picture frames

[Dan_Shade]

have any of you guys made picture frames from the lumber you've sawn?  I was thinking of making a few, but am trying to figure out how to do some cool molding tricks with a table saw since I don't have a big shaper.

Any suggestions?

[WDH]

Yes, I have made quite a few picture frames from rough lumber that I have sawn.  I use a router table to cut the profiles, but I use simple grooves, beads, and round-overs.  If you have a router, you can make some nice stuff.  I don't like the really ornate, gilded type stuff, so I have not missed having a shaper.

[Dan_Shade]

actually that's kind of what i'm looking to do, I think.  you have any pictures, WDH?

I got a neat project, I had an old picture blown up of my grandfather running his frick back in the early 40's, so when I head home for christmas, I'm going to scrounge out a few old boards from one of the sheds that he sawed out and make a frame out of that.

be prepared for some mitering tip inquiries! 

[Burlkraft]

I've made a few from the Redwood we sawed this spring. I just use my router table to put a simple profile on the sides.
The tight grain of the Redwood is too nice to detract with a fancy router job.

I cut my mitres with a 5° compound angle and they always come out fitting nice  ;D  ;D

[SwampDonkey]

A table saw limits you pretty much to square edges. You could use the saw to cut a bead down each piece or maybe edge a piece at any angle. Maybe cut a V in the middle of each piece.  And of course cut the inlay edge for the glass and backing to fit into.






The best way to cut them is to take a piece of stock the thickness you want your frames and make the cuts off the board. Don't cut the frame strips first. Cut the pattern in the board then severe the frame strip off the board in the final cut. Safer I think. I wouldn't use a real long board either just one long enough to leave some extra length to play with. Boards are not known to be perfectly flat even after you have done some planing and squaring the board can continue to move slightly as new wood is exposed.

[Radar67]

I've seen cove molding made with a table saw...by using a fixed taper guide and several passes to get to finished depth.

The router is also my choice for picture frame material.

[SwampDonkey]

Mine to, but that doesn't help the table saw user. ;)

[John Bartley]

One of the ways you can make a simple yet elegant picture frame with a table saw is to set the blade on about a 5' or 10' angle, then rip the face off the frame so that the frame pieces get thinner towards the inner (glass) edge and stay full thickness at the outer edge. If you want really fancy, only rip at an angle for about 2/3 of the face, then leave a raised flat front for the outer 1/3 of the face. That flat 1/3 face makes a defining perimeter around the tapered part and shows it off quite clearly.

I know, I know .... pictures ...... I'll try.

cheers eh?

[Dale Hatfield]

A pass with a drill mounted  wire brush on soft wood will  make a weathered look. Then get a gallon of Vinager and stuff a pad of steel wool in and  dont clsoe the lid. let the wool completely disolve. If y close the lid it builds presure.
If this is applied to hard wood the natural tannins will make it gray out. If applied to wood with little to no tanic acid it will need help. Make some bag tea and paint the boards with a light coat of tea. then paint with the vinager  presto aged weather look of many years in the weather.
The more vinager ya slap /pour on the darker to almost black. So their is some guessing to it. Go llight first and wait  few mins and add more till ya get olor ya need.
Dale

[Kevin]

Dan, if you could mill some boards with wane left on them that might be nice .

[SwampDonkey]

One can think up a number of patterns. Then you have to get out the calculator and pencil and do all the math before sawing. Very time consuming, but for some people time isn't an issue. I'm one of'm. ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Some people frame with old weathered barn boards. I've seen some with pocket rot in them even.  ;D

[Phorester]

Years ago I made a couple of small picture frames on my table saw from old barn boards.  After ripping to 2 inches width, keeping the original weathered edge for the outside frame edge,  I then set the saw lightly above the table and ran the pieces face down and lengthwise down the blade to cut in a blade-width groove about 1/4" from the outer edge, maybe 1/8" deep.  The groove, of course, exposed new wood, which offset the weathered wood of the face.  I then ripped a groove for the glass & picture on the inner edges, mitered the corners as usual, and put together.  Looked pretty good for table saw frames. Nothing fancy, fast and easy. The thin groove of new wood around the edge was striking.

Biggest problem I had was finding enough straight length of those old boards to make the frame.

[Dan_Shade]

I have a router, but not many bits, I have no objections to using a router, or buying a bit to make a nice frame. 

[Radar67]

A 3/4 round over and 3/4 ogee would make some nice frames. Use the round over for the internal side and the ogee for the external.

[Dan_Shade]

since the interweb has made me slow and lazy, any pictures of the resulting profiles?  (and for conversations sake too)

[Radar67]

It's been years since I made a frame. Let me dig through some of my real pictures, you know, the antique kind :D, and see if I can find an example for you.

[WDH]

Dan,

A few pics.........

The first pic is a walnut frame with a single bead (from a 3-bead router bit set to cut only one bead) on the outside edge and a round-over bead on the inside edge. 



The second pic is what Radar67 said.........an ogee on the outside edge and a single bead on the inside edge.  This makes an elegant but simple frame...........

[LeeB]

To my thinking, if your gonna scrounge up some of dear old grand pappy's circle cut lumber, leave it rough and showing the milling marks. I think that wood set off the milling pics.

[Dan_Shade]

that may happen too...  I'll have to see what I can scrounge up.