to peel out with the grain than others. I have built many boxes from eastern white pine and never painted any. I have one or two with a grain separation but for the most part all have weathered well. The corners must be well made and interlocking. As part of my job I had to machine some cypress the other day. I was surprised at how the grain raised between the growth rings. I considered that even though the wood has a good weather resilience, this grain separation could outweigh that benefit.
If approached from an environmental standpoint I feel no paint also the best option.
I had good success with Linseed Oil/Beeswax mix on some topbar hives I made a couple years back. Withstood our damp/rainy climate here well.
Quote from: Jack on October 22, 2009, 08:59:09 PM
Some lumber is more likely to peel out with the grain than others. I have built many boxes from eastern white pine and never painted any. I have one or two with a grain separation but for the most part all have weathered well. The corners must be well made and interlocking. As part of my job I had to machine some cypress the other day. I was surprised at how the grain raised between the growth rings. I considered that even though the wood has a good weather resilience, this grain separation could outweigh that benefit.
If approached from an environmental standpoint I feel no paint also the best option.
The boxes I make with "lock miter" joints. Very strong and pretty much self squaring (if the router is set right ;-) )
Quote from: hardwood on October 22, 2009, 08:58:19 PM
Wow, ya'll have it made in your climate(s). If you didn't paint or otherwise protect your woodenware here in Central Fl, you'd be lucky to get a season out of it (unless of course you're making out of teak, ipe, jatoba or some other resinous hardwood @ 4x the cost).
Let me know how it works for you...I'm really interested :)
Scott
I would like to know, too....... since I live on the Gulf Coast with humidities in the +90's for most of the Summer (yes, that is humidity and not temp although it is hard to tell them apart sometimes LOL) and half of the Fall......