Picture Frames

[Coop]

I have a former employee/friend that is an amateur photographer. His main focus is landscape and scenic. He has been asked by a local gallery to show some of his work. I have made a couple of frames for him before and he’s asked me to build the frames for the exhibit as he likes my work (read that as cheap labor ). The gallery director suggested that the frames be simple as in one color (no inlay). I understand the no inlay part but don’t want to just use a 1x2 strip of walnut with a rabbet cut for the glass. There will be seven 18” x 12”, four 30” x 20” and one 36 x 24”. Can some of you guys post pics of frames you have made in the past, please?  

[gee-dub]

Thus you enter the world of "the frame holds the art" or "the frame enhances the art".  For a showing of photographic work I would want my frames to be elegant but very low key.  the viewers are there to see the art, not the frame.  This is an 11 x 14 so . . . large for a home but small for your purposes.

The construction is pretty straightforward and the visual is distinct but not over the top.

It is low profile.  The depth can be judged by the overall thickness of the glass, the art, the backer and the sealer if there is one.  Tthe one shown above is a print glued to a substrate of foam board, spaced from the glass by a mat that hides behind the frame rabbet, backed by 1/8" hardboard and taped to prevent dust.

If you want something with a little more splash . . . 

I can post some of those.

HTH

 

[Coop]

@gee-dub, in the second pic, it looks like the outside edges are beveled and in the first pic, not so. Is that due to the camera angle on the second? Also, what would you guesstimate the width from the outside edge of the frame to the inside edge to be? Thanks for sharing. 

[gee-dub]

An unintentional trick of the eye or the camera.  The outer edge is a slightly eased 90 degree corner like a table top.  The inside edge is a round over.  The frame stock was about 1-9/16" inside edge to outside edge.  Rough blanks were 1-5/8" off the machines.  The tiger maple banding is 1/2" wide and a fat 1/16" thick.  I dado'd the mahogany at the tablesaw and laid the maple in a bit proud.  I then drum sanded and hand planed it flush.  By the time I had done the round over and the surface prep all around I ended up with a fat 1-1/2" (or a skinny 1-5/8") . . . close to the 1-9/16" I mention although that was not a specific target.  The joys of making a one-off.   Then I mitered the frame parts at the tablesaw.  Artwork sets into a dado at the rear.  Keyhole slots to hang IIRC.

[Barron]

I don’t have photos, but simple round overs, angles, and profiles work nicely. The gallery wants to highlight the photo, not the frames. If you are working cheaply, I’d go with paint in neutral colors. This probably is not the time to highlight your Woodworking skills. 

[wtnhighlander]

@Coop, to keep it simple, I suggest a single, evenly colored species for each frame. Cut your stock into profiles that make the image recede or protrude. Cutting clean miters on non-rectangular profiles is challenging, unless you have a guillotine trimmer, like frame shops use. I would also work closely with your friend to choose the species for each frame.

[Mark J]

I bet one could buy frame stock in uncut lengths.  After all, frame shops must get their stock from somewhere. 

 Is the art being sold framed or unframed?  If framed, you don't want it to clash with someone's home decor, so simple black comes to mind.  

I think the gallery is your source of wisdom here, but it does sound like you need to buy yourself a new 45* shooting board and plane .

[legenddc]

Here are some plain ones that were created by someone who has had artwork in a gallery: 

 

 

[gee-dub]

legenddc's video link looks like the ideal setup.

[legenddc]

I wish I had gotten to the frames already and could share some pictures. I'm thinking of making some just like that for one of our rooms. Might go on a tear and replace all our picture frames with home made ones. Just need the time.

[Ronn W]

Near me is a frame making business that has done work for all the major galleries.  I was surprise that most all of the frames and high quality maple painted black.

www.metroframe.com

[BonPacific]

On 2/8/2023 at 5:55 AM, Mark J said:

I think the gallery is your source of wisdom here, but it does sound like you need to buy yourself a new 45* shooting board and plane .

Or one of these bad boys.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-miter-trimmer/g1690

[Coop]

Thanks all! Thanks @legenddc for the video! That will be my route! 

So KISCoop! 

[Chestnut]

I use a similar process to make simple frames.

The jig is good but if you aren't planning on making a boat load of frames multiple times a year the same thing can be achieved with 2 miter gauges.

Set one up to 45 degrees and then use a large square to get the other one perfectly 90. Then it's as simple as cutting the first miter on the right and switching the piece to the left gauge with the stop block to cut the other side. Do this for all 4 sides and the miters should closer perfectly every time. I cut the miters for this stack in maybe an hour including ripping and milling.

As a note to contradict the video you get better support working the way my miter gauges are. The way he shows his jig in the video when you cuter wider material think 2-3" very little of the frame part is being supported by the table saw table. This can increase error slightly but that slight error can be huge for frames.

[Coop]

@Chestnut, I didn’t see any splines in yours. Is the pic pre-splines or did you use glue only?

[Chestnut]

22 hours ago, Coop said:

@Chestnut, I didn’t see any splines in yours. Is the pic pre-splines or did you use glue only?

I did the splines in a later step after the last picture. You can see some of the splines in this picture. I was applying finish. They are kinda hard to see because i did walnut splines on walnut frames. Tried to keep it subtle.

[roughsawn]

Drew, that is a neat way to cut miters! Never seen that before. I am going to try that before I build a miter sled...which was next on my build list...

Thanks for sharing that.

[Coop]

On 2/8/2023 at 8:21 AM, legenddc said:

Here are some plain ones that were created by someone who has had artwork in a gallery: 

 

 

@legenddc, showing my ignorance, I watched this video and would like to go to his website but don’t know what it is. Can you help? 

[wtnhighlander]

@Coop, the web site is https://almfab.com

[Coop]

Thanks bud!

[Coop]

The guy that I am making these for was hell bent that they should be 1”” thick so we bought 5/4 walnut. After getting the 2 boards home, I convinced him that at least, the two smaller frames should be 3/4” thick so, a bunch of wasted walnut. After carefully laying the two boards out, I find that we are more than half the way there. 

[Coop]

Someone question as to why I’m taking these to 3/4” as opposed to 1”. 
The width of the frame boards are as follows; 45”x33” frame - 2” wide, 38”x28” frame - 1 3/4” wide, 25”x19” frame - 1 1/2” wide. 
So would having the frame board thickness at 1” be too chunky looking? 

[wtnhighlander]

I guess that depends on the profile. I have made frames thicker from back to face than they are wide, but they are not simply rectangular stock, they taper from back to front. Otherwise, I suppose they might look a bit "shadow-boxy".

[Coop]

@Chestnut and others, did you cut the rabbet first or the miters? It seams that it would be easier to cut the rabbets on the ts first but then the face of the frame would be down against the ts to cut the miters and more likely a chance for tear out, even with a zci.

[Chestnut]

Rabbet first otherwise you have to square the corners and thats a PITA.

Use a backer board for miters. Also you can cut the miters with the face against the TS.