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How to Assemble A Bee Hive Box or Super – A Beginner Beekeeper’s Guide14

How to assemble a bee hive box or super.

Assembling a bee hive box is a breeze if you are handy.  It’s even simple for those of us (like me) who are somewhat “tool challenged”.  This post will describe how to put together a super or hive box so you can try it at home.  If you would like to learn more about parts of a hive please read The Unassembled Beehive or Parts of a Beehive and watch this short video How to Set up a Beehive.

How to Assemble A Bee Hive Box or Super

1. You need these tools to begin - A razor blade, a hammer, a carpenter’s square and four clamps.

2. Lay out the four pieces of your hive box and the 7D nails needed to assemble it.

3. Inspect the pieces of the hive box.  If any corners are too sharp or have extra wood hanging off or splinters, trim them off using a razor blade.

4. Your hive box should have pre-drilled nail holes.  There are nail holes on each finger of the pre-cut joint.  The deep super shown has 5 fingers on each side of every piece (a total of 10 fingers per piece).

The pre-drilled nail holes on each finger joint.

If your box does not have pre-drilled holes it would be better to drill a hole where the nail should go before continuing further.  While it’s not necessary, doing so will prevent the nail from being misaligned when hammering the box together.

5. Dry fit all the pieces together to make a box. Be sure they fit together tightly and the handles are on the outside of the box.

6. Now apply one clamp on each side of the hive box toward the top. This will hold the box in place for nailing.   Although you could nail the box together without the clamps, I would not recommend it.  The

clamps allow you to nail the box together easier by holding the pieces in place as you nail them.  Without the clamps, the force you put on the nail when you drive it into the frame will cause the other unsecured joints to fall apart.

Install all four clamps.

7. While securing the four clamps, check if the box is square using the carpenter’s square.  Adjust the clamps and box as needed to get it into alignment.

Check that the box is square, adjusting the clamps as needed.

8. Now you can start nailing the box together.  Pick a top corner and hammer in one nail.

The first nail goes in the top corner.

9. Nail a second nail into the same corner of the box on the adjacent side.  Check if the box is square as you go along.  You don’t need to check after every nail but check often to keep the box aligned.  It is much easier to adjust the box as you go along than have to remove nails and start over.

The second nail goes in the same corner on the adjacent side.

10. Move to the next corner and hammer in one nail and a cross nail on the adjacent side.  Continue to nail the remaining two corners in the same fashion.  You should have 8 nails in the box when you are done.

Put two nails in all four corners.

11. Remove the four clamps and flip the box upside down. Place the four clamps back on the box toward the top.  Check for squareness in all corners, adjusting the box and clamps when necessary.

Check if the box is square, adjusting into place with the clamps if needed.

12. Start in one corner and hammer in one nail and the adjacent cross nail.  Work your way around the box until all four corners are nailed.

Flip the box over, adjust the clamps and nail the bottom.

13. You should have 16 nails in the box when you are done.  Check if the box is square, tweaking and muscling into place if necessary.

Each corner of the box should look like this.

14. Now you can put the remaining nails into the box.  Start with one side and work your way around the box.

Finish by nailing the center nails into the box.

15. After all 40 nails are hammered into the finger joints you have a finished hive box.  Congratulations! Now it’s time to start again and make another.

The finished hive box.

If you are making many hive boxes it will be easier to use a jig to assemble them, but for the backyard beekeeper this is a simple and easy way to put several hive boxes together.

Click here to learn How To Paint A Beehive.

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How To Assemble A Frame – A Beginner Beekeeper’s Guide11

How To Assemble A Frame For Beginners

There are many different types of frames you can use in your beehive depending on your hive configuration and what you are trying to achieve.  This article describes how to assemble a Wedge Top Bar / Grooved Bottom Bar wooden frame for a Langstroth Hive. 

A wedge top bar frame has a piece of wood, called the wedge cleat, which runs along the top bar.  The wedge cleat is removed prior to assembly and then reinstalled after the foundation is in place.  The grooved bottom bar has a groove running along the bottom that the foundation sits inside.  This frame can be used with both wax and plastic foundation, or with starter strips, which makes it a versatile option.

The top bar in the top of this picture has the wedge cleat removed.  The middle piece is the wedge cleat. The top bar in the bottom of this picture still has the wedge cleat attached. Click any picture in this post to enlarge it.

How to Assemble A Frame

1. First you need the following tools – Hammer, Razor Blade, Carpenter’s Square, Wood Glue, 1-1/4″ Frame Nails (aka 18 x 1-1/4 wire nails) and Paper Towels.

Tools needed to assemble a frame – A Hammer, Razor Blade, Carpenter’s Square, Wood Glue and 1 1/4″ Frame Nails.  A paper towel or rag is also helpful to clean up glue spills.

2. You also need the 4 pieces that make up the frame.

The four pieces that make up one frame.

3. Next, take your razor blade and cut off any slivers / extra pieces of wood from your frame pieces.  If you are assembling a large number of frames it is easier to do this to all of your frame pieces first before continuing further.

Cleaning up wood pieces with a razor blade.

4. After the frame pieces are cleaned it’s time to remove the wedge cleat.  Take your razor blade and run it along the groove on the side of the top bar to remove the wedge cleat.

Removing the wedge cleat from the top bar with a razor blade.

Removing the wedge from the frame.

5. After the wedge cleat is removed, use the razor blade to clean off any left over wood pieces from both the top bar and the wedge.  Put the wedge cleat aside and save it for later.

Remove the extra wood pieces with your razor blade.

6. Pick up one side bar and put a tiny dab of glue in the top upper groove, located on the thicker section of the side bar as seen in the picture below.

Put a small amount of glue on the top of the side bar.

7. Take one top bar piece and fit it inside the side bar (where you applied glue) as shown in the picture below.  Push down so the pieces fit together tightly.

Fit the top of the frame and the side bar together.

They should fit snugly.

8. Glue the other side bar in the same manner and attach it to the opposite side of the top bar.  You should now have a 3 sided frame made from two side pieces and a top bar.  Turn the partially assembled frame upside down and apply a tiny bit of glue to the bottom grooves of both side bars.

Gluing the bottom of the frame.

9. Now you can put the bottom bar of the frame in place with the groove facing the inside. Push down until it fits snugly.

Putting the bottom bar in place.

10. Next, use a paper towel to clean up any glue that has leaked out.

Cleaning up the glue spills with a paper towel.

11. Now it is time to nail your frame together.  Do not wait for the glue to dry first.  The frame should be nailed immediately after gluing.  A total of ten 1 1/4″ frame nails will be nailed into the frame. Four on the bottom, four on the top and one nail into each side of the frame.

Hammer the first nail into the bottom of the frame as shown in the picture.

Hammering the first nail into the bottom of the frame.

Hammer the second nail in place as shown.

Hammering the second nail into the bottom of the frame.

12. Check if the frame is square.  If it is not square gently muscle it into place.

Check if the frame is square.

13. Repeat the same steps to nail the other side of the frame bottom.

Nail the other side on the frame bottom.

Hammer the second nail into the other side on the frame bottom.

14. Check if this side of the frame is square. Adjust if necessary.

Check if the other side is square.

You should now have four nails on the bottom of your frame.   Both sides of the frame bottom should look like this.

There should be two nails in the bottom of the frame on each side.

15. Flip the frame over and nail the top of the frame in the same fashion with two nails on each side.

Nail the first nail into the top of the frame.

Hammer a second nail in the top of the frame.

16. Now hammer two nails into the other side of the top of the frame.

Hammer the first nail in the other side of the top of the frame.

Hammer the second nail in the other side of the top of the frame.

17. Check to see if your frame is still square, muscling into place if necessary.

Make sure the finished frame is square.

You should now have two nails on the top of the frame on each side.

You should have two nails on the top of the frame on each side.

18. Now that your frame is nailed together, hammer one nail into the side of the frame near the top bar as seen in the picture below.  Be sure to align the nail with the thick side of the top bar, not the side the wedge was removed from.

Hammer a nail into the side of the frame underneath the top bar. Align the nail with the thick side of the top bar.

The finished nail on the first side.

19. Now flip the frame over and hammer the last nail into the other side of the frame underneath the top bar.  Align the nail with the thick side of the top bar.  These two nails on each side of the frame help it last longer and keep the top and side bars from separating.

Flip the frame over and hammer a nail into the other side of the frame underneath the top bar.  Align the nail with the thick side of the top bar.

The finished nail on the other side.

Your finished frame will look like this. Save the wedge cleat for when you install the foundation or starter strips.  You will use it to hold both plastic and wax foundation in place.

Finished Frame and wedge cleat.

Congratulations!  You’ve completed a frame!  Now it’s time to assemble the rest of them.  If you have numerous hives and are making many frames you should build or buy a jig which allows you to make many frames at once.  But for a backyard beekeeper with only a few hives this is a cheap and easy way to build all the frames you need.

To see more beginner beekeeper posts please click here.  Click here to learn How to Wire a Frame.

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This post was shared on Wildcrafting Wednesday.

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