I've tried searching the net for some plans for a friend who wants to make a
compost bin that looks like a beehive. He thinks that he may have seen the
plans in a gardening book by Geoff Hamilton.

Sorry to be vague but any help appreciated

Andrew

Andrew Newton wrote:
I've tried searching the net for some plans for a friend who wants
to
make a compost bin that looks like a beehive. He thinks that he may
have seen the plans in a gardening book by Geoff Hamilton.

Sorry to be vague but any help appreciated

I imagine he's thinking of that "cute" but not very useful WBC hive
with outward-sloping layers. The following link will lead to
information and, indirectly, construction details:
http://www.scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/technical/wbc1.htm

If I were using that style to make a compost bin, I'd want to join
two together to get a goodish size. It should be easy enough to fake,
leaving an uninterrupted space inside. Using western red cedar would
be very expensive, so I'd consider the possibility of using modern
plastic or treated sawn weatherboard.

--
Mike.

"Andrew Newton" wrote in message
...
I've tried searching the net for some plans for a friend who wants to make
a
compost bin that looks like a beehive. He thinks that he may have seen the
plans in a gardening book by Geoff Hamilton.

Sorry to be vague but any help appreciated

Andrew




Andrew I have made quite a few of these and I can give you the dimensions
and a cutting list, BUT, you need to really coat them in preservative and
dry them out at the end of the season and recoat them unless you are going
to make them out of really good timber, in which case they are going to cost
megga bucks.

150 x 15mm sawn timber
cut 4 pieces 660 mm long and taper the top side to 625 mm
join with suitable length of 35mm x 20mm protruding 20mm from the bottom and
recessed 20 mm from the top to stack

Top made from 150mm Feather edge boarding.
front of top 150mm x 15mm sawn, but reduced to 80 mm at the sides to form
slope..

I made some with lift off top (Most successful) some with brass hinges and
some with metal hinges :-((((

To ensure uniformity and to make them interchangeable, I actually made
Aluminium plates drilled in appropriate places as jigs but I believe I have
thrown these away when I was clearing my garage out. (I will check tomorrow
when I get the car out)

Advice. Well preserve timber AFTER cutting. Then do it again. Assemble then
paint white with a Stone Paint because this gives depth.

Do they look good?

"I hope you have adequate Insurance when I get stung by your Bees" from my
neighbour when I put one in the FRONT garden :-))))

Hope that helps. Please come back if I can help any more :-))
Mike

"Andrew Newton" wrote in message
...
I've tried searching the net for some plans for a friend who wants to
make a
compost bin that looks like a beehive. He thinks that he may have seen
the
plans in a gardening book by Geoff Hamilton.

Sorry to be vague but any help appreciated

Andrew

I thought I had found what you wanted on this site
http://tinyurl.com/7lnpk, but when I opened the link and searched the
many pages on e.Bay I find two Geoff Hamilton sites
http://tinyurl.com/8u6so and http://tinyurl.com/84mbj, but neither refer
to the contruction of beehive compost bins.

Maybe you will have more success because I only searched to page 13.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

I thought I had found what you wanted on this site
http://tinyurl.com/7lnpk, but when I opened the link and searched the
many pages on e.Bay I find two Geoff Hamilton sites
http://tinyurl.com/8u6so and http://tinyurl.com/84mbj, but neither refer
to the contruction of beehive compost bins.

Maybe you will have more success because I only searched to page 13.

Regards,
Emrys Davies.


I will check through them, but I have a feeling that whilst there is a
picture of them in one of the books, there were no plans as such and I built
mine by picture examination, trial and error. Getting the angle was the
worse bit, the inside of the bottom of the next layer you are putting on,
must be bigger then the outside of the top of the layer you are building
onto. They must be a loose fit, not a 'hit to fit'.

The advantage of the beehive compost bin, built layer by layer, is that it
is very easy to take some layers off as the compost settles and makes it
easier to turn, and then empty. There is no height restriction, but the
higher you go, the 'out of proportion' it looks.

And yes, we really did have one in the front garden for a while :-))

Mike

"Andrew Newton" wrote in message
...
I've tried searching the net for some plans for a friend who wants to make
a
compost bin that looks like a beehive. He thinks that he may have seen the
plans in a gardening book by Geoff Hamilton.

Sorry to be vague but any help appreciated

Andrew



Thanks for all your replies - I'll pass the info on

Andrew

I will check through them, but I have a feeling that whilst there is a
picture of them in one of the books, there were no plans as such and I
built
mine by picture examination, trial and error.

SORRY, I told a lie, (you watch that be thrown back at me now) The plans for
a Beehive Compost Bin are on page 68 of Geoff Hamilton's
"Cottage Garden" ISBN 1-85613-352-4 First published in 1995

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=8301904 1
68&rd=1 on ebay at 99p at the moment :-))

Hope that helps.

Mike
Who doesn't knowingly tell lies :-))

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=8301904 1
68&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=437574004 7
&rd=1


as well


Mike

"Mike" wrote in message
...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=8301904 1
68&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=437574004 7
&rd=1


as well


Mike

Amazon have it at £5.25
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...229589-5919059
Which is nice.
Chris S :-))