Week 11 - What Materials are needed

To build this hive from scratch, I will need many materials, such as nails, screws, glues, equipment etc. I will decide on which materials to use from all the research I have conducted on the different materials, for example, week 8 is where I decided which materials were the best to use and why.

For this blog post, I will be deciding on the quantities I will need and where to get more, if needed.

Nails/Screws

For the number of nails I will need, I would assume that around 100 nails would do? I don't believe that I will exceed over a hundred nails for use, as the hive will not many joints and I will also be adding wood glue to reinforce the join. Therefore, I don't believe that I will need as many nails and a hundred nails should be plenty - including the possibility that mistakes could be made.

As I am using nails and wood glue, I don't believe that I will require screws. Mainly this is because if I were to use screws I will have to pre-drill every hole, so the wood doesn't crack or break and they are more expensive than nails. I will also need a drill to drill the nails into the wood, I currently don't own one. These are some of the reasons why I will not need screws as using nails is a lot easier and more cost-effective.

Glue

The amount of wood glue that I will need will not be that excessive, as I think that only one bottle of 'Titebond III Ultimate wood glue' will be enough. The size of the bottle I will need is the 473ml bottle available for purchase on amazon for £18.11, or I could go for a bottle with 237ml of glue for £10.00. I am unsure of which size I should get as I am unsure of how much glue I will use for joining the wood together, so it is why I am leaning more towards getting the larger one. As if I were to run out of glue when I am using the smaller bottle then I will have to stop making the hive and order some more, also at the time I will need more glue there may not be any available for purchase and then I will not be able to continue building the hive. 

I think on reflection, that it is best to get the larger bottle, even though it is more expensive as it will last much longer and I am less likely to run out of glue and finish the hive without any problems or worries.

Paint

For the amount of paint I will need I am pretty sure that I have some paint already at home form another project. I would assume it will be best to use this leftover paint instead of buying some more as it will be easier and a lot more cost-effective. Wood paint is more expensive than regular paint and buying some more would just add to the costs of everything else.

Although I will need to make sure that the paint I will use has a low VOC that is under 50. This is important as paints that have VOC's that are over 50 can give off-gas. This is a process where the paint is drying and it is releasing chemicals into the air. This is significant as these gasses can be harmful to humans and as well as bees. This could affect the bees that live in the hive and could possibly make them ill or even worse, kill them. 

Tools

Most of the tools that I will need to make the hive are already at home. This includes a hammer, hand saw, circular saw, tape measure, carpenters square, a clamp and wood nails. Because I already have these materials available at home I will only need to buy the wood needed to create the hive and the wood glue. This massively reduces the amount of money needed for this project, if I did not already have these tools and nails. So I will be able to spend much less on the project and just use the money to buy the wood and the wood glue. 

Wood

The wood that I will need to build my hive is cedar wood. I will get this wood at T G Norman at Longtown, I will try and order the wood in 2 metre lengths. This will make it easier to transport, and use when I am cutting the wood.
The reason why I want to cut the wood in 2 metre lengths is because I will need about 2 metres of wood to cover a single part of the hive, for example a single 2 metre plank will be enough for the broad box.
I have ordered 6 X 2 metre planks, this should be more than enough wood for the hive with plenty spare wood for me to use for handles or to help hold the frames in the hive.



How this helped me?

This has helped me to make a final decision on what materials I will need to make the hive and the quantities that I will need. For example, I am assuming that 100 wood nails will be enough for the build. This has also allowed me to think that there will not be a need for screws, this is because the nails and the wood glue will be more than sufficient for the joins in the hive. It will also be a lot more time consuming if I were to use screws because I would have to drill the holes before and I would have to be very accurate - if it is wrong then there will be a big hole in the wood and could allow entry from invading insects.

Consequently, I can now decide how much wood to order and how much I will use to build my hive, as after this week I will need to order the wood from T G Norman to allow for supplies and the time frame he has for dealing with my order could be a week or two for it to be cut and I don't know how many further delays there might be.

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