Up in smoke...

[jimmyG]

First attempt at making a mitered picture frame.  Good miters  not quite square!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Looks good. Guess you were going for that singed burnt look as a finish. If miters are not square means the pieces were not equal on the opposite sides. Also needs to be 45 degrees accurately if making 4 sided. Good luck.

[jimmyG]

1 hour ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Looks good. Guess you were going for that singed burnt look as a finish. If miters are not square means the pieces were not equal on the opposite sides. Also needs to be 45 degrees accurately if making 4 sided. Good luck.

Thanks...  
I was working on auto pilot, didn't really have any plans as usual.
The top across was 1/8" shorter than the bottom across, whatever that means...

[redwine]

Ah yes, designer fire wood!!  Sure glad to see that I am not the only one that has problems with making frames! Some times I surprise myself and the 4 pieces turn  out perfect! Even with using a 45 degree slid, I just cannot get the  right measurements on each one! I know it is something that I am not doing right and it is not the rulers or tape measures being off, just what I am not doing right!  Hang in there, it will come to you!

Erv

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

If I may make a suggestion. Never work with measurements when cutting sides. Work with a jig that has stop blocks. If you place your blank against the stop blocks they have to be the same length. If you use pencil marks and try to line up to blade you can be off just enough to throw measurements off. There are many jigs on the net to show. And of course that 45 degree cut needs to be accurate also. Good luck.

Edited July 15 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[kmmcrafts]

I know I suck at anything like frame making and I'm sure there are many ways of doing it... and doing it better than I do.. My solution to this was I cut the sides by stack cutting them both with the same cut.. same for the ends.. this ensures both are equal length.

Having a stop is also a very good point.. which is what I do as well.. even though I cut them both at the same time.. I still use the stop. 

[Bill WIlson]

20 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

If I may make a suggestion. Never work with measurements when cutting sides. Work with a jig that has stop blocks. If you place your blank against the stop blocks they have to be the same length. If you use pencil marks and try to line up to blade you can be off just enough to through measurements off. There are many jigs on the net to show. And of course that 45 degree cut needs to be accurate also. Good luck.

^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^

Don't have anything to add, just re-posting for emphasis.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

21 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I know I suck at anything like frame making and I'm sure there are many ways of doing it... and doing it better than I do.. My solution to this was I cut the sides by stack cutting them both with the same cut.. same for the ends.. this ensures both are equal length.

Having a stop is also a very good point.. which is what I do as well.. even though I cut them both at the same time.. I still use the stop. 

I would like to make a point about this method. If you are using flat stock and want to stack cut you can probably get away with it, but if you are using anything with fancy routed designs or if the profile of the stock is tapered then do not stack because the 45 degree cut will not be true. Your frame pieces must be flat on the saw when cutting. Best to cut one at a time. Just my opinion. This practice is carried over when doing moldings around doors and windows.

 

[kmmcrafts]

5 minutes ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

I would like to make a point about this method. If you are using flat stock and want to stack cut you can probably get away with it, but if you are using anything with fancy routed designs or if the profile of the stock is tapered then do not stack because the 45 degree cut will not be true. Your frame pieces must be flat on the saw when cutting. Best to cut one at a time. Just my opinion. This practice is carried over when doing moldings around doors and windows.

 

Good advice, thank you for bringing that up as this is something I've not thought about. I've only made a couple frames and yes they were basic flat boards.. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

One other point that I would like to mention that can throw your picture framing production off is the saw being used as well as the blade choice. First the saw used, weather it is a tablesaw, a mitersaw either electric or hand operated, the blade must be 90 degrees to the table. Any amount of cantor in the blade, one way or other, will throw the 45 degree cut off. Next you would like to use a blade that has alot of teeth and this prevents splintering. I like to use at least a 60 tooth blade. You want a clean and sharp blade. If you use one with alot of pitch on it, it too can throw the cut off. Lastly the blade used depends on your quality of saw. Also the material and size of  stock used. If you are using a thin kerf blade as most people do, it can have a tendency of flexing especially if cutting hardwoods such as red and or white oak. A full kerf 1/8" blade is a better choice. Cut slow through your stock and do not force it especially if using a thin kerf blade for this will flex the blade. Any small deflection from the points made in this thread can affect the look of the miters. Remember for each cut it multiplies the errors. Just some of my thoughts.

[OCtoolguy]

I think many problems that we all have are caused by not having properly tuned saws. I have to check mine all the time. It's a job-site saw so it's accuracy will never be "right on".

[Dak0ta52]

It seems a lot of people have problems with making frames. I made a simple jig for my table saw using a metal ruler I purchased cheap from Harbor Freight. I aligned the ruler with the edge of the blade so it measures the length of the cut and placed it at a 45-degree angle to the blade. The length can be however long you think you might cut a frame. On the opposite side I placed another metal length of ruler but this one I placed upside down because I didn't need the length measurements. The two metal "rulers" create a 90-degree angle from each other and are 45-degrees to the blade. When I cut the frame, I make my first cut along the strip without numbers to make my first 45-degree cut. Doing so, I am able to align the groove along the edge of the metal ruler. I then make my second cut on the ruled metal strip with the groove along the ruler and place the angle of the first cut at the length I need to cut. After cutting all four sides, I hit them with a little sandpaper to knock off the fuzzies and then glue it up. I also have a jig to cut a groove for splines in the corners of the frame after the initial glue up. I cut strips of various wood (oak, walnut, etc.) to use as splines.

If anyone would be interested I can take photos or make a short video if needed.

[OCtoolguy]

6 hours ago, Dak0ta52 said:

It seems a lot of people have problems with making frames. I made a simple jig for my table saw using a metal ruler I purchased cheap from Harbor Freight. I aligned the ruler with the edge of the blade so it measures the length of the cut and placed it at a 45-degree angle to the blade. The length can be however long you think you might cut a frame. On the opposite side I placed another metal length of ruler but this one I placed upside down because I didn't need the length measurements. The two metal "rulers" create a 90-degree angle from each other and are 45-degrees to the blade. When I cut the frame, I make my first cut along the strip without numbers to make my first 45-degree cut. Doing so, I am able to align the groove along the edge of the metal ruler. I then make my second cut on the ruled metal strip with the groove along the ruler and place the angle of the first cut at the length I need to cut. After cutting all four sides, I hit them with a little sandpaper to knock off the fuzzies and then glue it up. I also have a jig to cut a groove for splines in the corners of the frame after the initial glue up. I cut strips of various wood (oak, walnut, etc.) to use as splines.

If anyone would be interested I can take photos or make a short video if needed.

That might be helpful. I tried to picture it but couldn't "see" it.

[Hawk]

I know the pain!, at one time I had a wood stove in my shop for heat in the winter. Many projects went in there, quite a learning curve. I used to tell people that I make good looking fire wood!. Not so much anymore. When I make frames these days I cut the tops together and the sides together. Stack cut them. Getting better results this way. Good luck going forward.

[Roberta Moreton]

Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, buy one get one 50% off. That’s how I do it. 

[jimmyG]

8 hours ago, Roberta Moreton said:

Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, buy one get one 50% off. That’s how I do it. 

None of my projects are of standard size for off the shelf frames.

 

[Roberta Moreton]

On 7/17/2024 at 4:18 AM, jimmyG said:

None of my projects are of standard size for off the shelf frames.

 

I add mats.  It was good enough for a blue ribbon. 

[jimmyG]

33 minutes ago, Roberta Moreton said:

I add mats.  It was good enough for a blue ribbon. 

I'll add mats to my odd size projects, if you'll make the frames for me!

 

[barb.j.enders]

On 7/16/2024 at 7:11 PM, Roberta Moreton said:

Hobby Lobby or Michael’s, buy one get one 50% off. That’s how I do it. 

If only they,  still, weren't so expensive.(Canada)

[CharleyL]

My dad showed me a way to get 90 deg corners in frames that nobody uses any more (not even me), but it does work when you absolutely can't manage to get perfect 45 deg cuts and are on a tight budget.

There are 90 deg picture frame clamps available (You really only need one of these for the cutting, but having 4 is better). You do need the two side pieces of wood to be exactly the same length, as well as the top and bottom of the frame pieces. If they aren't identical, you will never have success. 

To use this method you make your cuts at as close to 45 deg as possible and then place the two pieces that will be joined together in each one of these clamps, as close together as you can get them. You then run a hand saw down the joint between the two pieces, trimming off the inaccurate cuts until they have the same blade kerf width gap between them the full length of the cut, and the two angles on the pieces are complementary to each other.

This does not necessarily produce perfect 45 deg cuts, but the joint   between these two pieces will make a true 90 degree frame corner that fits tightly together.

 

This link is mostly intended to show what these clamps look like. There are plenty of other versions and sources (probably cheaper too).

https://www.amazon.com/Corner-Degree-Woodworking-Framing-Drawers/dp/B0CSN5MGY5/ref=sr_1_15?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SN439hxZkv8dgqpHOtDv3nLQR-118pIqwDUonYka7W1jkCEifF30zLXRLb3zJRoH6RgvNbBFzxWLy6HLl8QqMZlEM-gEk3Pp-d8oUXPIU2hFtghvW_d9OdTFron1Nl_z3GzTVpgv80cYgETaeK9OXeaW5NefO46xCA7TWdQgiDY010PnvfiItcp1lH_y3Xbycdxd2eXdqkymwyeop7QmdtIPX81DzKT-FMKJfUSYwSbL3KN2eM1SlTjrBxENznUdzvOC1saBtis3w3sSETdTjRsBxIF1YIxuCNRkeH10wZI.qS0jC4x-SxIgosOqvsEE8x8aphxxwDIbvL4yKpPY90I&dib_tag=se&hvadid=580673590016&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1021166&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=4032859852090508229&hvtargid=kwd-939433024701&hydadcr=29042_14560085&keywords=90%2Bdegree%2Bwoodworking%2Bclamps&qid=1721323505&sr=8-15&th=1

Charley