> >Being that the hive body is or should be 7/8" in thickness
 
Most North American hives are now 3/4 inches thick, since finished
lumber is 3/4 inch thick these days.
 
At one time finished lumber was thicker, and since the beehive's
critical dimensions are _inside_, not outside due to bee spaces, when
the lumber was changed this meant the outer size had to change a bit,
if 3/4 was to be adopted.
 
Some beehive manufacturers stuck with 7/8" so that floors, lids, etc
would still be right  -- in and out.  Some claim the extra thickness
is important for strength, however all commercial beekeepers I know
of have long since gone to the thinner material for reasons of cost,
weight, etc.  I don't think anyone misses the extra weight and size.
 I sure don't.
 
I have supers that must be over 50 years old and some that have been
made in just about every year up to the present.  Represented are
both rabbet and dovetail construction, using pine, spruce, and even a
 cedar or 3/4" plywood in a few cases.  A few even have simple butt
joints which work, but are not highly recommended due to lower
strength.
 
All work about equally well, but the 3/4 pine dovetail boxes are
likely the most durable.  Cedar and 3/4 plywood do not last well.
 
>>I set the Dado's to 5/8" in depth.  With the saw running I slowly
>>lower the panel over the dado within the jig untill flat with the
>>table top.  Then I lift it off and all's done.
 
While this will work, the handhole thus made will not be very long.
After the board is flat on the table, move the board about 2" in a
lengthwise direction, this will give a more standard length.  Of
course, you must allow for this and start 1" closer to  one end than
the other.
 
> This is known as a plunge cut and is extremly dangerous on a table
> saw. This is because the cutting action of the tool is back towards
> the operator. Make a jig that holds the bottom edge of the board
> such that it cannot be thrown toward the operator.  Also be sure
> that as you lower the board that if it does catch, it will not drag
> fingers into the blade.  You cannot depend on reaction time, the jig
> must do the protecting.
 
Don's advice here is very wise.  It is hard to believe where the
board can wind up if it catches in a powerful saw --  and where your
hands might be (in the blade?) split seconds later, *if* you have not
thought it all out carefully *and* used a jig or a stop.
 
A safer way for the novice is to assemble the box, then put the
handholes on, because you have a lot more to hold onto, and can stay
away from the blade.  Just be sure to get the handholes on right side
up.  Boxes with handholes upsided down look funny.
 
One fellow mentioned using cleats --3/4 X 16" X 2" sticks that are
nailed on the front and back for lifting.  They are very superior in
 many ways, becuse you can really get a grip, and because mechanical
aids can get a relly positive hold.
 
However in any sizeable operation, they tend to be unpopular because
of the dificulty in stacking and palletizing something with bumps on
the end -- and appreciably more storage and truck deck is required.
 
We had some supers with cleats until last year, when we finally tore
them all off to make the supers conform to the balance of our
equipment -- and our pallets.  On some boxes, we have not yet  made
handholes, and yet the boxes are quite maneagable, and some of our
boys do not use the handholes even on boxes that have them,
preferring rather to grab the box from underneath.
 
Although we made a special saw table to cut the handholes, we found
the butterfly cutter we had made got dull very quickly and had to
give up.
 
Apparently, dust and sand  had gotten under the cleats and into the
paint, so that whenever we tried to cut a handhole where a cleat had
been, the grit dulled the blades.
 
We will have to go to a carbide saw blade dado, or wobble washer
blade again -- unless we are prepared to scrape to the wood at each
cut.  I had hoped to make the sexy looking commercial scooped slits,
but I had also wanted it to be a job that an unskilled helper could
do without much supervision.  Managing and sharpening shaper heads
is not as easy and idiot-proof as running a carbide blade.
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>