Top Bar Hive 3 -- She's Got Legs
OK, legs. The purpose of legs is 1) to get your hive away from rain splatter, snow, and pests like skunks, and 2) to put the hive at easy working height. This is a huge advantage for backyard beekeepers over Langstroth equipment -- all the work is done at the same height. You can put the hives on cinder blocks, but I like the ease of legs and the cheap cost. I like my hives to be about three feet off the ground. You might prefer a different height. Keep in mind you will eventually be lifting delicate comb that weighs about 5 pounds.
I use pressure treated lumber which many in the top-bar "community" think is the work of Satan himself. There is arsenic in the lumber, don't you know. To them, it's made by the "Legion of Doom" hell bent on ruining "the environment" and making an evil dollar in the process. The bees do land on the legs, occasionally. They also cover 10,000 acres and visit millions of flowers, and all kinds of water sources. I suspect their exposure to poisons outside of your control is hundreds of times greater than the occasional landing on a pressure treated hive leg. The truth is, the legs will rot quickly if they are not pressure treated or cedar, and your hive may topple over, with your bees.
I'm sure some math professor could figure out the exact measurements, but I have a simple method. I start with a twelve foot pressure treated 2x4 to make all 4 legs. If you want shorter legs, use shorter lumber. My legs rely on the sloped sides of the hive, and the rectangular end-pieces. For this project you will need a miter saw or Skil saw, a drill, tape measure, pencil and 2" and 3" screws.
Start by cutting your board in half.
Mark an X at the middle of your board. In this case at the three feet length and 1 3/4" width.
Set your saw for 45 to 50 degrees and cut through the middle of your X. 
Use a block of scrap wood to help you attach the legs in the same spot each time, clamp and screw them through the "wings" of the end boards. I can hear the more precise readers screaming "but, but those legs aren't all exactly the same, and they aren't attached in the exact same spot!" OK, your lumber isn't straight, your entire hive, if it isn't warped now, will warp once you put it in the weather and fill it with bees. And unless you plan to build a foundation that extends below the frost-line and is perfectly level, you are going to have to shim under each leg anyway, and adjust it annually.
Once you attach all four, stand the hive up and put some three inchers in from the inside.
When you are done, your "honey cow" will really start taking shape.
I use pressure treated lumber which many in the top-bar "community" think is the work of Satan himself. There is arsenic in the lumber, don't you know. To them, it's made by the "Legion of Doom" hell bent on ruining "the environment" and making an evil dollar in the process. The bees do land on the legs, occasionally. They also cover 10,000 acres and visit millions of flowers, and all kinds of water sources. I suspect their exposure to poisons outside of your control is hundreds of times greater than the occasional landing on a pressure treated hive leg. The truth is, the legs will rot quickly if they are not pressure treated or cedar, and your hive may topple over, with your bees.
I'm sure some math professor could figure out the exact measurements, but I have a simple method. I start with a twelve foot pressure treated 2x4 to make all 4 legs. If you want shorter legs, use shorter lumber. My legs rely on the sloped sides of the hive, and the rectangular end-pieces. For this project you will need a miter saw or Skil saw, a drill, tape measure, pencil and 2" and 3" screws.
Start by cutting your board in half.
Mark an X at the middle of your board. In this case at the three feet length and 1 3/4" width.
Set your saw for 45 to 50 degrees and cut through the middle of your X.
Use a block of scrap wood to help you attach the legs in the same spot each time, clamp and screw them through the "wings" of the end boards. I can hear the more precise readers screaming "but, but those legs aren't all exactly the same, and they aren't attached in the exact same spot!" OK, your lumber isn't straight, your entire hive, if it isn't warped now, will warp once you put it in the weather and fill it with bees. And unless you plan to build a foundation that extends below the frost-line and is perfectly level, you are going to have to shim under each leg anyway, and adjust it annually.
Once you attach all four, stand the hive up and put some three inchers in from the inside.
When you are done, your "honey cow" will really start taking shape.
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