I have a number of old pictures from my local musuem that I’ll be having made into 8×10’s.
I’d like to find some plans and/or learn from others’ experience in making picture frames. I’ve purchased a couple books on the subject, but I really just need to make very simple frames.
Does any have any experience or recommendations? (I’ve got a complete shop, but I don’t have a miter trimmer.)
Thanks!
Patrick
Replies
I've made several frames, both from raw stock and from purchased moulding.
Purchasing pre-made, pre-finished moulding is a quick route to completion. Most framing shops don't want to sell you the moulding by the stick though. You'll need to call around if that's the path you want to follow. If you're doing non-rectangular shapes, it's the only affordable route to go. You won't believe the quotes I got for a simple hexagonal frame.
For standard size frames (eg. 8x10), it may be quicker / easier to purchase pre-assembled frames. You can order just the frame from a frame shop and save on the mounting costs. They don't like to advertise that service, but they'll take your money just the same.
Making your own mouldings is no more difficult than a little bit of router magic. The books you've picked up will provide the specs. If not, pick up a stick or two of moulding and take some measurements.
Getting the corners precisely is key. Be patient, take your time, and be comfy with your planes. :-) I would build a shoot / miter jig to perfect the angles.
Generally speaking, I size the each piece about 3/16ths larger than the true dimension. That gives a little wiggle room for the inevitable.
Once the frame is assembled, it's pretty simple from there.
* Pick up some acid-free foamboard, acid-free double sided tape, and acid-free spray adhesive (I think I use 3M 77).
* Spray the adhesive on the board, place the photo on the board and make sure there aren't any bubbles. If you're truly worried about oils rubbing off on the photo, use a soft cloth to smooth things out.
* Trim the foamboard around the photo.
* Place your glass in the frame (I'm skipping cutting & cleaning, both very easy)
* Place photo in the frame, hold in place with glazier points.
* Cover the back with brown wrapping paper. Using the acid-free double sided tape. Tip -- Ask around at some of the frame shops if they'll sell you a roll of the tape. You can pick up a much larger roll for about the same price that you pay for a packaged product at the craft store.
Glen
If your table saw is dialed in, you can get to or very close to great miters. A shooting board and a plane make fine tuning the fit easy, which is what I do.
The best advice I can give you is that the more accurate you are in laying out and cutting, the more hassle-free making them is. While I do not always use "keys" acrss the corners, I most often do.
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The give a heck about accuracy is that your 45 degree angles can be cut or planed spot on, but if one or more of the pieces are not exactly the same length as the opposite side, the frame will not go together square or will have gaps.
I almost always knife the lines. I saw--usually by hand--the pieces and take from a few to several swipes on the shooting board right to the knifed lines. If I have marked them accurately, they close perfectly every time.
Take care, Mike
Taunton has a video by Stuart Altschuler on picture framing (for woodworkers). If it's half as good as the class he used to teach on the show circuit, it'd be worth having and give you all you need to know.
I used to make a lot of frames and built a sled to assist me. It's foolproof and the frames go together without any gap at all.
The sled is basically a crosscut sled but with the fence in a different configuration. Instead of one fence perpendicular to the blade, I have a fence on the right side of the blade and one of the left side. These two fences are exactly 90 degrees to one another. It may take awhile to get the exact setting, but once these two fences are set to exactly 90 degrees it's easy from there.
The two fences, as you look at the sled from where you would push it, are farther away from you where they meet the blade. At the far right and left ends they are closest to the edge of the sled where you push it.
It is not important that either of the fences be exactly 45 degrees to the blade. It should be close, but exact doesn't matter. Having them be 90 degrees to each other is critical.
To cut a frame, I cut the left side of a piece on the right side of the sled. Cut all four pieces on one end this way before cutting the other side. Then put a stop on the left side of the sled and cut the other side of two pieces. Then change the stop and cut the other two.
Each miter will be made up of two cuts, one from the right side of the sled and one from the left. In combination, these two cuts form an exact 90 degrees ... if you've made the sled correctly. The stops ensure that the opposite sides are equal in length. This gives you an exact rectangle with true 90 degree mitered corners. No need to fine tune anything with planes, etc.
Hope you find this helpful.
John
John,
Can you give me a few more details about your jig? This seems to make sense for what I want to do.
I'm assuming you've got a hardwood runner for the miter slot, sheet stock for the "table", and hardwood fences. Is that right?
Any tips on getting the fences perfect?
http://www.amazon.com/Incra-MITER5000-Miter-Table-Telescoping/dp/B0002ZO7A2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0803296-2362445?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1187118876&sr=1-1
A little pricey for a one shot picture framing project, but it has other uses in woodworking.
DW and I have done custom picture framing for close to 20 years now. I use a manufactured miter sled with raised alum. angle for right and left miters. With a clip on stop and an accurate tape measure scale on the angle, and a good blade on the saw joining frames is no sweat. I'll see if I can get a picture of the sled. It was created, made and marrketed by a local guy in Louisville KY. He, nor his son, ever got a patten on it, and after the old man died the son loast interest in the business.
Manufactured molding can be purchased in bundles. May be thre to six lenghts per bundle, and is priced by the total linear feet. look for a local picture framing wholesaler. They generally do counter sales to walkin customer and will have a wide variety of molding to choose from.
Dave
My jig does in fact use sheet stock for the base and I have plywood runners (one for each slot). If you make runners that are sloppy this won't work.
Start by making your fences roughly at 90 degrees with a builder's square. Then cut four pieces of stock using my method (use 1X3s, so the width of the frame is substantial and you really see any error). Put the piece together, perhaps using a nailer to fasten the first three corners tightly. Look at the last corner and see where it is off. Adjust slightly and try again. (It would probably help to make the first try with pieces that are 15 inches long, so you can keep trying with ever shorter pieces ... and just reuse what you've already got). Only adjust one fence (in my case it's the left one) ... and this means that the end you cut with the "fixed fence" will never need recutting.
It shouldn't take very long to get the fence accurate so you'll be making frames easily.
And here's another thought to make things slightly easier when you get the fence done. Figure out how long your pieces need to be (on the outside edge, which is the longest) and cut your pieces slightly oversize. This will make the cutting easier, as you're not working with unwieldly lengths. It'll also make for slightly better cuts, as the wood won't be under stress and be bowed or anything.
John
Corrib since you're dealing with a standards size, get a cheap store-bought frame of the appropriate size, take it apart, and base your measurements (inside rabbets) off it It will be easier and less expensive if you use standard size glass you can get at Hobby Lobby or equivalent.
Thanks for the help everybody!
As much as I'd like like to add a Lion Miter trimmer to my tool aresenal, the tips here are sending me the table saw route.
I have a shaper, but I'd rather just buy some premade moldings. Is there a standard type of molding that's good for frames?
I don't have any catalogs with me now, but there are places that sell the framing material by the linear foot, in thousands of profiles and colors. I think you can even order some through the local hobby store (like Hobby Lobby) if you have one around. The custom framers I've met don't make their own.
Make one of these, you'll use it all the time. I think I got it from WOOD.
Bladeburner,
Any chance you have any more identifying information regarding your tablesaw jig? As to where you got it? I would like to have plans for that one.
Thanks,
Alan - planesaw
Hi Alan,
I think this is what you're looking for: http://woodstore.net/untabjig.html
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
That's the one. Shouldn't take more than a day. I epoxied my t-slots because I didn't have the little machine screws on-hand, but put them in later. Didn't buy their laser etched sled board as I wouldn't trust it anyway, but use an adjustable right triangle.
It also doubles as taper jig.
Thanks Bob for the location and bladerunner for the info.
Alan - planesaw
I came to woodworking from a fine arts degree, so I have made many frames... for myself and other artists in the area.
I also prefer simple frames. Something like, 1 1/4" by 3/4" with a 1/2 x 1/2 rabbet.
I prefer to use the tablesaw for the rabbet.
Cutting the miters can be done on an accurate miter saw, with a GOOD blade, but the most important thing is that the piece is clamped firmly against the fence rail.
Another good way to cut miters is to make a 45 degree crosscut sled for the tablesaw.
I believe there is a fine WW article about this if you have the online membership it shouldn't be difficult to look up.
For lots of repetitive cuts, of course you will want to use stops so that you only have to measure once.
one very important thing- make sure all the stock is very straight and accurately dimensioned... any variations will show up in the finished miter joints.
as for the joints... I put a thin layer of titebond II or III glue on all the faces of the joints before glue-up. Let this dry, sand carefully with a dead flat sanding block, and then add more glue for final glue up in a web clamp. Check for square before the glue sets. Don't starve the joints- mitre joints are very demanding because they are nearly end grain surfaces. This is where the initial coat of glue will help.
Your frames are small, so splines will not be necessary. For bigger frames, I have a splining jig for the tablesaw that helps make the finished miter joints much stronger.
You can remove the frames from the clamps after 1 hour, but let them set overnight before installing any glass or artwork.
Foamcore makes a great backing material. A point gun will vastly simplify installation at this point. Seal the whole thing in with brown paper tape, but be sure that the glass is clean first.
good luck!
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