Hey Everybody,
I was wondering how the nicely curved handles are cut in the sides of homemade supers?
router
...JP
Quote from: JP on March 26, 2010, 09:37:08 AM
router
...JP
With what bit? and what is the technique?
Not sure of the particulars but others that cut out their own handles will chime in soon.
...JP
1/2in half round bit, mind you all my bits have built in bearings so I made an oval template to follow then I chisel out the flat part at the top. Sorry no pics I am at work atm. Its a bit of work I only did 2 then I just nailed on a small rail for the handle.
CV Bees
I use a 3/4 straight router bit on a table. I set up two fences one on either side of the bit to guide the box. I leave a 1/2 inch extra space inbetween the fences so that I can run the box up one side and down the other so as to get a 1 inch or so handle with no tapered edge.I thought about changing the bit and doing one side tapered off but this is not real efficient.
I have been looking at other ways to do it. I saw some guy do it with a hand held circular saw. he cut straight in and then sort of scooped it out from there. He made it look easy but it also looked like a dangerous way to use a saw. I soppose that you could do the same sort of thing with a table saw and it might be more stable (safe). I imagine that 'scooping' is hard on the saw.
I gave up on doing nice tapered edjes on the lower side and have been happy with just a groove. Just too much work for all of those boxes. I have a new dado blade for my table saw that I will probably try this summer. I imagine that it will be much more efficient than the router. Many of my boxes end up having wood strip handles which work just as nice.
Wood strips (cleats) are much easier on the finger tips when carrying honey-laden supers and are all I use. That said, commercial beekeepers usually prefer the mortised hand holds because they allow you to stack the boxes tighter together when transporting.
The commercially available hand holds are usually done on a shaper with a large profile cutter. You can come close with a table saw by slowly raising the blade, then tilting it, then raising it more, then tilting it back etc until it "scorps" the mortise. You can also use a dado set, a router, an adze, etc. but the profile won't be quite the same.
I just screw cleats from scrap wood to the sides.
Those nice tapers can be made with a router, You make a jig that has a base at an angle to the piece of wood that is to be machined.
The jig can be a very simple piece of plywood with sides that keep the router where you want it and then just add a block to the base on one side...
Here's how I do it...
The template:
(http://doorgarden.com/images/critters/bee-pictures/equipment/handhold-template-1.JPG)
The router setup:
(http://doorgarden.com/images/critters/bee-pictures/equipment/router-setup.JPG)
And the result:
(http://doorgarden.com/images/critters/bee-pictures/equipment/handhold-1.JPG)
The template is made out of 1/4" plywood and the standard length cutter is set as deep as it will go in these pictures. I now have an extra long cutter so I can make the cut as deep as I want. It isn't exactly like a factory cut hive body, but it's a reasonable facsimile. It takes about 30 seconds to clamp the template down and make the cut.
Very sharp jig David. I like it. I will try it this summer!
I use a molding cutter in my tablesaw -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/building-honey-supers/ (http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/building-honey-supers/)
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/816-2/IMG_2311.jpg)
Also, Jim Hensel was nice enough to share his plans for building a router jig -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/hensel-handle-sloping-pocket-handle-for-hive-boxes/ (http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/hensel-handle-sloping-pocket-handle-for-hive-boxes/)
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/2350-2/handle2.jpg)
Thanks Guys, that's really handy...
Your information will come in really handy Robo... now i just have to find the metric dimensions of the hive bodies!
robo,
Are you able to give me anymore information about that molding cutter? I like the looks of the end result.
Kind regards
Quote from: Robo on March 27, 2010, 10:52:54 PM
I use a molding cutter in my tablesaw -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/building-honey-supers/ (http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/building-honey-supers/)
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/816-2/IMG_2311.jpg)
Also, Jim Hensel was nice enough to share his plans for building a router jig -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/hensel-handle-sloping-pocket-handle-for-hive-boxes/ (http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/hensel-handle-sloping-pocket-handle-for-hive-boxes/)
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/2350-2/handle2.jpg)
Quote from: OzBuzz on March 28, 2010, 10:49:30 PM
robo,
Are you able to give me anymore information about that molding cutter? I like the looks of the end result.
Kind regards
It is a Craftsman 9-32003
This is not mine, but a picture of one I found on the web.
(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1806/dsc08561z.jpg)
Laferney...your slipping..whenever I asked about your template you charged me a dollar :) As far as the Craftsman molding cutters are concerned, it would probably have to be an Ebay purchase. I dont think that Sears makes them anymore. Or if they do, I just cant find them. I resorted to the dado blade and plunge style.
Lots easier if you don't plan to stack close together, Cleats. simple. :)doak
Quote from: VolunteerK9 on March 29, 2010, 01:31:36 PM
Laferney...your slipping..whenever I asked about your template you charged me a dollar :) As far as the Craftsman molding cutters are concerned, it would probably have to be an Ebay purchase. I dont think that Sears makes them anymore. Or if they do, I just cant find them. I resorted to the dado blade and plunge style.
Hey, that reminds me. You owe me a dollar!
Those molding cutters look like something that might involve too much potential liability to sell these days. Look on ebay.
So what moulding cutter do you use and what is the technique?
Quote from: OzBuzz on March 28, 2010, 10:10:48 PM
Thanks Guys, that's really handy...
Your information will come in really handy Robo... now i just have to find the metric dimensions of the hive bodies!
1"=2.54cm.
Quote from: OzBuzz on March 30, 2010, 06:45:58 PM
So what moulding cutter do you use and what is the technique?
I use the half round cutter.
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/811-1/IMG_2308.jpg)
I have a jig that clamps to the top of the saw. It has stops for both the short and long sides of the super.
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/802-1/IMG_2302.jpg)
The molding header is cranked all the way down and the board to be cut is placed in the jig. The saw is started and the cutter is raised to the correct height. I usually set the height in a scrap piece and then crank the saw down in whole turns, say 3, so it is easy to get back to the set height.
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/v/beekeeping/EquipmentConstruction/IMG_2304.jpg.html)
The board is slowly pushed to the other stop and the saw is shut off.
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/808-1/IMG_2305.jpg)
Your done! It actually goes quite quick once you have it set up.
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/814-1/IMG_2311.jpg)
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/820-1/IMG_2318.jpg)