How to make this cut?

[mxracer]

One of the reasons I recently got into woodworking is to make some of my own beekeeping equipment. The hive bodies and supers are one of the things I'd like to make , the one thing that I'm not sure about are the handles. The image below depicts what I need to do. This type of cut is what I need, any cut that has a ledge on the bottom will hold water and promote rot, so it needs to be this type of cut.

Would this be a shaper ONLY or some other options????

Thanks,
Dan

View image in gallery

[DaveO]

You could probably do that with a large radius cove bit. The only limiting factor would be being able to raise the bit high enough over the router table to get the spacing down from the top. You might need a collet extension.

Dave

[FredP]

drill press with a forstner bit and a guide block.tilt the table and locate the guide block so the bit will exit at the right height then clamp the box to it. set depth stops. maybe......

[Mike Davis]

Rough sanding drum in hand drill or micro-plane cylinder in a hand drill. Dremel with a sanding drum.

Hand chisel.

I'm pretty sure that is done with a shaper in production. But how many frames do you need to make?

If it is over twenty then get a shaper.

[Glennbear]

I agree with Dave that a large cove bit would do it but I would use a hand held router to eliminate the depth problem encountered when using a router table. Another possibility would be a bowl routing specialty bit.

[Gregory Paolini]

If it were just one or two, I would grab some carving gouges... Assuming you have several, I would make a jig for use with a router and a guide bushing. You could angle the jig with a simple wedge, in order to get the sweep in the cut. Your jig doesn't have to be pretty, just functional. I would imagine you'll have 20 minutes tied up in making it...

Hope this helps

[sbjguitars]

I might try a Wanger Safety planer in the drill press with the table tilted.

[mxracer]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I will have many to make.

I'll have to play a bit with a router and making a jig as suggested. With an estimated growth of 6 or so hives next year and 20 or so of these cuts per hive I wouldn't want to do them manually.

[JackLeg]

A template and a hand held router like the Colt should make that pretty easy to do in numbers. Or am I in "left field" on this?

[Kdub]

I'm seeing possibly using a biscuit jointer pressed in and raised as it's pulled to the bottom of the handle area. Or a lancelot blade on the side grinder may do the trick. they can take a lot of wood out fast. good luck
kurt

[Bas]

I did this using a core box bit, a simple jig and a guide bushing.

View image in gallery

You could change the jig from being a straight channel to a semicircle. Or, route it straight like I did in the cutting board (although not as deep), and then use something like a belt sander or ROS to make a half-moon on the bottom

[JOAT]

I've seen plenty of bee hives with a slat to lift with, never noticed any rot problem. I believe the top was on a slant tho.

Or you could form the sides out of multiple pieces, doesn't need to be one piece. Then you could cut or carve your curve in one in the middle, join another on top of that. Or even cut a hole completely thru using a sabresaw, making a angle on the bottom edge, then covering the hole on the inside with a slat, I'm sure the bees won't mind.

Me, I might just use a hand power sander, sand a divot in the side, then use a chisel to square up the top of it. But in real life I'd probably just glue or nail a strip with an angled top for the rain to slide off along the side, and presto, a handle.

[Phil S]

If I had to make as many of these cuts as I think you do, I would use my chain saw. After firmly securing the box I would use the bottom quadrant of the tip and start at the bottom of the cut with the bar at 45 degrees to the box just contact the wood and then rotate the bar up to vertical. You may have to do it from each side of the cut to balance the cut. use a firm grip on the saw, stabile footing and run the saw at about 3/4 speed. I think if you practiced a little you could make a good handle cut in less than a minute. This comes from my days in Minnesota when I tried to learn how to carve tree stumps into animals. phil

[froglips]

Another option could be a tablesaw cove cut.

A ramp jig would be needed to create the depth. Probably not the best of ideas to come in perpendicular to the blade. So maybe come in at an angle for the bulk of the stock, then do just the last bit perpendicular.

Maybe use a dado stack.

Jim

[rbdoby]

CMT makes a router bit for making bowls. I used one to make a tray for a high chair. It would be easy to make a jig on risers to angle the cut. Here's CMT's website with a video.

http://www.cmtutensili.com/viewdoc.asp?pars2=1~22~1

Rick Doby