8 Frame Photo Wall

[rodger.]

Started this project as a gift for my wife.  It consists of 4 frames that are 11 x 14, and 4 frames that are 16 x 20.  These frames will be painted, so I opted to use poplar as it takes paint really well.

I started with 15 BF of 4/4 rough cut poplar.

I then broke it down with a cordless circular saw.  This saw is great, and I use it for this purpose all the time.  I broke the three sticks (10') down to sections of 30", and 24".  I also had to rough rip two of the wide planks to get them over the jointer.

Then after lots of jointing and planing, I ripped the pieces down to 1 5/8".  Iwas left with 36 or so blanks for my frames.

 

 

To cut the groove for the picture, mat, and backing, I set up the dado stack in the table saw and cut a groove 1/2" deep and 3/8" wide.

 

 

 

I made this sled for framing photos and artwork.  For a while I was making quite a few photo frames, so I decided this sled was a worthwhile investment of time.  It does a great job, and is easy to set up for repeated cuts.

After I cut all the miters, I did a dry fit to make sure the miters were nice and tight.

Everything was good, so I marked out for some dominoes.

After a while cutting dominoes, I was left with 32 mitered pieces with 64 mortises.

Then a trip to router table to add a bead to the outside of each piece, and then a second run to add a slight chamfer to the inside edge.

Next up will be glue and clamps.

 

[..Kev]

Wow..  That's a lot of batching!  Nice work Pug!

[RichardA]

 

i'm tired from all  that work, but then I'm old.    Good job Pug.

[wtnhighlander]

Very nice, Pug! That sled must be pretty awesome to give you such perfect repeatability. Care to do a thread on how it is made (and used), sometime?

[bushwacked]

Dang. Impressive sled there!!

Looking good

[shaneymack]

Awesome work! I like the sled as well.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

[Denette]

Cool!  Are you going to make 8 separate frames, or are you going to combine all 8 into one of those collage frames like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Adeco-Decorative-Hanging-Collage-Openings/dp/B007AM80ZI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1480862128&sr=8-8&keywords=collage+frame

 

I look forward to the finished project!

 

[rodger.]

1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said:

Very nice, Pug! That sled must be pretty awesome to give you such perfect repeatability. Care to do a thread on how it is made (and used), sometime?

Sure, I can do a post on it.  I also have a link to the "plans" (PDF) I based it off of.  Stay tuned!

1 hour ago, shaneymack said:

Awesome work! I like the sled as well.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

Thanks buddy!

1 hour ago, Denette said:

Cool!  Are you going to make 8 separate frames, or are you going to combine all 8 into one of those collage frames like this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Adeco-Decorative-Hanging-Collage-Openings/dp/B007AM80ZI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1480862128&sr=8-8&keywords=collage+frame

 

I look forward to the finished project!

 

It will be 8 separate frames hung in planned orientation.  I have done one in the past, and I can tell you it's a boatload of layout to get the spacing just right.

I will also make the wall cleats, so that will be in a future post I'm this thread as well.

[Elroy Skimms]

On ‎12‎/‎4‎/‎2016 at 11:01 AM, Pug said:

It will be 8 separate frames hung in planned orientation.  I have done one in the past, and I can tell you it's a boatload of layout to get the spacing just right.

I'm not sure how you plan on doing it, but in the past, I've rolled out butcher paper on the ground, marked and measured everything on the paper, and then taped the paper on the wall. After that, all I had to do was hang the hardware exactly where the paper template showed and then take the paper down. You can make some fairly complicated frame layouts pretty quickly this way.

And yes, please post more details on that sled. Miters hate me. Or, more accurately, I hate miters because I can never get them to turn out perfectly.

-E

[Chet]

Nice work Pug.  Looking forward to the thread on the miter sled.

[rodger.]

8 hours ago, Elroy Skimms said:

I'm not sure how you plan on doing it, but in the past, I've rolled out butcher paper on the ground, marked and measured everything on the paper, and then taped the paper on the wall. After that, all I had to do was hang the hardware exactly where the paper template showed and then take the paper down. You can make some fairly complicated frame layouts pretty quickly this way.

And yes, please post more details on that sled. Miters hate me. Or, more accurately, I hate miters because I can never get them to turn out perfectly.

-E

I normally just mark it right in the wall with pencil.  All the frames are placed relative to the first, which is normally decided by my wife saying "just a little higher" or "more to the left, no I mean my left".

[Ronn W]

Very nice. I like it.

[rodger.]

I got these frames glued up, prepped, and painted.

Each frame got one coat of primer, and two coats of latex paint.  After the paint was cured, I re sanded the back of each frame and sealed it with some wipe on poly.

The back is 1/8" hardboard, attached with glaziers points from a pointing gun.

For hardware, I use some brass hangers, two #6 wood screws (5/8") and aviation wire.  I also used some 1/16" aluminum slip sleeves and a hand crimper (I have heard this referred to as a "swag tool", but I am not sure if that's the term or not).

These frames are ready for the wall now.  The next entry in this journal will be making the wall hangers, and then install.

 

 

[wdwerker]

That's some nice clean work ! Be proud of it !

[Denette]

Just a thought, if you have access to a digital projector you could design the layout on a computer and project it onto the wall, positioning the projector to get the scale right.

[rodger.]

2 hours ago, wdwerker said:

That's some nice clean work ! Be proud of it !

Thanks!

[rodger.]

The next step is to prepare the frames for mounting.  Instead of buying wall hangers, I make them in the shop out of offcuts.

Here are two strips of wall mounting clip "blanks".  The strips are from off cuts (in this case maple and cherry), and machined down to 3/8".  They are ripped to about 1 1/2" wide (or whatever I can get that is close), with a table saw kerf (flat bottom) centered in the middle.

Then I cut them down into 6" pieces.  I find this length works very well, as it keeps the frame from shifting.

Then I layout a center line (for wall hanging layout later) and drill some holes 1" from either side for screws.  These can be countersunk if desired, but I don't find it necessary.

Then I transfer the lines onto the edges for help with mounting later.

With that done, I take some measurements on the wall (and from the frame), do some quick math, and then create a story stick.  This saves a tonne of time when laying out the clips.  I cut the story stick to the same width of the frames, and then mark the Center Line, and the distance needed from any walls or other photos.  In this instance, the frames needed to be placed 5 5/16th from the wall.  I have 2 of these sticks for this project, as I have two different sized frames.

Next I layout the clips on the wall.  The first frame/clip becomes the reference for all others, so I take my time.  It normally starts with me holding up the frame to get the right height by my wife saying "no, a bit higher, oh, now a bit lower", etc.  Then I mark the top of the frame on the wall, and I use that to get all the other measurements I need.

The top line represents the top of the frame, and the lower line is the offset required for the mounting clip.

Then I use the marks I made earlier on the clips, and simply line up the center-lines.

 

The number on the clip is the offset required.  It may change from frame to frame.

 

Then I add some adhesive (no more nails is great), and drive a few short brads to hold it in place overnight. Its important that the brads are the right size, as you don't want to hit any plumbing vents in the wall.  I always shoot a brad into a scrap, and measure the projection.  It should be less than 1/2" to avoid penetrating the drywall on the other side.

 

 

Sometimes I use screws and anchors, hence the drilled holes.  I am hanging on a wall that I know has loads of plumbing in it, so I didn't want to take any chances drilling holes and such.  So in this case I went nails and glue, which works very well.  The only concern is that its not reversible without cutting the clip off the wall and doing drywall repair.  Measure Twice!

Here is the first round of clips installed:

Double check for level, and then leave it alone for 24 hours to cure.

Next will be cleaning off the witness marks (on the wall), touching up paint on the frames, and then done!