How To Make Your Own Frames - Photo Tutorial

[westernbeekeeper]

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.
P1280094.jpg

2. Set the blade height to 5/8".
P1280095.jpg

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.
P1280096.jpg

4. Now, cut a piece of 2"x(4,6,8,10,12)" to 19" long.
P1280097.jpg

5. Stand the 19-inch 2-by on end and run it through the saw.
P1280098.jpg

6. Repeat on the other side.
P1280099.jpg

7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 on the other end. Each end should now look like this:
P1280100.jpg

8. Now, raise your blade to 2 1/2", and then set the fence at 1" from the blade.
P1280102.jpg

9. Lay the 2-by on the long side and rip it into 1" sections like this:
P1280103.jpg

10. You should end up with several peices that look like this, basically cross sections of the original piece:
P1280104.jpg

11. Now set your saw to rip each piece exactly in half, like this:
P1280105.jpg

12. You should end up with a bunch of these:
P1280106.jpg

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".
P1280107.jpg

14. Now run each end of the top bar through like this:
P1280108.jpg

15. Each each should now look like this:
P1280109.jpg

Continued on next post due to photo limit.

[westernbeekeeper]

Continued from previous post

16. Lower the bit to 1/8" and run each side of the end through. Repeat on other end.
P1280110.jpg
P1280111.jpg

17. Each end should now look like this:
P1280112.jpg
P1280113.jpg

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.
P1280129.jpg

19. The finished groove:
P1280130.jpg

20. The finished top bar:
P1280131.jpg

End bars:

1. Cut a piece of 2-by to length for frame size. These are 6 1/4" for medium depth.
P1280114.jpg

2. Plane/saw the width of the 2-by down from 1 1/2" to 1 3/8".
P1280115.jpg

3. Now use 3/4" router bit to run exactly down the (length-wise) center of the piece, like this:
P1280116.jpg

4. The piece should now look like this:
P1280117.jpg

5. Now rip the piece into 1/4" wide strips for the endbars.
P1280118.jpg

6. Each piece should look like this:
P1280119.jpg

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.
P1280120.jpg

Continued on next post due to photo limit

Don't mind the attached thumbnail.

[westernbeekeeper]

Continued from previous post

8. Run each endbar through the router like this, and then repeat on other side.
P1280121.jpg
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9. The finished endbar:
P1280123.jpg

Bottom Bars:

1. Each bottom bar is a simple stick of 3/4" x 5/16" x 17" (with a groove, shown later).
P1280124.jpg

2. Set the table saw to run exactly down the center, and set the blade height at 3/16".
P1280126.jpg

3. The finished bottom bar:
P1280127.jpg

See next post for assembly

[westernbeekeeper]

Continued from last post

Frame Assembly:

1. Get everything you'll need. I use 1"-long 1/4" crown staples and glue.
P1280132.jpg

2. Glue the top of each endbar:
P1280133.jpg

3. Connect the endbars to the top bar.
P1280134.jpg

4. Staple the top bar.
P1280135.jpg

5. Add glue to the endbar where the bottom bar attaches.
P1280136.jpg

6. The bottom bar/endbar joint is a butt joint (not stapled in this photo).
P1280137.jpg

7. Staple the endbars to the bottom bar. I use two staples.
P1280138.jpg
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8. Add side staples.
P1280140.jpg
P1280141.jpg

9. The finished frame, one of the best.
P1280142.jpg

[JRG13]

nice tutorial Ben.

[westernbeekeeper]

Thanks!

[Jaseemtp]

WoW! That is great, thank you

[odfrank]

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 $$$.

[broodhead]

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

[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.

[Rader Sidetrack]

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

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

[westernbeekeeper]

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

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.

[broodhead]

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

[westernbeekeeper]

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

Right on; exactly.

[Beehaive]

Kudos Ben, great stuff!

[SippyBees]

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

[DC Bees]

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.

[westernbeekeeper]

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

[mtndewluvr]

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

[Brian Suchan]

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.

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