Author Topic: Nice when you have the right tools. (Read 7234 times)

Perry · « **on:** April 01, 2015, 06:13:31 pm »

A friend fixed up my old compressor that I will use for back-up or as an air pig if it lets go again. Love the new one, way quieter and fast build up too.
Finished all the store bought frames I had an just started on the homemade ones I picked up a few weeks ago. Slower putting them together because of the split bottom bars, and the wedge top bars that I just brad the cut-offs in place on.

Riverrat · « **Reply #1 on:** April 01, 2015, 07:45:55 pm »

Dang you going to wear that compressor out. Im tired just looking at the frames remembering when I was building up

G3farms · « **Reply #2 on:** April 01, 2015, 07:51:48 pm »

Perry that looks really great!!

New compressor and all of those frames

I use a frame jig also, I patterned mine after the Walter Kelley design for shallows.

I put the bottom bars on first as this lets the wider part of the end bars fill up the jig and hold them more square.
Flip the jig over and slide a couple of boards between the jig and the bottom bars (kind of makes a deeper jig), push the jig down to the bottom bars and put the top bars on. The extra boards are tall enough to keep the wide part of the end bars in the jig to hold them square while you staple the top bars in place.

Will get a couple of pics later, much easier than trying to explain.

Perry · « **Reply #3 on:** April 01, 2015, 08:09:28 pm »

"Will get a couple of pics later, much easier than trying to explain."

Yes please, anything to make life easier I'm good with.

G3farms · « **Reply #4 on:** April 02, 2015, 12:34:53 am »

OK finally got back in.......

here are a few pics
This is the frame jig I use, copied it from Kelley's catalog many years ago.

End bars loaded, note that the wide sides are in the jig to hold them square.

Bottom bars glued and stapled in place. These are the spacers I was talking about, this makes the jig "taller" and keeps the wide ends of the end bars in the jig to keep the frames squared up.

Now flip the jig over, the spacers keep the jig from sliding down to the skinny ends of the end bars, pretty simple

With the spacers in place I have a little space left for the top bars to fit into the end bars.

Top bars glued and stapled in place, spacers removed, jig slides to the skinny ends of the end bars, spring boards removed and side board removed. Finished frames slide out of the jig.

Perry · « **Reply #5 on:** April 02, 2015, 07:17:13 am »

Thanks G3!

I notice that you use wedge top bars. No plastic for you?

robo · « **Reply #6 on:** April 02, 2015, 08:43:58 am »

Perry,

You need a bigger frame jig. 10s are great for hobbyist, but yo' a per-fessional

Not the greatest picture, but this is from our recent assembly workshop where we help beginners assemble their equipment. I have two 20-frame jigs and can turn out 40 frames in less than 10 minutes.

tefer2 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 02, 2015, 09:52:09 am »

Rob, you have plans for the 20 frame on your site?
I have made a few of the larger jigs, but find anything over a 20 frame to be to hard to flip over with out something falling out.
I guess someone could just double the dimensions for the 10 frame.
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/downloads/beekeeping/FrameAssemblyJig.pdf

Perry · « **Reply #8 on:** April 02, 2015, 09:53:16 am »

That may well be something I'll have to do.

I just wish I had a workshop/ honey house to do this stuff in instead of my basement. I've been outside the last couple of days cutting up pine into finish lengths for 35 deeps and 25 mediums, and then rabbeting in the ends and frame rests. It was sunny, but far from warm.

Papakeith · « **Reply #9 on:** April 02, 2015, 10:46:54 am »

This is good stuff. I do have one question for all of you though. When stapling, how many and where do you place your staples? How about glue?

G3farms · « **Reply #10 on:** April 02, 2015, 11:12:53 am »

1 1/4" in the bottom bars and top bars.

titebond III in all of the joints and spread with a cheap acid brush, wash the brush out before it .

3/4" in the side bars to the top bars...........yep that is a uh oh for sure, but nothing a pair of side cutters will not take care of.

Perry · « **Reply #11 on:** April 02, 2015, 11:43:04 am »

I do it exactly the way G3 does it, same staples, same glue, different brush, same missed staple, same clipper to snap it off.

robo · « **Reply #12 on:** April 03, 2015, 12:06:31 pm »

Quote from: tefer2 on April 02, 2015, 09:52:09 am

Rob, you have plans for the 20 frame on your site?
I have made a few of the larger jigs, but find anything over a 20 frame to be to hard to flip over with out something falling out.
I guess someone could just double the dimensions for the 10 frame.
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/downloads/beekeeping/FrameAssemblyJig.pdf

No plans, but yes, just double the 'inside' dimension not the whole length. I haven't tried any bigger than a 20, but definitely can see how anything much bigger would be a little overwhelming to maneuver.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #13 on:** April 04, 2015, 01:15:53 am »

Gonna have to make one of those 20 frame jigs too.. mine does 13 frames..
and WOW!!!!! 1 1/4 inch staples in frames? Holy smokes! I have gone back to 1 inch brads so I could manage to nail them together without them looking like a porky pine

LindsayBrower1 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 05, 2015, 10:26:07 pm »

Here's a better picture of the jig Rob uses. It's so handy! I couldn't imagine assembling frames without it.
Don't mind our setup, the living room is my temporary workshop.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2015, 10:39:53 pm »

Living room?
I was banned from the living room after I assembled my first Harley there.....

LindsayBrower1 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 05, 2015, 10:44:48 pm »

Yup the living room... Its taken a lot of abuse from becoming my assembling/woodworking area.
Nothing is banned when it comes to BEES!!!!

kebee · « **Reply #17 on:** April 06, 2015, 04:44:36 am »

Love the help you have, hope they are help, good to get them starter early.

Ken

kingd · « **Reply #18 on:** April 06, 2015, 06:02:02 am »

Quote from: LazyBkpr on April 05, 2015, 10:39:53 pm

Living room?
I was banned from the living room after I assembled my first Harley there.....

Living rooms are the best for working on stuff, I did my Harley in the dining room

Papakeith · « **Reply #19 on:** April 06, 2015, 11:51:40 am »

I was banned from the kitchen after scratching the countertop edge with the legs of a maxant bottling tank. I don't know why she was so upset, I thought the black sharpie covered the scratch nicely.