This page is credited in full to Dave Cushman who created it. His voice is expressed in black colour text and any additions or comments in blue belong to myself. Credit: Dave Cushman’s website.
PH.
Floor for National Bee Hive
The Grain should run along the longest dimension of any part.
Cutting of parts (all dimensions in mm).
Can be used with 22 mm rim upwards, with or without entrance block. or with the 9 mm rim uppermost if brace comb becomes a nuisance.
Note 2.
9 mm is specified for the thickness of the under rim material, but commercial supplies are often of 8 mm thickness, using 8 mm is unlikely to cause any problems, but the underside of the side rails will need reducing to compensate.
Assemble using a waterproof PVA type glue and 50 mm pins or use ‘twinthread’ woodscrews for a more reliable and permanent job.
National Floor (22 mm rim)
The version as drawn above is both simple and durable. If petroleum jelly is used on the rim and linseed oilis used on the Rest of the parts, the item will give many years of good service.
The Entrance block for use with this type of floor should be 421 mm x 21 mm x 21 mm with notches in two adjacent faces giving entrances of 120 mm x 8 mm or 20 mm x 8 mm. Soaking the entrance block in linseed oil and coating with petroleum jelly when dry will ensure a lifetime of use.
Another version has been widely manufactured that has only an 18 mm top rim. I include the details below for completeness sake, but in my opinion the small saving in cost and weight is offset by reduced strength and life expectancy and difficulty in locating the entrance bock in an exact position.
With this type the 18 mm entrance block is stopped from entering the slot by staples or small wooden blocks fixed 18 mm from front edge.
NOTE
The individual floorboards can be any random width to make a full set that totals 460 mm overall. The type of joint to be used, as per the detail below, will depend on the machining facilities available.
Detail of floorboard joints
National Floor (18 mm rim)
Please note that these days, 2012 solid floors are the odd ones out not the norm. OMF is the usual now.
PH