24" X 36" picture frame

[Duane N]

Thanks again everyone.  It's slow going getting this frame finished and the most difficult thing I had to figure out was how to stain/seal it.  I opted for a mahogany oil based stain from General Finishes then followed by several coats of shellac (spray can because I don't own a sprayer and brushing it on around the dental molding is going to be tedious).  Then it's off to the framing shop to have museum glass (non-reflective glass) and double matting installed. 

Crappy cell phone picture of the frame before applying the shellac...I'll do that after work today.

   


My main goal with this frame and print is I want to start going to art/wildlife shows in my area and this will be the center piece in my booth I set up.  I'm also planning on doing a similar frame with a different print of the same Snowy Owl but this one is 20" X 30".

   

I've never approached wildlife photography as a source of income (it's always been just a hobby I love doing) but my family and friends keep telling me I need to start looking at it differently.  As I get older and doing full time commercial heating and air conditioning I'm realizing I need to think about my future of being semi-retired.  Why not combine my love of photography with woodworking...both of which I'm still learning as I go. 

[Duane N]

Woodworking is frustrating to a perfectionist.  I have adopted the mantra, "The best I can do with the skills that I have."  And work on improving my skills.

This is some sound advice and I figured there are a lot of people in the same boat as me.

[JerrySats]

Awesome job on the frame and great photo . How did you do the dental work ?

[Cooler]

What printing process was used for the image?  If it is printed on emulsion based paper you have to maintain a space between the glass and the image or the image paper will laminate onto the glass.  

If it is inkjet printed on plain paper you are OK to allow the print surface to touch the glass.

[jteneyck]

I'll echo others' comments about how well you did with the frame and how stunning those photos are.  Getting a mitered frame to come out square with no gaps is not easy, at least not for me.  Using a miter saw is about the hardest way I have tried doing it unless you use a fence and stops.  A table saw with a sled is far easier for me.  And best of all is to cut the miters close and then bring them to their final length using a shooting board.  I discovered a whole new level of "fit" after I built one.  

Before shooting the miters, the angles were right but the cuts weren't 90°:



After shooting booth miters:



John

[Cooler]

Picture framers, who have higher demands on accuracy than wood workers because they work with pre-finished moldings exclusively use dedicated dual head chop saws, sliding table miter saws and guillotine cutters like the Morso units.

I still have my sliding table miter saw and a precision blade that makes perfect miters every time.

But more often you see the faster double bladed miter station:



A regular chop saw is not accurate enough for this work.  A sled for your table saw or a 90 degree angle fence added to your RAS will work.  Or precisely set up two chop saws, one for the left cut and the other for the right cut.

[Duane N]

Awesome job on the frame and great photo . How did you do the dental work ?

The dental work was done after I had cut the 45 degree cuts and dry fit the pieces to the frame then made a jig for my table saw to cut the slots.  I had to do some careful measuring so the spacing was accurate on the short and long pieces of the dental molding.  I had posted earlier about not screwing anything up and the dental molding was the thing I thought I would screw up....but I didn't thankfully. 

What printing process was used for the image?  If it is printed on emulsion based paper you have to maintain a space between the glass and the image or the image paper will laminate onto the glass.  

If it is inkjet printed on plain paper you are OK to allow the print surface to touch the glass.

I'll have to check with my website printer they use but I'm fairly certain it was an inkjet printer.  The print will be laminated or stuck to some self adhesive acid-free backer board then two layers of matting will be in front of the print.  I think  it will have enough breathing room for the print from the glass but I'll double check that when I take it to the framing shop.  I appreciate the heads up on things like this...I don't frame many of my images so I learned something new to look out for with this one and future prints I frame.

I'll echo others' comments about how well you did with the frame and how stunning those photos are.  Getting a mitered frame to come out square with no gaps is not easy, at least not for me.  Using a miter saw is about the hardest way I have tried doing it unless you use a fence and stops.  A table saw with a sled is far easier for me.  And best of all is to cut the miters close and then bring them to their final length using a shooting board.  I discovered a whole new level of "fit" after I built one.  

Before shooting the miters, the angles were right but the cuts weren't 90°:



After shooting booth miters:



John

I need to build a dedicated table sled for doing 45 degree cuts.  I've seen some Youtube videos on how to make them I just need to get off my butt and make one.  I did a lot of test cuts using my 10" compound miter saw and I just flipped the piece over for the opposite 45 degree cut.  Again, I had to do some filling on one miter but you an't see it unless you're looking for it...I know it's there though.

Picture framers, who have higher demands on accuracy than wood workers because they work with pre-finished moldings exclusively use dedicated dual head chop saws, sliding table miter saws and guillotine cutters like the Morso units.

I still have my sliding table miter saw and a precision blade that makes perfect miters every time.

But more often you see the faster double bladed miter station:



A regular chop saw is not accurate enough for this work.  A sled for your table saw or a 90 degree angle fence added to your RAS will work.  Or precisely set up two chop saws, one for the left cut and the other for the right cut.

It sounds like I need to make a sled for my table saw.  I'm not at that point yet for dedicating two saws just to make some cuts.  Maybe as I continue to grow as a wood worker that will come in the future.

[Cooler]

Look at the tooth count on those blades too.  I never counted but I bet my 12" blade is 160 teeth or more.  (And I am not going to spend a evening counting the teeth either).

As a rule regular photographs (printed by exposing paper to light and developing, does not require archival treatment.  The dyes will fade to oblivion in 20 or 25 years in a frame (not so bad in a photo album).

The regular photographic prints (not inkjet) has a plastic film over the top surface.  That will laminate to glass (unevenly) to an really ugly appearance.  The photo cannot be salvages.  I tried soaking one in water for 3 days and made no progress.  

The self-adhesive board require some practice, so try it on some plain paper before going to the image.

[K. L. McReynolds]

I make a fair amount of picture frames and had joint gap issues as well. I always make my own stock

What I found is using a V27 Incra gauge on my Rigid TS2424 table saw after the blade is set at 90° with a Wixi digital gauge and paying strict attention to making the cuts with the same side of the stock in the same position(means switching angle settings instead of flipping the stock) gets me pretty close.

Here is an example of a Maple/bloodwood inlay frame that was dropped, broken apart, reglued with just a bit of sanding to remove the old glue:

I have also found using a center strap top to bottom on the back helps prevent sagging on those large frames, your frame might be strong enough without.

Very nice job.

[Duane N]

The self-adhesive board require some practice, so try it on some plain paper before going to the image.

The framing shop applies the print to the self-adhesive acid free board themselves at minimal price ($11) and that's where my print is sitting at now until the special order mat boards come in next week.

I make a fair amount of picture frames and had joint gap issues as well. I always make my own stock

What I found is using a V27 Incra gauge on my Rigid TS2424 table saw after the blade is set at 90° with a Wixi digital gauge and paying strict attention to making the cuts with the same side of the stock in the same position(means switching angle settings instead of flipping the stock) gets me pretty close.

Here is an example of a Maple/bloodwood inlay frame that was dropped, broken apart, reglued with just a bit of sanding to remove the old glue:

I have also found using a center strap top to bottom on the back helps prevent sagging on those large frames, your frame might be strong enough without.

Very nice job.

I plan on doing a thin, metal strap on the back after the framing is completed "just in case" (thank you for the advice on that).  This frame is going to have some weight to it once everything is done and once it's on the wall I really don't want to take it off again unless I find a better print to hang there. 

I'm in the process of making a miter sled for my table saw after watching a few videos and deciding on which one will work for me.  I'll test it out on some smaller Walnut frames I'm making now for gifts and birthday presents for my family.   I want to make a bunch of furniture but I lack the experience at it so these frames and advice I'm receiving here is definitely helping me for future projects I want to do.