I am getting ready to frame quite a few pictures, prints, etc… for a sports room/den in my house. All different sizes of things. I am looking for suggestions as far as equipment, process, material for the matting and backing part of the frames. I have an idea of what I want to do with the frames themselves, which I intend on using QSWO and/or cherry. As for style I will be doing them pretty simple, along the lines of A&C style to traditional because that is what I like.
I am trying to determine if it’s worth buying a matte cutter and any other equipment or just pay to have them cut at a frame shop. Is it easy to cut the mattes?? Learning curve??
I have A LOT of stuffed packed away I’ve been hoarding since I was a kid and have been wanting to do this for years and I want to do it right. The items I have range from autograghed newspaper front page(Penn State), autograghed rosters(Ravens), and a lot of Orioles autograghs on programs, tickets, yearbooks,….and in case anyone is wondering, since I’m gloating here, I do have Ripken’s autogragh from his rookie year(dated). Got his and Eddie Murray’s on the same day when I was 12!!!!
Replies
I have made a bunch of frames, and I can tell you that for me, anyway, it is not worth messing with the mats or glass. A professional shop can do a much better job and has a much wider selection of materials available.
BB,
I make all my own frames. I do all my own mat cutting. I also cut all my own acrylic (not glass) "glazing" for my framed pieces. I cut the acrylic on my table saw - piece of cake.
I also cut my mat material to size on my table saw. I use large pieces, but at any size, I find the table saw the most accurate, easiest way to cut mat board perfectly square. (As in wood working, preparing stock perfectly square is absolutely necessary in framing and matting. I use a 40 or 60 tooth carbide blade. Works like a charm.
I have a simple, hand held mat cutter and guide. But I have had the benefit of having worked in a frame shop, using "professional" equipment, including a computer-driven cutting machine. It helps greatly to have had that experience, and I recommend getting that or taking a few classes in mat cutting technique.
Matting and framing are VERY expensive. Anyone can learn, very quickly, to do it as well as the "pros" for just the cost of materials and our time. And, after all, isn't that what most of us "pay" to do our woodworking?
Rich
Edited 6/7/2006 2:11 pm ET by Rich14
>I make all my own frames. I do all my own mat cutting. I also cut all my own acrylic (not glass) "glazing" for my framed pieces. I cut the acrylic on my table saw - piece of cake.
***
I recently got started with the Logan cutter and want to make my own moldings/frames from scratch. I've done a few small ones thus far using glass. I was going to use acrylic (and avoid the mess of cutting my own glass) and they talked me out of it at the store and sold me a box of glass and a glass cutter. Doesn't seem difficult to use as I first thought.
Is there a reason why you use acrylic instead of glass? I thought acrylic would be safer (for my son's room, for example) but I was told most use glass. For one thing, glass doesn't scratch nearly as easily.
Andy
Andy,
I'm also a photographer. Several years ago I decided to frame several of my pieces as Christmas presents for my family. Much to my delight, my children, who live all over the U.S. got wind of the project, and started to request a lot of my prints. I suddenly had over a hundred frames to make and ship!
It was then I realized that glass would never survive the process and started making acrylic-glazed frames. Plastic is much lighter than glass, just as clear, won't break, cheaper, and if not abused, won't get scratched (gentle brushing of a framed piece is all that's ever needed to remove dust). I always include "care instructions" with my frames.
I can cut glass very well, but acrylic is so much easier to deal with, and clean up after. I use the rip fence as a cutting guide. Acrylic is not wood. It doesn't bind, warp, pinch. Nothing to it. In a few seconds I've got a perfectly square piece cut exactly to size. My technique would never do when cutting wood. I stand to the right of the saw and hold the piece with my right hand, between the blade and the fence, down firmly to the table all the way through the cut. The blade is just barely above the table.
Glass is a little scary. It has to know that you know what you're doing. And until it does, the cut just doesn't happen. You've got to devote some time to learning the technique. Of course, once learned it's never forgotten. Score the piece once. Tap it just right and it just gives up and breaks clean as you please. Sometimes you have to grab waste-side remaining chunks and snap/pull them away from the good piece. Some days you waste a lot of stock!
I still make some frames with glass, and would never argue that acrylic frames have the same "cache" as glass ones, but I would never try to send glass through the mail.
Rich
Thanks Rich. I'm a photographer too. Since switching to digital a few years ago, most of my pics remain unprinted. :( I want to change that and I've made a few frames for family recently (which I plan to hand-deliver). :)
My impetus to frame for myself was the price my wife paid for having a 'friend' professionally frame our wedding photo. Given the cost of matt board and of the ash used for my first two frames, I should have my equipment paid for in no time. :)
Do you cut the acrylic as is or on top of scrap wood on the TS? I would think you would use a zero-clearance plate at a minimum?
Andy
Zero clearance plate. That's all.
Hi Rich,
What kind of paper is best when printing digintal photographs suitable for framing?
Thanks,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Jazz,
We're really getting way OT here. And that's like asking a woodworker, what's the best kind of wood to use. The only real answer is, "Best for what purpose?"
I have an Epson 7800 wide format printer that uses K3 pigment inks. I use mostly "Epson Enhanced Matte" paper, occasionally "Epson Premium Luster Photo" paper. I've used many premium water color papers in the past and consider the Enhanced Matte product the finest printing surface I've ever used or seen.
The combination of the K3 technology and Enhanced Matte substrate is rated at greater than 200 years print longevity. Other than silver-based B&W photography, no other photographic product or method has ever come even close to that. The 7800/9800 series printers result in the highest quality photographic image I've ever been able to produce in over 50 years in photography on any kind of materials including Cibachrome and dye transfer.
My needs are for archival permanence and ultimate print quality. Smaller Epson printers using K3 inks are in the same league as the 7800/9800. But there are many other needs and other printers that fill a whole gamut of requirements.
For instance, I print draft proofs on a low-end $70 Epson to "photocopy" quality paper all the time. There are "letter" size (8.5" x 11") printers that sell under $100 which print on various coated "photo" quality papers that produce prints better than old style chemical-based materials ever did.
My bias is obviously toward Epson for a number of reasons. Canon makes some excellent printers. I would avoid HP completely. Any of the photo quality papers are up to the task, technically. Then image quality from the camera, color management and personal experience are important.
Rich
I am also a photographer and I do a bit of framing. I have a logan mat cutter and would recommend to anyone who thinks they will do more than one or two pictures to buy a mat cutter and do it themselves - its not hard and you will save a fortune in the long run. Also, I would never cut mat material on the table saw. Why waste the kerf width of mat board? Your mat cutter - if it has a channel groove for the cutting knife - will be as accurate as necessary and will be a heck of a lot safer (not to mention quieter, using less energy, etc.) Not to mention the fact that if you use a razor you can actually get 4 16x20 mats from a sheet of mat board if you dont waste the kerf width. I would also recommend getting a glass cutter for your mat cutting rail (if your mat cutting system supports it) It makes cutting glass easy!
As far as cutting acrylic - I can't speak to that - since I use UV glass for all my work. The one place you have a ton of advantage over a normal framer is that you've got serious woodworking equipment and can make some real nice cheap homemade frames. take the plunge - doing your own framing is fun and rewarding.
What a great thread. Why are they all not like this.
I never used acrylic but would like to ask whether the stuff meets the standards of glass in terms of viewability and archival qualities. That is:
I use glass that is micro-stippled, to prevent reflections from room and window light. Can an equivalent acrylic be got? It would be more convenient and easier to manage, for cut-attractive clumsies like moi.
Acrylic is a plastic, most of which give off chemicals as they degrade over time. Is there a more stable (archival) one used for photo framing?
Talking of archival; I tend to oil (Liberon Finising Oil) and wax (Liberon Black Bison) my home made frames. Is this likely to react with the inks longer term, does anyone know? (I use Canon pigment inks at the moment).
***
There is an historical Knots thread that discusses frame making and the various means to joint the corners of wooden frames. I'll search and post the thread number in due course, for those who enjoy history.
Lataxe
Lataxe,Acrylic is as clear as glass. (Drums for drum scanners are acrylic.) Your question about how it may affect the archival qualities of a print is a good one. I have no idea. It may very well give off harmful vapors. Or the vapors may be benign. I think this would be a good item to research.I never use anti-relection glass. I really dislike it. My acrylic is crystal clear. I guess acrylic could be micro abraded to achieve the same effect. I don't think I've ever seen anti-reflective acylic.Having worked in a frame shop, long after I learned joinery and the characteristics of a sound glue joint, I was appalled at how frames are typically glued at their miter joints, using V-nails across the joint and/or brads driven into the members from outside the corners.My frames are maple, made with splines in the miter joints. This type of joint is not suitable for all molding cross sections. My cross sections are robustly rectangular and the frames are very plain in design. I don't like ornate frames at all, which is just as well, as I couldn't use the spline construction with such.I have never had a frame show a gap in a miter joint, even though I moved from Hawaii last year to Arizona. I brought several dozen frames with me and those things had to tolerate a huge ambient humidity change. I'll have to post some pictures of them.I used to finish with CAB laquer which goes down water white and keeps maple from turning yellow. Lately I've been using water based poly which I have found can be finished as well as the best lacquer or shellac and is absolutely non-yellowing. I don't know how either of these may affect archival qualities of the prints, but I try not to get any finish on the inside of the frame members.Rich
As a photographer, I agree the frame should be simple.The focus should be on the print not the holder. A well made frame should hold the print darn near forever without doing any damage to it or drawing any attention to itself
Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
Rich,
Thanks for the detailed info, especially concerning the finish.
I only used water-based acrylic once on furniture (for the UV protection of an ash plan chest) and it did go on and buff up very well. Perhaps I'll move to this for photo frames, as it would seem to make sense that a water-based substance is less volatile than an oil based one.
There is a thread number 7112 which also discusses framing. I'm afraid it mentions and even recommends V-nails! (I am the guilty rascal). I can understand your suspicions of them (have you seen any fail, incidentally? - it would be interesting to know their strength or lack of it long term).
If you do join a frame with a small cross section, do you still use splines? I imagine they would have to show their edges (like a bridle joint); or have you a method of hiding them? I must admit I would prefer to use something less crude than V-nails, if its possible.
Lataxe
Glue and V-nails have their place in framing when using delicate frames that are too small for a spline or biscuit. Pre-made professional mouldings (which are often of such complexity that it would be impossible to make at home) are such that V-nails are about the only way to go...
"If you do join a frame with a small cross section, do you still use splines? I imagine they would have to show their edges (like a bridle joint); or have you a method of hiding them?"I haven't made too many frames but I like to use my Lamello.
I put the mitered section in a jig to give a larger face to register the machine against (something like this ___/ /___ ). With careful positioning you end up with a partial slot that does not come out the corner of the frame. A biscuit that is cut in half or less gets stuffed into the corners. Works fine on an inch or wider stock.
Next time I'll give my WoodRat a try.
I suppose the new Domino's will get used a lot too, if they have small enough cutters.
QCI,
I keep seeing mentions of the Festool Domino here and there. With luck there will be enough "mentions" to collect up as evidence to prove to the ladywife that it is an essential and versatile tool. :-)
Your partial biccy approach sounds useful; I have employed mini biscuits from Lee Valley, using a small 3mm slot cutter to make the grooves. However, these biscuits are made of a hardboard-like material and I'm never sure how well they will grip. Still, no delapidated frames yet.
The double V nail approach seems reasonably strong too. As Frank says, they sometimes look like the only option, for those thin and/or highly corrugated frames. Some folk (in another thread) even reckon that they grip better when they rust in! (Not too sure about that one, mind).
How would you make your small slots on the Woodrat, by the way?
Lataxe
"How would you make your small slots on the WoodRat, by the way?"They would just be small loose tenons cut with whatever bit was appropriate and that I could lay my hands on. 1/8, 3/32, 3/16,2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, etc. The moulding positioned in a jig to present the correct angle to the bit. The loose tenons I'll make with the table saw, and after rounding the edges with a small plane and/or sandpaper, cut to length as needed.
Ryobi makes a Detail Biscuit Joiner that is ideal for picture frames. I use it when I don't want the splines to show. Art
Porter Cable's FF biscuits might be small enough for most frames as well. When you get into the real delicate ones though (especially for premade frames) you just have to resign yourself that a loose tenon isnt going to do work.
I am not sure that Ryobi still makes the mini biscuit cutter any more.
The same machine is at Sears with their name on it. The good thing is that they have a supply of the mini biscuts
Mr . Lataxe, FYI, I worked for Hattori SEIKO for many years and they are the owners of EPSON. I use a stylus cx 7800 and it does more things than I can deal with. I am hoping to get smarter in the geek business, I look to my kids for help and they laugh frequently. Regds, Pat
BigFrank,I have never been able to accurately cut mat board to size using a hand razor cutter and a straight edge of any kind. The board always creeps under the straight edge or hold down and the cut is invariably off by a sixteenth to an eigth over the full size of the mat. That's enough to make accurate cutting of the window impossible.Frame shops don't cut mat board to size with the kind of hand cutters that cut the beveled windows. Guillotine cutters are used that hold the boards very securely.Anyway, cutting on the table saw is so easy and so accurate. You're right about the loss of the saw kerf. But it's only 1/16" which is inconsequential. The important thing is to cut mats absolutely square, and at sizes from 16 x 20 and up, that's hard to do without equipment that is comfortably oversize compared to the cut piece.Rich
Rich, I wasnt suggesting a hand razor cutter. I can see why you might have problems with just a hand cutter and a straight edge. Noone produces really good results that way. You need a mat cutter that is essentially a rail with a razor "shoe" that sits right in the rail. The rail flips up to sandwich the mat board between the rail and the under board and then flips back down. Preferrable you would also have a squared t-square arm that is perpendicular to the base of the mat cutter.
This works great! - no creep and you get 90 degree cuts every time.
I'm sure a table saw would work great, its just overkill and you lose material.Acrylic can be archival. You just have to buy a UV coated acrylic. Muy expensivo. The other problem with acrylic is it attracts dult like crazy making it hard to get the framing package free of dust before you seal it into the frame.Frank
BigFrank,Yes I was talking about using a mat cutter, a Logan, in fact. Good for cutting windows. Not good for exactly square mats from a 32 x 40 sheet. Table saw real good. Secret weapon picture framers don't know about. Wood workers do. Rip fence rock steady. Set to proper dimension in a flash. Real accurate. Job done in seconds. Less time than it takes to explain. Cut many at a time in a stack if you want.Lost kerf no problem. Mat fits into frame without binding.I get acrylic from Home Depot. I have no problem with it attracting dust before assembling the frame. (nor on my scanner drum). I have no idea of its quality, but I have some pieces that are 5 years in the frames and I can see no problems. Never heard of UV acrylic. Where do you get it?Rich
Well, I don't know what your problem is Rich, Cutting a mat to size is a trivial process on my cutter. I've NEVER had one not turn out. Cutting the mat window is slightly more difficult than cutting it to size (more due to the over/under cut of the bevels). If you want to dull your table saw blade by cutting through cotton mats - then thats your business. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The right tool for the right job I always say.UV Acrylic can be bought in lots of places. Lumiere Photo specializes in archival framing materials. I personally buy all my framing supplies from a wholesaler.
http://www.lumierephoto.com/product_info.php?products_id=50
Edited 6/9/2006 10:09 am ET by BigFrank
Ever use a C&H Matt cutter?
I haven't looked at the Logans in years, and I think they are both owned by the same outfit now, but C&H use to way better than anything Logan offered. Know anything about them?
I use thumb nailer for most all manufactured frame. I can't find a link to it now,so if I get a chance I'll take a picture of mine and post it. It is a neat piece of equipment for home shop picture farming without the cost of and underpin nailer.
dave
Has anyone ever used a large plastic ruler as used in Quilting?
They have guidelines all over it to make it easy to cut square corners lines, etc. Also, they use a very sharp Roller Cutter to cut layers of fabric using the ruler as a cutting guide.It looks like it just might work for this application...Anyone ever try it?
Thanks for the thoughtful and informative reply!-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Man you opened up a major can of worms there. Not only what paper but pigment ink or dye ink thrown into the equation.
I also do digcam photography as a hobbie and you can sink as much if not more into that as you can woodworking.
Go here and start reading: http://www.photo.net they're just as contenious as woodworkers are. <g>
Only two things money can't buy, True Love and Home Grown Tomatoes...Misty River Band
Thanks for the link!
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
ya its a way cool site with tons of info.Only two things money can't buy, True Love and Home Grown Tomatoes...Misty River Band
Rich14
I alsommake most of my frames, cut the matt but I have a block against cutting glass. I've given up on that. I do buy some frames from Graphic Dimensions (pictureframes.com).
ASK
I must agree with Rich - in as much as matting and mounting is very expensive. If I had as many to do as you seem to, I'd look at it as an opportunity to learn a new skill - matting.
I made the frame in the attachment for my wife for Christmas. The drawing is of her father when he was a POW in the So Pacific, so it is precious to her. Archive quality matting and UV filtering glass. Simple job, right? It cost me $70 for the mat and mounting. Ouch.
Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Through-tenon frame.....very cool.
I agree on the DIY matting. I bought a Logan Intermediate mat cutter two years ago and have not regretted it once. Easy to learn and master. Fun to experiment with different colors and cutting styles. I get the glass at Lowe's, since they cut it for free. Figure out what sizes you need and buy a big piece, then have them cut it to size for you. Easy as cake.
Makes the wife very happy to have custom frames for pictures of the kiddoo.
Good luck.
I also agree that buying a mat cutter will quickly pay for itself. I, too, have a Logan intermediate (401, if I recall) and it's quickly paid for itself. It is dead easy to cut mats and will come naturally to a woodworker. More complex ones just require a little insight on technique.I attended a "picture framing for woodworkers" class at one of the woodworking shows a decade or more ago. Stuart Altschuler was the presenter and he now has videos at Taunton that would be well worthwhile.I buy all my supplies from United Manufacturer's Supply, http://www.unitedmfrs.com/ Even if you don't see it in their catalog, they may be able to order and drop ship to you (which is what they did for the mat cutter I wanted.) Their web site indicates they are B2B only, but I recently contacted them with respect to that for a picture framing article I'm writing for a magazine and they said as long as you meet their minimum order amount, they'd be happy to sell to non-businesses.The nice thing about picture framing is that you can do only the parts you want and piece out the rest of it. For example, if you want to do everything but cut glass, you can always get your hardware store or glass shop to cut them to size for you. UV filtering glass is finicky with respect to cutting, handling, and cleaning. There are differing opinions on it.If you are doing mitered corners, look for a miter vise that will aid square assembly.The other thing that will quickly pay for itself in time is a point driver (mine is the Fletcher Pointmaster). Another nice to have, but not entirely necessary is an ATG dispenser. You should at least buy the ATG tape and apply it manually if your budget it tight.
Edited 6/8/2006 1:36 pm ET by byhammerandhand
Sorry to be so ignorant... but...What is ATG tape & how is it used?Thank you,
LJ
ATG = Adhesvive Transfer Gun. It's like a no-sided tape, it's adhesive only that rolls off a mylar backing as it's dispensed.
Example:
http://www.cheapjoes.com/art-supply/752_4664_tape-dispenser.aspYou can really just buy the tape and lay it down by hand and peel off the backing, but it goes a lot faster with a gun.I use it in two places:
- to bond together multiple layers of mat for double- or triple-matting
- to glue on the dust cover to the back of the frame.Pull the trigger, roll out the adhesive, when you get to the end, release the trigger that locks the rotation of the adhesive roll and pull up the gun so the adhesive breaks.
Edited 7/9/2006 7:10 pm ET by byhammerandhand
Thank you very much!!
That was a cool site for other things too!!
Have other things On Sale...It sounds like that ATG tape is just like Postage Stamps in a tape...
... seems like I've used stuff like that before...
... don't see the need for special 'gun' to dispense it.Thanks again,
LJ
Re: UV blocking: If you have a piece of art that you really care about, then you want to use a glazing material that blocks out most of the UV. I've seen the damage caused when regular glass was used. It's a sad sight. I almost always use conservation clear glass for my framing jobs now. I find the non-glare obscures the artwork a bit too much for my liking.
Re: C+H mat cutter: I have the C+H M48 Pro Plus mat cutter and I love it. It's a fantastic piece of equipment.
http://www.framingsupplies.com/C&H/C&HAdvantagePro.htm
No, I didn't pay that much for it. :) I was in the right place at the right time and bought it for 1/4 retail from a framing store that switched to an off-site source for mat cutting rather than doing it in the store. Check around and you might find a similar deal. Fletcher makes great mat cutters too.
Re: ATG tape: I've used the gun and done the manual thing. The gun is faster, but the manual method is just fine too and is what I use at home. You'll spend much more time doing your planning/layout/cutting then assembling the final "sandwich" anyhow. Especially if you get into complicated jobs with a mixture of regular and reverse bevels, v-grooves, title windows, etc.
Here's one example of a complicated project. I love the 427 Cobra so I wanted to give it a special framing job, blue with white stripes. There is a white mat underneath the blue suede one and when you look at the pic, you'll see a very thin blue stripe between the large white ones and another blue stripe on the inside. The thin blue stripe is 1/8" wide at the top with a regular bevel and a reverse bevel on the sides and is perfectly centered and taped to the white mat. The inner blue stripe uses reverse bevels to show the white core where it should and to hide it where it shouldn't be seen. It's also carefully taped in position, once again, perfectly centered. It took a while to make this and I'm using conservation glass for this because I don't want the blue dye in the mat to fade.
Ya gotta have fun!
Cheers,
Allan
Very nice, the Cobra stands out as it should, the frame and matting add to the effectiveness of the picture without distracting . Well done.
Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
Thanks. It was a very challenging project to get the cuts perfect while not marking the very delicate suede mat board. Look at it the wrong way and it'll scuff. To avoid that you need a full-size slip sheet under the suede.
Another non-traditional job was this one: giving John Cleese the touch of class he deserves. :) It features a stopped V-groove that terminates 1/2" from a little window that shows the title of the poster. Getting the V-groove to line up perfectly with the middle of the title window took a little trial & error with some practice pieces, but the final effect was worth the effort.
To me, it isn't necessarily about the "value" of the artwork I'm framing, it's about even taking a cheap poster that cost a few bucks and having fun with it. I hope these couple examples might inspire you guys to be creative and have fun.
Cheers,
Allan
I have a frame coming up, a wedding picture. I hope to do what you have accomplished, a beautiful frame that shows off the intended focus of attention. Thanks for sharing.
Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
I seem to recall Norm Abram doing a program on just this topic several years ago. You may be able to buy a copy of the program on his New Yankee Workshop website.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Hello,
I make my own frames and do the matting. You can buy a Logan Mat cutter at an AC MOORE store for cheap money especially if you have a coupon ( 40% off ) from the paper. Matboard I buy at an art supply store. It costs about $15. ( 30"x40") for conservation mat. I get the glass from an auto glass store. They usually stock glass for frames and will cut it for you. I pay about $5 for an 10"x14". Backer cardboard double thick is about $5. for a 30"x40". Cheap money to spend to do it yourself compared to a frame shop.
Paul
As was said before, matting and framing are very expensive. I've got an Alto mat cutter, and it paid for itself with six pictures. I would reccomend that you get the pics or posters dry mounted professionaly. Keeps the wrinkles out.
I do all my own framing and a substantial buisness from family and friends, some archival some not. The argument for doing it yourself is convincing: cheaper, more rewarding and more satified customers!
The wood working is cake...I like the frame to be simple and utilitarian: don't want to take atttention away from what is framed just want to emphasize it. I use a simple maple, walnut or cherry frame depending on the piece and the mat color. I assemble with miters glued with TBII and then run the corner on edge through the tablesaw. I fill this kerf with a key of contasting wood color and it is foolproof. I keep my mitered pairs the exact same size and make cauls for all four sides in the glue up. keep two of the cauls the same size as your members and when you square up the frame it seems to pull every miter perfectly in line (see attached). I finish with a non-toxic water based lacquer.
I use glass almost exclusively b/c most of my customers are within driving distance. I get mine at the local hardware store and so long as i tell them it is for a picture frame they make sure there are no scratches anywhere on the piece...it is very economical.
Drymount with approriate archival materials. It it worth the extra time and effort to do this right because if the image is not mounted properly, then the perfect frame and beautiful image will be overshadowed by the cruddy mounting. Do it right and you'll admire it for decades.
A logan style mat cutter is all you need (presuming most woodworkers have a good straight edge) to cut the window in the mat. I use the vise grip style clamps to secure my straight edge so there is no creep. Cut the overall size on the table saw and it will be perfectly square every time. keep a ton of sharp blades around, they seem to dull very quickly and will yeild poor results as soon as they dull.
I have a framing point driver(forgert the brand) that drives the points like a champion, even in hickory or white oak, to secure the backing.
I put picture wire on the back with some screws and some bumpers that are roughly the same thickness as the screw head on the bottom. You could alternatively hang with a french cleat that is rabbited into the framing for a flush look.
Here are examples of my frame construction. I cut the miters on a crosscut sled set up with permanent 45 degree fences. Stop blocks are necessary to accurately achieve equal dimensions of opposite sides.I glue the joints in the jig shown in 3 & 4. There's a jig for each standard frame size through 24" x 36." The jig doesn't look square in the images due to camera tilt. The lower right corner is square and is the reference for the whole jig. I tighten the jig, checking the other corners with a machinist's square as the pressure comes up.The mitered joints hold remarkably well for the next step - cutting the spline mortises.The mortises are cut with a flat top ground standard kerf (1/8") Freud rip blade. The glued frame is held in a shop-made "tennoning jig" that is a modification of a Tage Frid design. It fits over the rip fence, has a large upright plywood member against which the frame rests in a "corner bracket" to pass over the blade.I don't have pictures of the jig as my shop is not set up.I mill the spline material to a tight fit, and cut oversize triangles of spline stock. I just push them into the glue-filled mortises. I trim the excess on a band saw, then hand plane or rasp. Then finish sand the whole assembly.The miter joints have survived the most extreme humidity changes without a wimper. Miter joints secured by glue and V nails inevitibly open at the inner or outer corners with large humidity change as the frame sides change slightly in width.Rich
Edited 6/10/2006 7:59 pm ET by Rich14
All the images did not attach. Hope this is better.
QCI & Art, thanks for the info and tips.
Rick, I love the look of those multiple splines. I'm going to do some of those in the next month.
Lataxe
Good luck, let me know how they work out. They are very discernable from the frame in the images. Depending on the light, on one side of a corner, they will completely disappear into the surrounding wood.One of these days I'll use some contrasting wood in there. Padauk, walnut or ebony would be nice.
Edited 6/11/2006 4:12 pm ET by Rich14
proof that our method is the ONLY way (wink) to do it!!!! lol...Incidentally, i use one spline only bigger than yours. It almost comes out the inside...i leave about a quarter inch of material. I usually center it in the thickness of the stock. it's a lot less work than putting multiple splnes and i think it is just as strong. But i can see for really narrow frames, like the one in your attachments, it may be prudent.
Spalted,Because of the frame's internal rabetting, leaving little room for the spline in the corner, I wanted to maximize the gluing surface, hence multiple splines. Besides, after I had worked out the techhnique, I really loked the way they look, vs a single.You mention your spline is bigger (I assume meaning thicker). It's funny how we sometimes get focused on one element of a design. If I had gone with only one, I probably would not have thought of changing the spline thickness.I've seen designs with only one spline, and they always are located near the front of the frame, only. I've also seen designs in which the size (not thickness) of the splines vary from front to back. Also splines set obliquely into the frame. Both make for interesting graphic designs.Rich
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