9 Comments

Round overs on the inside, straight edges on the outside. The router hates this stuff. Miters on the TS with a miter sled. A biscuit in each corner for alignment. A bit of BLO and brush on poly finish. Note to cultivators …number each corner, mark each half of the corner left and right side cut from the miter sled, then when you put it to the glue you’ll get some good corners.

I admire your persistence in plowing through those knots !
That is a very nice frame with lots of ‘Character’ , well done .

my first thought was, “Oh, a picture frame” (not to belittle picture frames) but then I read the story and – oh my. The patience, skill, and determination put into this creation!!
I am so glad I read the story as well as looked at the photo.

And…. it is, indeed, beautiful. Love the colour and the grain.

Thanks MsDebbie! When I was shaping one of the vertical bits the router hit a knot and the board broke in half and part of it flew across the shop faster than MJCD’s bench dog. So back to ripping, cross cuts, planing rabbeting and blah blah….in all I think I made seven sides. The new bit isn’t as pretty as the original but it worked out. I’m doing two others, One has been much easier the other will be made from ash. :)

Really like the graininess of this: unlike a maple, for example. It’s amazing how much skill IS required to make something like this. So many people I know think that woodworking is mostly a question of getting wood to the cutter – Not So…

I assume you rabbited the inside to accept the glass?

Nice Project.
MJCD

yes…with a nice new, sharp cutter. It was easier as I just nibbled it away to be sure the back plate sat just below the saw kerf I cut to hold the pins that keep everything inside. LOTS of details in four boards glued together.

Its amazing that you kept at it after the material gave you such trouble.
Speaking as a professional picture framer, I will rarely use any hard material like oak for the very reasons you experienced. Bass is a highly favored material because it machines nicely, doesn’t shatter unless I’ve done something really stupid and is reasonably priced.
I will be so bold as to suggest that you consider using a mat board around the art. It enhances the appearance of the picture. But it does require a deeper rabbet to accommodate all the layers (glass, mat board, art and a support of some sort).

Best regards,
Don

I just stuffed a pic in for no good reason except that I called it a picture frame and felt it should have a pic. When the glass gets picked up I’m putting a smallish B/W photo in a white mat behind it. Maybe…or something else.

Here’s the other one which I actually have glass in (and a fancy pants mat bought at a print shop) It’s 30" wide and was too annoying to glue up.
Sorry about the colour balance on that, my wife’s camera/phone…. you know..designed for selfies.
I’m never doing another frame. “How hard could it be” must never pass my lips again.

It turned out fine.