Picture Framing
Sep. 17th, 2006 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teslaSo I just completed the second of two hands-on picture framing courses that I took at Rockler Woodworking. As a result I have a very nicely framed (if I may say so) greeting card hanging on my wall.
Here's my attempt at documenting what we did so that I can jog my memory when I go to do it on my own. Of course this presupposes using brad joinery, foam-core mounting, and a double-mat:
1. Select the wood. Lay it out with attention to the aesthetics of the frame (direction of the grain, etc.)
2. Rough-cut the wood then dimension/square it, if needed.
3. Mark the back sides and in-sides of each piece.
4. Trim each piece to approximate length, accounting for the OD of the matting plus the depth of the mitre plus 1/8" plus slop.
5. Shape the wood on the router table as desired.
6. Cut the side of the rabbet that will be parallel to the art.
7. Cut out the rabbet.
8. Mitre-cut each piece to the correct length, allowing just a bit of overage.
9. Shave each end flat using a bench-mounted mitreing tool (I have no idea what this thing is really called).
10. Dry-fit one joint together in a corner vise. Match the inside rather than the outside of pieces; outside can be sanded more easily.
11. Loosen one piece, apply glue, refit it, tighten the vise, allow to set
12. Drive brad (if portrait, drive brad into short side; if landscape, into long side)
13. Repeat 10-12 for opposite corner, then for the two resulting L-shapes. For final corner, use a palette knife to spread the ends and apply glue
14. After glue has cured, finish the frame (as usual: sand 100/120, 150/180, 220. Burnish, tack cloth, finish as directed).
15. Cut matting blank to fit frame ID
16. Measure art, accounting for desired overlap of mat. Determine desired width of mat on each side.
17. Determine desired offset between top and bottom mat.
18. Cut top mat (to width - offset) using mat cutter. Undercut slightly.
19. Complete the cuts using a razor blade. Allow existing bevel to determine cant of razor blade, and angle blade toward outside corner.
20. Trim the inside mat to a slightly smaller dimension than the outside mat.
21. Use adhesive (ATG) around the dropout to fasten the inside mat to the outside.
22. Replace the dropout, affixing it to the inside mat using a small strip of ATG.
23. Cut the inside mat (to width) using mat cutter. Undercut slightly.
24. Carefully remove the dropout from the outside mat without disturbing the inside mat's dropout.
25. Complete the cuts on the inside mat as in 19.
26. Trim the foam-core to the size of the mat.
27. Line up the foam-core, art, and mat. Weight the art and remove the mat.
28. Affix tabs to the top corners of the art. Secure tabs with additional tabs running horizontally.
29. Clean glass. Place glass, mat, and mounted art into frame.
30. Use a tool whose name I forget to drive flat tabs into the frame, holding the assembly. (Like a staple gun)
31. Position art and bend tabs in to secure the assembly
32. Run adhesive along the back of frame, about 1/8" from outside edge.
33. Stretch kraft paper over the frame (centers to edges)
34. Crease kraft paper along frame edges and trim using a razor blade
35. 1/3 of the way down the frame, attach strap hangers
36. Run steel wire between strap hangers, with barely any slop. "Knot" steel wire (no way I can explain the knots well here)
37. Stretch the steel wire by hand
Voila - framed art in anywhere from 2 to 10 hours, depending on skill, organization, and finish choices.
Here's my attempt at documenting what we did so that I can jog my memory when I go to do it on my own. Of course this presupposes using brad joinery, foam-core mounting, and a double-mat:
1. Select the wood. Lay it out with attention to the aesthetics of the frame (direction of the grain, etc.)
2. Rough-cut the wood then dimension/square it, if needed.
3. Mark the back sides and in-sides of each piece.
4. Trim each piece to approximate length, accounting for the OD of the matting plus the depth of the mitre plus 1/8" plus slop.
5. Shape the wood on the router table as desired.
6. Cut the side of the rabbet that will be parallel to the art.
7. Cut out the rabbet.
8. Mitre-cut each piece to the correct length, allowing just a bit of overage.
9. Shave each end flat using a bench-mounted mitreing tool (I have no idea what this thing is really called).
10. Dry-fit one joint together in a corner vise. Match the inside rather than the outside of pieces; outside can be sanded more easily.
11. Loosen one piece, apply glue, refit it, tighten the vise, allow to set
12. Drive brad (if portrait, drive brad into short side; if landscape, into long side)
13. Repeat 10-12 for opposite corner, then for the two resulting L-shapes. For final corner, use a palette knife to spread the ends and apply glue
14. After glue has cured, finish the frame (as usual: sand 100/120, 150/180, 220. Burnish, tack cloth, finish as directed).
15. Cut matting blank to fit frame ID
16. Measure art, accounting for desired overlap of mat. Determine desired width of mat on each side.
17. Determine desired offset between top and bottom mat.
18. Cut top mat (to width - offset) using mat cutter. Undercut slightly.
19. Complete the cuts using a razor blade. Allow existing bevel to determine cant of razor blade, and angle blade toward outside corner.
20. Trim the inside mat to a slightly smaller dimension than the outside mat.
21. Use adhesive (ATG) around the dropout to fasten the inside mat to the outside.
22. Replace the dropout, affixing it to the inside mat using a small strip of ATG.
23. Cut the inside mat (to width) using mat cutter. Undercut slightly.
24. Carefully remove the dropout from the outside mat without disturbing the inside mat's dropout.
25. Complete the cuts on the inside mat as in 19.
26. Trim the foam-core to the size of the mat.
27. Line up the foam-core, art, and mat. Weight the art and remove the mat.
28. Affix tabs to the top corners of the art. Secure tabs with additional tabs running horizontally.
29. Clean glass. Place glass, mat, and mounted art into frame.
30. Use a tool whose name I forget to drive flat tabs into the frame, holding the assembly. (Like a staple gun)
31. Position art and bend tabs in to secure the assembly
32. Run adhesive along the back of frame, about 1/8" from outside edge.
33. Stretch kraft paper over the frame (centers to edges)
34. Crease kraft paper along frame edges and trim using a razor blade
35. 1/3 of the way down the frame, attach strap hangers
36. Run steel wire between strap hangers, with barely any slop. "Knot" steel wire (no way I can explain the knots well here)
37. Stretch the steel wire by hand
Voila - framed art in anywhere from 2 to 10 hours, depending on skill, organization, and finish choices.
