# Frame Assembly Jig



## bettinacharlotta (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm planning on getting the pieces for another hive sometime soon. I found while making the first hive that the frames take the longest to make. Assembling frames is easy, it just takes a while when I do them one at a time. I was wondering if it would be worth getting this frame assembly jig http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=911 If I buy 40 assembled frames, it will cost about $15 more than buying the pieces. But with the jig, I can get 10 done at once, and it should be able to pay for itself after 80 frames. Would it be worth getting this? Does anyone else have one?


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

I prefer this one. You can build it in about 15 minutes out of scrap and it works great.
http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/framejig/framejig.htm


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## nsmith1957 (Sep 7, 2006)

I built the one from the plans section here at Beesource. Sure makes it easier and quicker to assemble them.


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

*Agree*

It is really worth the time to make the jig.


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

Almost any of them seem to work jut fine. I got mine from Kelly's. I can't imagine putting frmaes together without one.

The do it yourselfers who can rip boards will certainly argue for making your own,a nd I can see why, but if you are not handy, or lack the toosl to do so, then get the brushy mountain or Kelly version and have at it. If your time si worth that of at least a McDonalds patty flipper, it will pay for itself in a few supers of frames.

Keith


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

*frame jig And foundation board*

whether you buy one or make your own it's definitely worth having one. And don't forget a foundation board. makes installing foundation a snap. Berkshire


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

make or buy one use it then you will wonder how you lived without it


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## bettinacharlotta (Nov 7, 2007)

I have a form board already that I bought. I was using it to check if each frame I made was square. I'll see if I can make a jig over the weekend. It seems easy enough to make. We have all the tools. Should make life easier after we get the next hive's parts.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

IMO it's worth having a jig if you are making more than ten frames.  I wish I had bought one 33 years ago instead of five years ago.


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## stangardener (Mar 8, 2005)

this is a thank you to ross above for the picture of the frame jig in old tools. very simple, very easy, works good!


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## Jeffrey Todd (Mar 17, 2006)

I really like the jig Ross has on his website. It is simple enough for an amateur like me to build and doesn't cost anything if you use scrap. 
BTW, Ross, it looks like your top bars are beveled; are you foundationless?


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

Yes, I've been 100% foundationless for several years now thanks to Michael Bush.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

A few more scrap wood bee projects.
screened bottom board...
http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/bottomboard/bottomboard.htm
Safe top bar beveling...
http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/frames/
Super assembly jig, needs more work...
http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/boxjig/
And a couple of different nucs...
http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/nuc/


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## Jeffrey Todd (Mar 17, 2006)

Thanks for the pics, Ross. That's why they say a pic is worth a thousand words. 
I, too, use a lot of foundationless, but have not yet tried the beveled-frame approach. I will, however, when I buy a tablesaw.

Thanks,

Jeffrey


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## paintingpreacher (Jul 29, 2006)

Ross, thanks for the pictures. I built one last week using frames from Kelley's. Worked great. Then I placed an order with Brushy Mt. ... From the outside of the end bars it measures about 3/16 in. more than the Kelley frames. 
Anyone else have this problem. Guess I need to build another one for the Brushy Mt frames.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

Mine works with Dadant frames. That's pretty much all I use. If you screwed it together you could probably shim it.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

I have one from Kelleys and one from Brushy. I haven't used mine from Brushy yet but I like the fact that it will do 3 different frame sizes. With Kelley's you have to buy two different jigs.

I've put together a couple thousand frames with my Kelley jig and jigs are definately time savers.


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## Jack Grimshaw (Feb 10, 2001)

I also made a jig from beesource plans.It worked so well that I made a similer jig to assemble supers,2 at a time.Square up with a framing square and tack a diagonal 'til the glue sets


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>With Kelley's you have to buy two different jigs.

Actually, just buy the small one, it works for all of them just fine.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

Michael Bush said:


> >With Kelley's you have to buy two different jigs.
> 
> Actually, just buy the small one, it works for all of them just fine.


Yeah I've put together a couple hundred deep frames with the smaller Kelly jig but had a tougher time keeping the larger frames square. It works ok I guess but it was slowing me down.

That's why I got the Brushy jig as I have 500 or so deep frames to assemble. 

We'll see how it works.


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## sierrabees (Jul 7, 2006)

Ross:

Thanks for the pics. You design is simpler, cheaper to build, and looks like it would be a heck of a lot more efficient than the one I built out of an empty super. I think I'll take the time to duplicate it before I get into my winter frame building mode.


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## Hampton (Apr 24, 2007)

*Frame Jig.*

Ross,

Thanks for the pictures of the frame jig. Simple and easy to use.

r/

Andy


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

Ross you’re a real handy man, it’s such an easy, and smart design. Makes my wonder why I didn’t think of it myself. I am always trying to figure way to use up scrap lumber. Now I know what I’ll be doing on my next day off. Winter is when I do most of my woodworking projects.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

It's not my design. It was posted here a couple of years ago. I just built it and photographed the process. I'm still trying to get a good box jig together.


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

I have thought of a minor improvement, attach a piece of lumber on the outside where the removable board is slid in to hold the frame pieces so you can clamp them tight.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

Tight would be toward the middle. I haven't found it necessary. I just give them a push and nail. The nail acts as the clamp until the glue sets.


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## sierrabees (Jul 7, 2006)

Ross

I just tried out the jig I made following your pictures. I love it. It takes me half the time it took to use my old jig.


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## Hampton (Apr 24, 2007)

*Frame jig..*

Ross,

I made a few of those frame jigs. One for me, one for a fellow Beek and the last one to bring to the next Bee meeting for a door prize. Easy to make and use. Thanks again.

Andy


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## tom28734 (Dec 27, 2007)

I happened onto this forum a few days ago. (I'm a ten hive guy in western North Carolina.) I'm adding a few supers this season and I just finished the frame jig from the plans section here on Beesource. Two hours after starting to rip the pieces the first ten frames were finished. Sure am going to be glad I found this place.

Tom


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## PAOuchHoney (Nov 25, 2007)

I made a jig similar to one described earlier recently. I can not believe how much easier it made assembly. I'm making my frames and my first attempts were by the frame. Now I make a whole slew of pieces prior to changing the jig to make the next. Makes life easier.


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

Ross,
Another "thank you". After viewing your pics I slapped together a jig from scrap plywood based on your photos and.. wow... what a time saver! Just put together 40 frames in no time.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

Johnson's Paste Wax will keep the glue from sticking to your jig. Maybe you guys aren't messy, but I slop the glue pretty good when I'm doing a couple 100 frames at a time.


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## Jeffrey Todd (Mar 17, 2006)

*Frame/box jig*

Hi Ross,

I wanted to say thanks for your frame jig design. It is so much easier to make and use than some of the other complicated designs and can be made from scrap. Also, I made a box jig using the same design but with box-size dimensions. For the first time my boxes are almost perfectly square! 
BTW, how did you get the cut-out piece so straight and square? Mine work fine but don't look nearly as nice as yours.

Thanks,

Jeffrey


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

I made my cutouts on the tablesaw. Just raise the blade to the depth of the notch and make repeated cuts to nibble it out. You could also do it by making a couple of cuts on a bandsaw with a narrow blade, or a jigsaw, or just use a chisel.


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Ross, I've been using two frame jigs made from your design since I first saw you post it a year or two ago. They work great and I really like the simplicity, thanks!


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## coondogger (May 30, 2007)

Ross said:


> I prefer this one. You can build it in about 15 minutes out of scrap and it works great.
> http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/framejig/framejig.htm


Ross,

Would you mind e-mailing me dimensions for your jig? It looks a lot easier to make than the one in the Beesource plans. 

Jeff Fogel
[email protected]omcast.net


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

I used a Walter T. Kelly frame jig and had my finish carpenter modify the dimentions for my 4-way mating nucs full depth frames.
When you pay good wages for the frame assembly it is a must have item.
We assembled over 4,000 frames for the 2007 & 2008 queen season.
We assemble them with wide crown staples and staple guns purchased at American fasteners.
Just one of the attributes of the jig is that it holds the frame together so that you can be dead for placeing the nail or staple.
We made 8 jigs for assembly line type work. Kinda like Henry Ford!
FYI: I suggest dipping the frame ends, top bars, and bottom bars in water for at least 5 minutes to prevent the wood from splitting. The realitive humidity here can be as low as 10% and believe wooden will dry out and the staple or nail will follow the wood grain!
Buy one or make one so that you have more "free time" for other priorities.
Regards,
Ernie
Lucas Apiaries


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*Typo*

That is dead on as in accurate
Ernie


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## randydrivesabus (Apr 27, 2006)

I built a similar to yours frame jig Ross. yesterday some members of our bee club spent the day putting together hive parts at VA Tech for a research project they are starting. I assembled many many frames using the jig and my pneumatic stapler. Everyone, including myself, was impressed with the speed of assembly.
There was another jig there built with springs that worked very well too.


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

As for dimensions, you need to size it to the frames you use. There are differences in the end bar thicknesses. You want the box to be snug but not tight around the frames, maybe a sheet of paper or so space so the frames will come out without having to pull on them. The other dimension is the width of 10 end bars, again snug so they stand up straight. The height depends on whether you use it for mediums or deeps. Mine is as high as I would want for mediums, about 3.5". Any more and you can't get the nail gun under the top bars easily.


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## sierrabees (Jul 7, 2006)

I've found that I have excess space for putting in the bottom bars, but that is easily solved by sliding a couple spare bottom bars betwee the jig and the side bars after it is turned over and slipping a couple of standard wood shims between one of these spacers bars and one side of the jig to keep it tight.


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