How To Make Your Own Frames - Photo Tutorial

Greetings all,
Some of you have requested detailed descriptions, photos, and/or videos of how to make frames, since I have recently learned how to efficiently manufacture them. Well, I have put together a little photo tutorial that will hopefully help some of you. I like the finished product. Enjoy!

Top Bars:

1. Set the table saw fence at 3/8' from the blade.
Attachment 4119

2. Set the blade height to 5/8".
Attachment 4120

3. Next, set the blade angle to 10 degrees; when standing at the ingoing side of the saw, the blade should lean/angle toward the left.
Attachment 4121

4. Now, cut a piece of 2"x(4,6,8,10,12)" to 19" long.
Attachment 4122

5. Stand the 19-inch 2-by on end and run it through the saw.
Attachment 4123

6. Repeat on the other side.
Attachment 4124

7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 on the other end. Each end should now look like this:
Attachment 4125

8. Now, raise your blade to 2 1/2", and then set the fence at 1" from the blade.
Attachment 4126

9. Lay the 2-by on the long side and rip it into 1" sections like this:
Attachment 4127

10. You should end up with several peices that look like this, basically cross sections of the original piece:
Attachment 4128

11. Now set your saw to rip each piece exactly in half, like this:
Attachment 4129

12. You should end up with a bunch of these:
Attachment 4130

13. Now set up your router table with a 1/4" bit. Set the fence 5/8" from the bit and raise the bit to 1/4".
Attachment 4131

14. Now run each end of the top bar through like this:
Attachment 4132

15. Each each should now look like this:
Attachment 4133

Continued on next post due to photo limit.

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16. Lower the bit to 1/8" and run each side of the end through. Repeat on other end.
Attachment 4134
Attachment 4135

17. Each end should now look like this:
Attachment 4136
Attachment 4137

18. Now set your table saw blade to run exactly down the center on the top bar, which would be 1/2" OC. Set blade height to 1/4". Run the bottom side of the top bar throught to make the foundation groove.
Attachment 4138

19. The finished groove:
Attachment 4139

20. The finished top bar:
Attachment 4140

End bars:

1. Cut a piece of 2-by to length for frame size. These are 6 1/4" for medium depth.
Attachment 4141

2. Plane/saw the width of the 2-by down from 1 1/2" to 1 3/8".
Attachment 4142

3. Now use 3/4" router bit to run exactly down the (length-wise) center of the piece, like this:
Attachment 4143

4. The piece should now look like this:
Attachment 4144

5. Now rip the piece into 1/4" wide strips for the endbars.
Attachment 4145

6. Each piece should look like this:
Attachment 4146

7. Now set your 3/4" router bit to hang just 1/8" outside of the fence cutout. Also install a stop block on the fence.
Attachment 4147

Continued on next post due to photo limit

Don't mind the attached thumbnail.

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8. Run each endbar through the router like this, and then repeat on other side.
Attachment 4149
Attachment 4150

9. The finished endbar:
Attachment 4151

Bottom Bars:

1. Each bottom bar is a simple stick of 3/4" x 5/16" x 17" (with a groove, shown later).
Attachment 4152

2. Set the table saw to run exactly down the center, and set the blade height at 3/16".
Attachment 4153

3. The finished bottom bar:
Attachment 4154

See next post for assembly

Continued from last post

Frame Assembly:

1. Get everything you'll need. I use 1"-long 1/4" crown staples and glue.
Attachment 4155

2. Glue the top of each endbar:
Attachment 4156

3. Connect the endbars to the top bar.
Attachment 4157

4. Staple the top bar.
Attachment 4158

5. Add glue to the endbar where the bottom bar attaches.
Attachment 4159

6. The bottom bar/endbar joint is a butt joint (not stapled in this photo).
Attachment 4160

7. Staple the endbars to the bottom bar. I use two staples.
Attachment 4161
Attachment 4162

8. Add side staples.
Attachment 4163
Attachment 4164

9. The finished frame, one of the best.
Attachment 4165

nice tutorial Ben.

Thanks!

WoW! That is great, thank you

Could you put this on something like Photobucket with titles so that it would be easier to view? Or a PowerPoint Presentation would be best. Folks would pay you $$$.

A lot of work went into this nice presentation, my compliments to you,well done! Wish I had a wood working shop to do more of my own building, but when all is tallied up I guess it is about as cheap to buy the supplies. Wish there was some way to drastically reduce foundation cost, let me know when you have a good idea. Thanks again, great job. Broodhead

Thanks everyone. It goes quite quickly when you make the parts in quantity. Including my time, I can make assembled frames for $1.95 each, and that is cheaper than most bee supply places.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by broodhead

Wish there was some way to drastically reduce foundation cost, let me know when you have a good idea.

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You can drastically reduce foundation cost by going foundationless. :lookout:Here's more info:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoundationless.htm
Make sure you use a comb guide of some sort. See the link.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rader Sidetrack

You can drastically reduce foundation cost by going foundationless. Make sure you use a comb guide of some sort.

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Right on, Rader. I go all foundationless in the brood nest: we'll see about the honey supers, but they'll probably have Pierco foundation.

Try doing that in a few hundred supers, foundationless wwill not work very well going through the Silver Queen and extractor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by broodhead

Try doing that in a few hundred supers, foundationless wwill not work very well going through the Silver Queen and extractor.

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Right on; exactly.

Kudos Ben, great stuff!:thumbsup:

excellent.... Its people like this that put so much effort into helping others that deserve the highest kudos... Just an excellent presentation... Thanks

I like the idea of using 1/4" bit for the side grooves on the top bars, that has always been a problem for me. The standard thickness of the end bars is 3/8" and I do not have a straight 3/8" bit but I do have a 1/4" bit, thanks for the good info. I guess I am going to bee making more frames.:applause:

DC,
They (1/4" thick endbars) work fantastic for me. All the older Dadant frames I own have 1/4" endbars and work great.

Well done, Ben! Very informative....thank you!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by westernbeekeeper

Thanks everyone. It goes quite quickly when you make the parts in quantity. Including my time, I can make assembled frames for $1.95 each, and that is cheaper than most bee supply places.

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Is that with the sheet of foundation figured in to the estimate?? How much time does it take to make the frames ecpecially if u do a large quantity