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Langstroth 8-Frame Hive Bodies

A 8-frame Langstroth hive: a deep brood box, a medium super, a bottom board, an inner cover and a telescoping outer cover, from pine boards and plywood.

Draft plan, generated from the model. Not yet build-tested.

8Frames

13.75 x 19.875 inOutside

1 deep, 1 mediumBoxes

4 to 6 hrBuild time

~$237.86Materials, part estimate

Drawings All dimensions in inches

3D viewfinished

Front elevation

Right elevation

Plan viewfrom above

Cut list: lumber Long-point lengths; angles noted

Qty	Stock	Length	Part	Cut
1	1x12	19 7/8	Deep side front	ripped to 9 5/8 in, on edge
1	1x12	19 7/8	Deep side back	ripped to 9 5/8 in, on edge
1	1x12	12 1/4	Deep end left	ripped to 9 5/8 in, on edge, between the sides; cut a 3/8 x 1/2 in frame rest in the top inside edge
1	1x12	12 1/4	Deep end right	ripped to 9 5/8 in, on edge, between the sides; cut a 3/8 x 1/2 in frame rest in the top inside edge
1	1x2	19 7/8	Inner cover rim front	on edge, ripped to 3/4
1	1x2	19 7/8	Inner cover rim back	on edge, ripped to 3/4
1	1x4	22 7/8	Cover rim front	on edge, round the top
1	1x4	22 7/8	Cover rim back	on edge, round the top
1	1x4	19 7/8	Bottom rail left	on edge, ripped to 3 in
1	1x4	19 7/8	Bottom rail right	on edge, ripped to 3 in
1	1x4	12 1/4	Bottom rail back	on edge, ripped to 3 in
1	1x8	19 7/8	Medium side front	ripped to 6 5/8 in, on edge
1	1x8	19 7/8	Medium side back	ripped to 6 5/8 in, on edge
1	1x8	12 1/4	Medium end left	ripped to 6 5/8 in, on edge, between the sides; cut a 3/8 x 1/2 in frame rest in the top inside edge
1	1x8	12 1/4	Medium end right	ripped to 6 5/8 in, on edge, between the sides; cut a 3/8 x 1/2 in frame rest in the top inside edge
1	roof	21 3/8	Cover metal	a corrugated panel, cut to 22 x 18 in; one panel makes four covers

Cut list: sheet goods

Part	Stock	Size	Note
Bottom floor	1/2 ply	22 1/4 x 13 3/4
Inner cover	1/2 ply	19 7/8 x 13 3/4	7/8 in hole in the middle for a feeder
Cover top	1/2 ply	21 3/8 x 15 1/4	rim boards go round it

Lumber cutting diagram Lengths chosen for the lowest cost; 1/8 in kerf, 1/2 in end trim

1x12 x 8 ft

Deep side front 19 7/8Deep side back 19 7/8Deep end left 12 1/4Deep end right 12 1/4

1x2 x 8 ft

Inner cover rim front 19 7/8Inner cover rim back 19 7/8

1x4 x 8 ft

Cover rim front 22 7/8Cover rim back 22 7/8Bottom rail left 19 7/8Bottom rail right 19 7/8

1x4 x 8 ft

Bottom rail back 12 1/4

1x8 x 8 ft

Medium side front 19 7/8Medium side back 19 7/8Medium end left 12 1/4Medium end right 12 1/4

roof x 8 ft

Cover metal 21 3/8

Sheet cutting diagrams Dashed = openings to cut out

Sheet 1: 1/2 in plywood, 4 x 8 ft

Shopping list $234.86 checked / $3.00 estimated

Item	Store	Qty	Each	Line	Note
1x12x8 pine board	Home Depot	1	$28.42	$28.42	see lumber cutting diagram
1x2x8 pine furring	Home Depot	1	$3.00	$3.00	see lumber cutting diagram
1x4x8 pine board	Home Depot	2	$8.38	$16.76	see lumber cutting diagram
1x8x8 pine board	Home Depot	1	$18.78	$18.78	see lumber cutting diagram
Corrugated galvanized roof panel, 8 ft (Gibraltar 31 ga; check width)	Home Depot	1	$19.98	$19.98	see lumber cutting diagram
15/32 in (1/2 in) sheathing plywood, 4x8 sheet	Lowe's	1	$32.26	$32.26	see sheet cutting diagrams
Langstroth frames and foundation, 10 deep	Foxhound Bee Co	2	$35.98	$71.96	frames and foundation for the deep and the medium
Queen excluder, 10-frame metal (Mann Lake)	Honey and the Hive	1	$15.25	$15.25	queen excluder and reducer
Exterior latex paint, quart	Home Depot	1	$19.98	$19.98
Exterior wood screws #9 x 2.5 in, 1 lb box	Home Depot	1	$11.47	$11.47
Total before tax				~$237.86

Filled dot: price read from a store listing on Oct 20, 2026. Hollow dot: estimate. Prices come from the master price list, so they change when it changes.

Build steps

Rip the 1x12 to 9.625 in for the deep box and the 1x8 to 6.625 in for the medium super. Cut four boards for each box: two 19.875 in sides and two 12.25 in ends.
Cut a 3/8 x 1/2 in rabbet along the top inside edge of each end board. The frames hang from it.
Glue and screw each box together with the sides outside the ends, three 1 1/2 in screws per corner.
Make the bottom board: the plywood floor with two 1x4 side rails and a back rail screwed on top, leaving the front open as the entrance.
Make the inner cover from the 1/2 ply with a rim on each side and a 7/8 in hole. Make the outer cover from a ply top with a rim round it and a piece of metal over it.
Paint the outsides, not the insides, with two coats of exterior latex in a light color. Stack the bottom, deep, medium, inner cover and outer cover on a stand.

Before you start

A 8-frame Langstroth body: inside width 12.25 in. Ten frames at 1 3/8 in spacing need 11.5 in: that fits.
The deep box is the brood chamber and the medium is the honey super. Add more mediums as the colony grows. Frames and foundation are not cut from wood: buy them.
Use a pine or cedar 1x. Do not use pressure-treated lumber near bees. Leave the inside bare.
Frames, the queen excluder and the metal cover are estimates; check them with a bee supplier.
Draft drawings generated from the model. Build one before selling this plan. Bee equipment sizes follow the common Langstroth standard; check them against your supplier's frames before cutting.