How to make a DIY beehive part B

In this part I install the metal parts of the beehive and I also make the wooden frames.

First of all I pre-drilled pilot holes, countersinked them and added screws to all the finger joints.

I then sanded all the pieces. I also added wood filler to a few holes and sanded it flush with my belt sander.

I clamped a metal sheet (0,3mm thick) on my bench, scored it with an exacto knife and then moved it back and forth to cut metal stripes. 

I used my sheet metal bending jig to make the parts on which the wooden frames of the hive rest upon. I secured them in place using my compressed air staple gun.

To all the ventilation holes I cut pieces of perforated metal with my scissors and secured them in place with my staple gun.

I used similar bending techniques, to cut and bend the metal sheet for the top of the hive. I secured it in place with my staple gun and added screws to it’s corners.

Now to make the frames, I used an old frame as reference for my measurements.

I adjusted the fence of my table saw and cut all the pieces to size. For the cross cuts I used my cross cut sled.

The pieces of the frames are joined with dado and finger joints. I made those on the cross cut sled using several stop blocks to make the cuts I needed.

When possible I made the same cut to more than one pieces with one pass.

I used the bandsaw to make the curved cuts on the frames.

I used my scraper and my belt sander to fine tune the sides of the frames.

I drilled the holes on the sides of the frames, using my drill press.

I glued all the pieces and added a couple of nails for extra strength.

A small wire will pass through the holes of the frames. To prevent the wood from being hurt from the wire, I added a few metal protectors.

I screwed the latches of the top and bottom in place and my beehive is now ready.

How to make a sheet metal bending jig

I needed a jig like that for my beehive build. After making my research I came across a beehive maker, using this. Check his video out, here.

I made the jig out of 20mm plywood. I made my cuts with my circular saw and a guide rail. You can also use your table saw.

I made a few 90 degree cuts and one at 45 degrees.

I then marked the area between the hinges on my 45 degree beveled piece. I cut out the excess material on my bandsaw.

I marked the positions of my hinges with an owl, predrilled and screwed the hinges in place.

The beveled piece of the jig, goes on top and clamps the sheet metal with two screws. I made a few pilot holes, countersinked them and screwed them in place.

My screws were a bit longer than needed, so I trimmed them flush with my rotary tool.

To cut a piece of sheet metal, I clamped it on my bench, used a straight wood piece as a guide and scored a few times with an exacto knife. I then bent the piece a few times and it just broke loose.

To cross cut the sheet metal to size I used my snips.

I placed the metal piece on my jig and clamped it in place with the screws. 

I turn the front piece over and that way I bent my piece in approximately 90 degrees.

5 sanding tips, plus Skil belt sander review

Skil Europe sent to me a belt sander to test and review. I tested the tool while showing a few sanding tips.

First of all I had to set up the tool. I added the belt. The arrow of the belt must point at the same direction with the arrow on the tool.

I adjusted the centering screw so that the belt sits centered.

The sander also has a filter and dust collection system.

Now time for the first tip. Sanding large panels with the grain of the wood. The belt sander also has an equalizer. A metallic base which help you sand straight without having trouble on titling the tool.

You can also clamp the sander upside down on your bench. This way you can round over edges of small wood pieces.

In combination with a power drill you can use the sander upside down for small woodturning jobs.

You can also use the round part of the sander’s base to sand inner and outer curves in small pieces.

Another cool job you can do with this belt sander, is sanding joints flush really fast.

Overall I really enjoyed using that tool. It can come up really handy for various jobs around the shop. It is also well built with cool design and engineering features.

If you are interested in the sander I use in the video it is the Skil 1215 AA belt sander. You can also check Skiil Europe or search for #Skilhelps in social media.

DIY spring powered zombie apocalypse toy rifle

I made this arrow throwing rifle out of plywood, a couple of springs and scrap metal parts.

First of all I cut a piece of 18mm plywood using my circular saw and a guide rail.

I then designed my rifle with a marker.

I cut the basic shape on my bandsaw.

I used several scrap metal parts for this build. I also used a few metal corners I had laying around. I cut them all on the bandsaw while first spraying WD-40 to be safe from overheating and blade burning.

I made all the holes using my drill press or my power drill free handed.

For the trigger mechanism, I made a mortise. I made several holes with my drill press and used a sharp chisel to clean it up.

I assembled everything using screws, nuts and bolts. Butterfly nut are pretty handy in this situation.

All the power of the toy comes from two springs which I up-cycled from an old desk lamp.

My zombie apocalypse rifle throws arrows and it is ready for fun!