How to Build a Slotted Rack for a Beehive

Milling the Boards

• 1

  Cut 4 pieces of 1-by-2 hardwood boards, so that when they are nailed together in a rectangle, they form a box with the same perimeter as your beehive. The slatted bottom rack is placed between the beehive brood box and the bottom board.

• 2

  Cut a 1/4-inch wide by 3/8-inch deep dado on all four boards with your table saw before nailing the pieces together into a box. Cut the dado slot 1/4-inch down from the top edge of the boards. Cut the dado on one of the wide sides of the board. The slats will slide into this dado when you assemble the slatted bottom rack for your beehive.

• 3

  Place the hardwood boards on a workbench, and arrange them in the form of a rectangle which is the same perimeter as your beehive. Measure the inner width of the rectangle, and add 5/8-inch to the overall dimension. For this example, assume the inner measurement of the rectangle measures 10 inches, so the overall working dimension for the next step is 10-5/8 inches.

• 4

  Cut the 1/4-inch thick board into the following pieces: cut between 8 to 10 pieces of 1-inch wide slats -- each 10-5/8 inches long, cut one board 4-inches-wide-by-10-5/8 inches long.

Assembling the Rack

• 5

  Nail together the two long sides of the 1-by-2 hardwood board into a U-shape with the 4D finish nails. Use wood glue on the joints to make a strong connection. Position the dadoes inside of the U-shape, and make sure the dadoes line up with one another.

• 6

  Slide the 4-inch wide 1/4-inch board into the dado, all the way to the bottom of the U-shape. Nail this piece in place using 1-inch brad nails through the top edge of the boards. Slide the 1-inch wide slats into the dado, and nail them in place so that each slat is separated by exactly 5/8-inch. Nail each of the slats similarly into place with the brad nails.

• 7

  Nail the fourth 1-by-2 piece of board onto the end of the U-shape to complete the rectangle. You now have a slatted bottom rack for your beehive. Notice that the slats in the rack are closer to one edge of the rack than the other; this is the top side of the rack.

• 8

  Lift your beehive and place the slatted bottom rack between the brood board and the bottom board. Place the rack with the narrow side up, so that the slats are closer to the brood box than the bottom board. Set the beehive back down on top of the slatted bottom rack.