My first picture frame

**Dengue** · 30th September 2012, 04:03 PM

I have a panoramic series of photos that I merged with Microsoft ICE ( free), and got the final picture printed to an A2 sheet. With a 40mm wide pic frame, the outer dimensions ended up measuring approx 1000 x 500.

I learnt a lot from the threads on picture frames and mitre joints here and here, and tried to apply the lessons learnt.

I also learnt lots from the thread here on how to finish a silky oak mirror frame I made for my granddaughter.

I wanted a natural looking frame that comes up nicely with the landscape pic, so I bought a board of kwila and ripped two 45 x 25 pieces 1600 long, with a view to keeping the grain running continuously around the frame, not unlike bookmarking with resawn box timbers. I then used a thicknesser to get the final cross section dimensions of 40 x 25. Fortubnately the timber did not bow or bend after machining.

Used a dado blade to cut a 8 wide x 15mm deep rebate for the glass, mat board and Foamcore backing.

I bought a two rib profile bit for my router table a cut the profile on the 1600 long pieces, then applied two coats with steel wool of Wattyl Scandinavian Teak Oil as per the mirror frame. My thinking was that if framers get their framing timber in long lengths and just cut and join it, I could do the same. Also it is easier to coat two long straight lengths with oil.

Then on to the table saw with the jig for doing exact mitres. The trick is to get the lengths exactly the same length. Of course the first 3 pieces went perfectly, but the last piece, a 1000m long piece, ended up 2 mm short, so I had to re-cut its mate to get exactly the same length. Fortunately I have allowed 4 mm gap around the glass and picture, so no problems with the reduced length. The cause of the problem was the longer pieces protruded well beyond the jig, so I did not have a stop block to get them the same length.

This is a fairly large picture, and there is a bit of weight involved, so I think the joints will need reinforcing. Next step is to make a jig to cut mortices in the long faces of each mitre join and make some floating tenons to fit. Sorry I don't own a Domino. Have to revert to imperial measurements as I could not find a metric spiral router bit.

Not sure about the final glue up - will probably use epoxy rather than Titebond or white Bondcrete glue as kwila is a fairly oily timber with a high tannin content. Will post pics of the mortice jig and the frame about to be glued up next time

PicFrame_01.jpg PicFrame_02.jpg
Pics 1 & 2 above showing the original board
and the profile and rebate on the frame sides.
Sides coated with two coats of oil

PicFrame_03.jpg PicFrame_04.jpg
Pic 3 & 4 above show the mitre jig for the table saw

PicFrame_05.jpg PicFrame_06.jpg
Pis 5 & 6 above - sides cut to length -
special care needed in the order of cutting
on timber existing profiles and rebate while trying to match grain

PicFrame_09.jpg PicFrame_07.jpg
Pic 7 & 8 above - dry fitout - diagonals square
to within 2 mm in 100mm diagonals

PicFrame_08.jpg
Pic 9 above Notice almost continuous grain on this corner.
Had to cut some pieces different due to cracking / splitting
and machine damage, so the corners were not an exact match

**LGS** · 30th September 2012, 05:32 PM

**artme** · 1st October 2012, 08:59 AM

**Dengue** · 1st October 2012, 09:14 AM

Well done Jill, looking forward to see how you do a strong re-inforced mitre joint

**AlexS** · 1st October 2012, 09:25 AM

Nice work!

**3 toed sloth** · 1st October 2012, 09:26 AM

Hi Jill, the frame looks great, can't wait to see it with the picture inside. It's a pleasure to watch this project develop.

Regards,
Peter

**Dengue** · 1st October 2012, 10:36 PM

Many thanks for your kind and encouraging comments.

Peter, please be patient - all this is new to me, and each step is agonisingly slow, making sure I build it in the right order and get it dead right

The mortise jig for a 45 mitre corner of the frame is going to be interesting - need to get it right so that both corners align. Have made floating tenons 25mm wide x 1/4" thick out of pine from Bunnies.

Because the rebate and the mouldings are done, only the back of each frame side can be clamped to the jig vertical member. There will have to be two ends of the jig, slots each end, each working in opposite directions, one for each mating 45 degree corner piece. You will see what I mean when the photos are done - sorry, thinking out loud

**Dengue** · 3rd October 2012, 03:17 PM

Well, I have designed and built the mitre jig, and included it in the Router Jigs section here

The end result is shown below.

Did a dry fit with the floating tenons inserted, and all went perfectly well, except for one corner where one side of the joint face is slightly higher that the other, by about a thickness of a hair or two - probably didn't clamp it tight enough in the jig. Not a big problem.

Have decided to clean each mitre face with thinners and use Titebond 2 to glue up. Should go OK, even if kwila is fairly oily

MitreJig_05.jpg
Top plate with guides for the router

MitreJig_06.jpg MitreJig_07.jpg
Support plate with guides for the frame
screwed at 45 degrees to top plate

MitreJig_10.jpg
Final result with floating tenons fitted 10mm deep

**Dengue** · 12th October 2012, 03:49 PM

Finally finished after gluing the mitred corners with the floating tenon, then applied a couple of coats of Wattyl Scandinavian Teak Oil , cut it back with UBeaut EEE Ultrashine before doing a couple of coats of UBeaut Traditional Wax. The finishing of the frame was an interesting exercise too, you can see all that detail here .

For those interested, this is a panorama of three photos I took at the top of the mesa where the Australian Age of Dinosaurs is located just south of Winton in Outback Qld. I did the photography, and the merging of the three photos into a single panorama. I had it printed locally on to an A2 size print sheet, and a local framer cut the UV glass, the mat board, and the Foamcore backing. The frame is made out of kwila.

Today, after buffing the frame, I fit the glass and photo to the frame, fixing in position with 6 x 6 mm pine beading I made and bradded to the rear sides of the frame, and then hung the frame - been busy morning

Very happy with the lot, esp how the pic, the mat board and the frame turned out well together.

Pic_fin_01.JPG Pic_fin_03.jpg Pic_fin_04.jpg

**3 toed sloth** · 12th October 2012, 04:09 PM

Great work Jill, it all goes together well, the colours, the proportions, and the frame has enough going on without being overdone. I love that ubeaut wax, looks good and feels beautiful. Now you can enjoy the picture AND the frame.

**Dengue** · 12th October 2012, 05:49 PM

Thanks for your kind words, 3ts, much appreciated.

How did you go with the snow today? Lose any power? Wouldn't like to be those stranded in their cars on the road

I used to live in Orange, family in the trucking business, and know all about the Lithgow - Yetholme road closure. I have a young cousin who drives from Bathurst to Lithgow prison each day for work

**3 toed sloth** · 12th October 2012, 10:28 PM

No snow for me Jill, I'm down in the more temperate parts around Springwood. I don't get west very often but I like Orange, cold place though, certainly a far cry from NQ.

Peter

**spokeshave** · 14th October 2012, 08:57 AM

Nice work Jill, looks great on the wall. Love the jigs too, might have to borrow some of your ideas. Steven.

**Dengue** · 14th October 2012, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by 3 toed sloth

I like Orange, cold place though, certainly a far cry from NQ.

Peter

Lived and worked there for 6 years before coming back to Townsville - freezing place, minus 6 degC not uncommon, with icy winds blowing down off Mt Canobolas, straight from the Snowy Mountains. Used to get chilblains in the hands just hanging out the nappies.

My 5 kids and I were always ill with flu, bronchitis and colds. I reckoned we paid off the Mercedes our GP got around in.

After moving back in Townsville, one of our kids went to the docs for an injury, and we found none of them ever had to visit a Townsville doctor in the 5 years since we had been there.

**Dengue** · 14th October 2012, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by spokeshave

Love the jigs too, might have to borrow some of your ideas. Steven.

Thanks for the nice comment, Steven. You will find that I have borrowed the jigs from elsewhere on this forum too

Except with the mortice jig, the ones on the forum are for 90 degree mortices

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