In article <[log in to unmask]>,
[log in to unmask] writes
>In the UK the side bars have grooves as well.  Plastic foundation is a rarity
>here but side grooves may help your problem of holding the foundation in
>position when under stress.
>
>Chris Slade

Plastic foundation is generally pre-manufactured to a fixed size. That
is, for frames of the internationally normal type, without side grooves.

Thus the presence or lack of these grooves is not going to make any
difference. We get all our frames made without the grooves nowadays as
they only constitute a weak point along which the end bar can split when
in certain types of uncapping machines. In areas where wax moth problems
are really serious (not here in Scotland) they constitute a real menace
as a harbour for the larvae and coccoons.

Most of the plastic foundations will also NOT fit well into UK type
Langstroth frames, as they are actually non-standard. The top bars are
thinner than internationally and the bottom bars a little slimmer. This
results in the sheets being marginally too small for UK pattern frames.
You can modify how this works but it is labour intensive to do so.

The rarity of plastic foundation in the UK will change rapidly over the
next few years as quite a few units are actually in the process of
changing over to Plasticell, Pierco, or others.
--
Murray McGregor