The following instructions are adapted from Introduction to Beekeeping
by Peter Bechtel and Kathy Gan, the Swaziland published by Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives.
RACTICAL BEEKEEPING
Materials needed 1. 1 large tin with lid (such as a 1 kg milk or coffee tin). 2. 1 smaller tin to fit inside the larger one (eg 500 g coffee tin). 3. 150 cm of wire, medium weight (1.6 mm
gauge) Flat iron; 1 piece 6 cm x 32 cm, 2 pieces 2cm x 6.5 cm. Any scrap metal will do as long as it bends easily. 100 g of small, flat-headed nails, 1-2 em in length.
100 g of 20 mm panel pins. 2 pieces of smooth wood, 1 cm x 12 cm x 19cm. Any scrap timber that can be
MAKE YOUR OWN SMOKER
cut and planed smooth to these dimensions may be used, but if the thickness is more than I cm then the final smoker will be too heavy. 1 strong spring. From an old car seat or box spring mattress. A piece of metal pipe, 1.5 cm diameter and 5 cm long. A piece of tube from a broken tubular school chair works well. 10. A piece of strong material, 12cm x 68 cm. Old car seat, raincoat, leather or rubberised material will do, but it must be without any holes. 11. A few nails of large and medium size for punching holes.
Figure 2.
Shaping metal
}——__——__ 65cm
strips.
—
A. Bend melal strip Into L-shape, 65 cm tong
V-shaped
Metal strip
hotc tne
I
Plank
cm thick
xO
XN
'
B.
Figure
1.
Bend metal strip at corners of plank. Cut cul e Y-shaped notch es shown.
Pattern for bellows material. 68em
N
Small nail holes, 4
A
on each
side,
3 on each end.
|
T
12
( Sc
9c
9c
Tools needed:
Attaching the spring
and
the Spring
Nails
19cm.
—Pipe
25
t<—6
C.
|
Metal strip completed. Ful for inter use.
Ho
aside
Instructions
hammer, handsaw, hacksaw, wire cutter, pocket knife, scissors, metal cutting shears, hand plane, pliers, accurate ruler, brace drill with bit (the bit should be about the same size as the pipe), vice or 2 G-clamps.
Figure 3.
Sc
1.
Cut the material for the bellows using the pattern shown in Figure 1.
side as shown in Figure 3. Fit the piece of pipe into the hole and glue if necess-
Prepare the 2 pieces of flat iron, 2 x 65 cm. Take one metal strip and bend it in half lengthways, forming a long Lshape (Figure 2A). Bend the metal strip over the edge of a table or other hard surface. Clamp the metal strip down tightly before striking it with a hammer. Repeat with the second metal strip. Fit one of the long L- shaped metal strips around the edge of one 12 x 19cm piece of wood. Cut a V-shaped notch out of each corner as shown in Figure 2B, and then fold the metal strip down at the comers. Repeat with the second piece. Take the small, flat-headed nails and punch four small holes in each long side of each metal strip. Punch three small holes along each short side of the strips. When finished the metal strips should be as shown in Figure 2C.
ary.
Take one piece of wood and drill a hole to hold the pipe tightly. The hole should centre on a point 2.5 cm from the bottom of the wood and 6cm from each
,
-
Centre the spring as high as possible on the other side of the wood to the pipe. Attach the spring with small panel pins nailed part way into the wood and bent over to hold the spring in place (see Figure 3). Attach the other end of the spring to the second piece of wood in the same manner. The pieces of wood and spring should now be as shown in
Figure 4B.
Bend the piece of metal 6 cm x 32 cm into a 4cm x 10cm rectangle as shown in Figure 4A. Punch four holes on each of the long sides: on the doubled side the holes will go through two layers of metal. Drill four corresponding holes into the wood that holds the pipe, such that when the metal is attached it will be 4 cm from the top of the wood. Using two pieces of wire attach the doubled side of the metal rectangle to the wood as shown in Figures 4B and 5A.
