How To Make Bee Hive Frames
How To Efficiently Make Bee Hive Frames From
Scratch That Will Hold Standard Rite Cell & Or
Plastic Foundation Measuring 5 5/8” For
Mediums or 8 ½” For Deeps At A Very low Cost
For A Langstroth Style Beehive
With the few tools listed here you could make a
couple hundred of these frames in one day.
-Please Read all Instructions Carefully Before ProceedingI Assume No Responsibility For Injury
*ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SAFETY GLASSES AND USE A PUSH STICK*
Tools Required For This Project:
:
:
:
:
:
Safety Glasses
Router Table With A ¾” Dado Bit
Table Saw With Push Stick
Nail Gun With 1” Brads or Small Nails & Hammer
Lumber
Materials List:
: 1- 2”x4”x8’ Long Pine 2X4 Board Or Scrap 2X4 Pieces
: 1- 1”x12”x12’ Long Pine Board Or Any 1X4 1X6 1X8 1X10 ECT.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
1
Steps 1-5 Making The Sides Of The Frame
First, you will need to cut your 2”x4”x8’ long board into fourteen 5-7/8” long
sections. All cuts herein need to be precise. You should end up with a total of 14
sections that are 5 7/8” long when you are done.
2”x 4”x 5-7/8”
You should Get 14 of these pieces when
you are done.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
2
Step 2
Next, we need to rip the 2”x 4”x 5-7/8” long boards into six pieces that are
3/8” thick 5-7/8” Long by 1-1/2” wide. Be sure to use a push stick and safety
glasses to do it safely. Here is how we do it.
Cut To
3/8” Thick
(Figure 1) Below, is what your six
pieces should look like.
5-7/8” Long 3/8” Thick & 1-1/2” Wide
Figure 1
Figure 2
(Figure 2) Above, are the side
pieces of the frame that we
are aiming to make.
*Note that it is still too wide in
figure 1.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
3
Step 3
Now, we need to rip it down to the correct width of 1-3/8” Wide By 5-7/8”
Long.
Ripping To 1-3/8” Wide
5 7/8”
1 3/8”
Now It Is The Correct Size Of 1 3/8” Wide & 5 7/8” Long &
3/8” Thick.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
4
Step 4
Making The Simple Jig For The Side Boards Of The Frame
Now, using your router, you need to set your Dado bit to make a cut of 3/16”.
You will also need to make a 3/16” guide with some scrap lumber to allow the
piece to ride on as it crosses over the Dado bit. Below is how I made my jig.
Stop
3/16” Guide Board
Here Is The 3/16” Guide As I Have
Mentioned Above This Allows Your
Piece To Have Something To Rest On As
It Passes Over The Dado Bit.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
5
3 ½” From Stop To Center Of Bit
Stop
3/16” Cut
We Will Also Need A Stop Located
3 ½ Inches To The Left From The
Center Of The Dado Bit.
3/16” Deep Cut
The Pictures above are just one of several ways to make this simple jig to cut in
your recessed edges on the side boards of your frames. I have included this for a
free visual aid in this frame construction plan for your convenience only. The
long skinny board in the back is just a scrap board to nail the stop and the
guide to, and it is just clamped to the router table. This jig will make quick
work out of frame production.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
6
Step 5
Cutting In The Grooved Edges
Now that our frame jig is made we are ready to cut in the 3/16” Grooves.
A
B
Cutting The 3/16”
Wide Groove
3/16” Groove
Always use
Push Sticks
Always use
Push Sticks
C
The 3/16” Groove Is
Cut On Each Side
Here Is What The
1 3/8” Finished Pieces
Should Look Like
D
5 5/8”
3/16” Groove
1”
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
7
Step 6
Cutting The Top & Bottom Rail Of The Frame to The
Correct Length
First, we need to cut our 1”x 12” X 12’ long board into pieces, measuring:
: Four pieces that are 1” X 12” X 18 7/8” Long for the top rail.
Second, we will also need to cut: Four pieces that are 1” X 12” X 16 7/8” Long for the bottom rail.
• Note that the actual width of 1 X 12 board will actually be 11 ¼” Wide X
¾” Thick, they come like that from the lumber yard as dimensional
lumber. But it is called a 1x12 so we will use that term because it will be
of no problem in accordance to our cuts.
12” Wide
12” Wide
18 7/8” Long
16 7/8” Long
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
8
Step 7
Cutting The 1” Rabbet On Each End Of The 18 7/8” Long
Board ONLY
First you need to set up your router table to cut a 1” wide X 5/16” deep Rabbet
joint in each (BOTH) ends (SAME SIDE) of the 18 7/8” board. This is what is
going to rest on the frame rests in your hive.
*Note you will need to adjust your router table again to reach the 1” Width.
12”
1”
Width
5/16”
18 7/8”
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
9
5/16”
¾” Thick
Original
Thickness
1”
18 7/8”
Close Up View
*Note That The 5/16” X 1” Rabbet On Each End & Same Side
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
10
Step 8
Now we will need to rip all 1x12 boards down to a width of 1” wide, as seen in
the diagram below.
ALL of the 1X12X16 7/8” Boards & ALL of the 1X12X18 7/8” Rabbeted Boards.
You will have 9 of each in Figure 3 when finished.
Figure 3
18 7/8”
Top Frame Rail
Bottom Frame Rail
1”
18 7/8” Long 1” Wide By ¾” Original Thickness
16 7/8” Long 1”Wide By ¾” Original Thickness
16 7/8
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
1”
11
Step 9
Ripping The 16 7/8 Long Bottom Rail Board Down To Size
First we need to adjust the table saw to make a 7/16” cut. Then rip each
16 7/8” board to a size of 16 7/8” Long 1” Wide & 7/16” Thick.
*Note: Be sure that the 1” cut that you previously made on this board is vertical
on the table saw.
7/16”
Cut
Push
Stick
16 7/8”
Long
Boards
Only
3/4”
1”
Push
Stick
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
12
Step 10
Cutting In The Foundation Sleeves
Now that all boards are down to size it is time to cut in the foundation sleeves
into the 16 7/8” & 18 7/8” long boards. Using a regular 1/8” wide table saw
Blade.
Start by adjusting the saw depth so that it is 5/16” Deep.
*(Just Barely Grazing The Top Underside Of The Frame Rest)*
5/16”
Adjust The Saw To Make No More
Than A 5/16” Deep Cut
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
13
Note That The Blade Is Just
Barely Touching The
Underside & Cutting A Nice
Thin Sleeve. If The Sleeve Is
To Tight You May Want To
Run Two Saw Blades Instead
Of One.
Setting the saw for a 7/16” Wide X 5/16” or 3/8” Deep cut Should Put
You On Center, If Not Adjust Accordingly.
We will use this width of 7/16” and depth of 5/16” to cut our sleeves in both
the top and the bottom frame rail.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
14
Cutting The Sleeve In The Top Rail
“ALWAYS USE A PUSH STICK!!!”
Cutting The Sleeve In The Bottom Rail
“ALWAYS USE A PUSH STICK!!!”
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
15
Finished Top Rail
Finished Bottom Rail
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
16
Step 11
Assembly Of Your Frame
Here are the four pieces that we have made for one frame.
Side
Side
Bottom Rail
Top Rail
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
17
First, we will start by affixing our sides to the top rail with a 1” Brad nailer as
shown below.
Second, we will insert our foundation into the frame grooves below.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
18
Third, we will insert the bottom rail and align the foundation into the groove and
nail accordingly as in the picture below.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
19
Going Foundationless Doesn’t Have To Be Hard !!!
Just Rip The Rite Cell Foundation into 1” wide strips as seen below then nail the
strips into the frames. Insert the foundationless frame in between two drawn
frames and let the bees do the rest. A natural hive is a happier hive.
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
20
For Medium Frames
If you are going to make medium frames for honey supers follow all of the steps
above with precise cuts.
For Deep Frames
If you are going to make deep frames for hive bodies,
Everything stays the same except for step 1 & step 4.
Step 1 page 2: cut the 2x4 into 8 ¾” long sections instead of 5 7/8”.
&
Step 4 page 6: Just extend the stop on the router table out to 5” from center of
the dado bit instead of 3 ½” from center.
Thank You
Happy Woodworking
I Assume No Responsibility For Injury Of Any Kind And As Always Follow Your
Manufacturer’s Recommended Safety Guidelines.
Ryansapiculture.com
Copyright – Ryan Bekke 2013 beehiveblueprints.com
21