360 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



the bottom bar is % thick, and the top 

 bar 7-16 thick. The bottom bar of a 

 frame does not need to be very strong-, 

 as its only object is to keep the end 

 bars in place, from spreading, or from 

 swinging- in when the frame is wired. 

 For this reason % inch in thickness is 

 enough. The bottom bar is nailed to 

 the ends of side bars— not placed be- 

 tween them. A top bar of soft pine, 

 only y% thick, may sag] at times, but I 



ing home made frames is the piercing of 

 the end bars, but, if he has sufficient 

 ingenuity and gumption he can rig up 

 some kind of a machine that will do 

 this work. The frontispiece shows a 

 machine that I had for this purpose. 

 First, there is a plain, flat board, 

 about a foot wide and six feet long laid 

 upon the floor as a foundation. There 

 is a cross piece at the back end to keep 

 it from tipping over. In the middle, at 



Nailing on the Bottom Bar. 



had^mine made of vvhitewood, and 7-16 

 thick, and, out of 3,000, not one sagged 

 a particle. 



I got the plain sticks sawed out at 

 the mill for only 65 cts per 100 frames. 

 But let me tell you how I secured this 

 price. I did not go to the mill and 

 give my order to have them cut out of 

 clear lumber, and insist that they must 

 be done next week. I gave my order at 

 least six weeks before I wanted the 

 goods, and this allowed them to be cut 

 out at odd spells, out of waste. It is 

 quite an advantage to the owner of a 

 small mill to have some such job that a 

 man can be set at when waiting for 

 other regular work. 



To the man who wishes to wire his 

 frames, the one great obstacle in mak- 



right angles with the board on the 

 floor, is nailed another board of the 

 same width, in an upright position, 

 and firmly held in place with braces. 

 About the middle of the upright board 

 is firmly nailed a little shelf upon 

 which to place the end bars that are to 

 be pierced. Just above this shelf is a 

 sliding board of hard wood, that is 

 held in place by cleats screwed to the 

 edges of the upright standard. Across 

 the front side of the lower end of the 

 sliding board, is bolted a piece of hard 

 wood, and between this piece of hard 

 wood, and the sliding board, equally 

 distant apart, (about two inches) are 

 placed four, large, harness makers' 

 awls. A neat little groove is cut, with 

 the point of a knife, in each piece of 



