Making my own foundationlees frames

[marktrl]

I made a couple of videos of me making frames. The first one is how I make top and bottom bars. The second one is of making end bars.

 http://youtu.be/osbn69iXJ-0

http://youtu.be/baMfumquA0g

[Tim Bates]

Thanks for posting the videos, very cool.

[Michael Bush]

Nice.  Thanks.

[JWChesnut]

Good vid.
Comments:
Ganging all top bars together after they are ripped to 1 inch  (use a bar clamp) allows the dado for the sides to be cut all at once in a single pass per side.  The "dog ear" detail can be created with a sander while the pieces are ganged.

 The angle relief on the ear to hive rabbet face can be created with a coarse belt sander quickly after wasting to depth with the dado.  

 A belt sander can be used to finish the side bar's relief cut-- the radius left by the sander gives a nice finish.  A power hand plane works to waste the relief.  Leaving a last bit on bottom keeps the block from tipping during ripping to 3/8 width.

I use 3/4" (1x) stock on the top bar -- the side bar dado can be cut before these are ripped to width (and angle on the dog ear sanded) -- which saves machining time on the individual bar. I understand your comment about economy of 2x material and the attraction of using the waste for bottom bar.  The savings in machining permitted by starting with 3/4 offsets the cost in my calculation.  your mileage may vary.

[marktrl]

"The savings in machining permitted by starting with 3/4 offsets the cost in my calculation. "

There is no less machining by using 3/4, you still have to make 2 cuts 1 for top bars and 1 for bottom bars. My 2nd cut gives me both a top bar and a bottom bar. I can buy 5 2x4x8 for about the same money as 1 1x12x8, so I can get 100 top and bottom bars to 50 top bars out of the 1x12.
 
"Leaving a last bit on bottom keeps the block from tipping during ripping to 3/8 width."

I started using a scrap of 3/16 under the relief to keep it from tipping.