Richard Yarnell wrote:
>
> The fault, Dear Brutes, is not with the set up, but with the lumber.  With
> few exceptions, the dimensions will be pretty close when the stock is cut.
> Unless very dry lumber is used, there can be significant dimensional
> changes, especially with soft woods.

> On Fri, 15 Jun 2001, Bill Truesdell wrote:

> > If we built all our hives of a better dimensionally stable material,
> > then standards would work,

I agree. I was thinking plastic or any other material that does not
absorb water and stays fairly dimensionally consistent under variable
weather conditions. Wood is a very variable product especially when used
outdoors, painted/unpainted, etc.. I noted that standards were used in
England and worked for a while. But you are looking at a fairly
homogeneous climate compared to the US.

A recent TV show on building arch bridges in China brought up another
drawback in standards. They instituted standards in architecture and
were able to stop shoddy workmanship but froze innovation for hundreds
of years. They went from being at the front of design to the back as the
rest of the world caught up and passed them, thanks to standards.

Of course, that assumes a rigidly policed system with stiff penalties
which is doubtful in US Beekeeping.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME