Frame: Ultimate Bottom Board/Aluminum Hybrid
Contents
OVERVIEW
The Ultimate Bottom Board/Aluminum Hybrid Frame was created to offer an affordable frame solution that a person with access to some typical shop tools could utilize and duplicate. The Ultimate Bottom Board is a plastic bottom board manufactured by Anel it can be purchased direct or also from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm in the United States. The dimensions of the Ultimate Bottom Board is compatible with 10 frame Langstroth Hive dimensions only. An aluminum undercarriage was added onto the Ultimate Bottom Board that provides a secure base for load cell installation.
PRODUCTION
Production of this frame started out by removal of the black plastic feet inserts that act as small leg extensions located at each corner of the bottom board. Using a drill press a hole was drilled in the center of each of the four leg housings. This will allow for a bolt to be inserted through the bottom board to attach to an aluminum undercarriage. The supports consist of two pieces of 2"x2" aluminum angle, that will run the length of the two long sides of the bottom board. A hole was drilled in the angle to accept the bolt that will secure the bottom board to the aluminum angle. Additional holes were placed in the aluminum angle where the bolts that secure the spacers and load cells to the undercarriage. Spacers were made from flat a piece of flat aluminum bar cut into small square pieces holes were drilled through these spacers and are sandwiched between the aluminum undercarriage and the load cells.
SCALE LOCATION
HiveTool Scale: Host School TBA Shortly
DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION PHOTOS
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Aligning the drill bit to bore a hole in the bottom board
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Drilling the bottom board
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Hole bored into the 2"x2" aluminum angle
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Holes drilled for load cell attachment
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Spacer cubes cut
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Drill bit used for spacer holes and angle
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All parts cut and drilled, ready for assembly
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Placing bolts and washers
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Securing load cell bolts
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One side of the undercarriage complete
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Attaching undercarriage to bottom board
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Washers and nuts loosely fit, alignment adjustments made
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Securing the undercarriage to the bottom board
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Levelor foot installed with jam nut
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Picture of the finished product - Undercarriage
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Securing the load cell wires with zip-ties
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Multi-View of the completed Ultimate Bottom Board/Aluminum Hybrid Frame
PARTS LIST
Available Soon!
PROS/CONS/AVAILABILITY
I have used the Ultimate Bottom Board on several of my beehives over the last two years and I am quite happy how they have been holding up. I think the minute modifications made to attach the aluminum undercarriage will have little/no detrimental effects on the structural integrity of the bottom board. This model is fairly affordable and can be constructed with minimal investment in specialized tooling. The frame costs are somewhere in the range of $40-$50, which is pretty affordable. The fall back to this design is that it is only able to house a Langstroth 10 frame beehive and also it's quite large so shipping this frame could get expensive. This frame is not currently being made available for sale, however a list of suggested parts and construction drawings will be made available for someone interested in constructing their own. This scale has not been tested however, it has all of the characteristics of a successful option.
CREATION CREDIT
David Hawa- HiveTool
