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Has anyone tried the tongue blade of a table saw molding knife to make comb guides on a top bar? This would make a much wider guide than a Popsicle stick guide, but would be one piece with less assembly. Would the bees take well to such a wide guide?
http://corobcutters.com/tongue-1.aspx
The "barefoot beekeeper" uses this type of comb guide in his TBH's, and said it is his favorite among the different types of comb guides. I think it would work well, IMO.
I think the comb guieds on the foundationless frames from Walter T. Kelley are about 1/4" wide. They seem to work ok. I'd rather have them a bit skinnier. If you're shaping it, put a bevel on it. This you can bring to a point and it will work better anyway...
When my dad gave me my grandfather's old table saw moulding cutter, we both agreed it was the most dangerous thing that I had in my shop. Rather than swapping the blade for the cutter and risking appendages firing that thing up, I just run a cut along the bottom edge and a cut along one side to create a spline that I rotate 90 degrees and tack in place.
Call me a coward, but I'd rather spend the day with a radial arm saw than allow a metal chip held in place with an allen screw to rotate at thousands of RPMs while I'm pushing a board across it.
Matt
cut them at 7 deg.... Kellys got theres from me..... and thats the angle that foundation atteches the strongest to them....
I just break out the wedge and throw it in the smoker fuel pile. The bees build just fine on the edge of the step that's left on the top bar.