Equipment....Buy or Build????

[snickers104]

Thanks for all the input...I have done many hobbies from brewing beer to remote control planes to substitute teaching. I work 12 hour shifts and only work 14 days every 28....need something to keep me busy and have fun with.  Beekeeping will be a challenge but I love to learn new things.  After hearing your thoughts, I think I will buy my first set of equipment then decide if I want to spend my time making some.  Thank you all for your thoughts and input.

[flyboy]

That's actually a good plan because if you buy first then you can get measurements off of the store bought ones and so eliminate the problems with plans.

My ex used to razz me (for good reason) about trying to bee cheap and then buying the best afterwards. So I would therefore buy twice. I've even tried to build a catamaran and a guitar. Sometimes I even finished the project.  A friend told me that about 10% of homebuilt aircarft actually get built.

Last thing I bought with her was a top-of-the-line racing catamaran (Hobie Tiger) after we were going to drive all day in a potential snowstorm, to buy a cheap old used one.

[Colobee]

When acquiring "store-bought" items, be aware that they are not always the same dimensions at another supplier. Some "bee-space" issues are encountered when mixing and matching.  Limit this problem by sticking to one or two suppliers, or ordering small quantities first ( to check dimensions), or ASK QUESTIONS before you buy.

One example - supers/brood boxes commonly come with either "top", or "bottom" bee-space, or split the difference. Mixing different types can start to cause headaches.