Things have been somewhat disorganized in the shop lately! I needed to replicate a previous frame (#256) to send to Diane’s gallery in Carmel to replace a painting sold there, somewhat confusing but it involved a commission Diane received through the gallery so a frame was needed. Diane sent the commissioned painting separately since making the frame required time, it was shipped last week. We are also getting ready to send 9 paintings to her Charleston, SC gallery so I’m busy with the packing of those. In the meantime these are the two frames recently completed.
Frame # 271
This frame is for a 24″ square, stretched canvas for another painting by Diane. The frame is of Basswood and about 3″ wide. I wanted to carve some type of floral design in the corners so searched the internet for it and this is what I came up with. My process is to screen grab and then use the pages program to size the design to fit the frame. The next step is to glue the pattern onto a piece of plastic; salad containers work great! They are flexible and can be flipped over to duplicate the opposite corners.
It may seem like more work than what is needed but for consistency I make a cutting diagram and annotate the exact chisel/gouge used to cut out the design. It helps me to make a left and right side since the design will be flipped and for me it’s real easy to get confused. At the bench I have the pattern clipped to the tool holder, after doing 3 or 4 of them I start to remember which tool to use but at 75 I like having that pattern to keep on track. For me, using specific tools for each curve helps to keep the design consistent. These pictures below show some of the progress, my goal was to have a consistent flow of the design on all sides. This frame started with what I refer to as my 15° profile and has 1/4″ beads that border the carving.
After the basic design had been carved all around the frame it was time to detail it. You can see the original drawing I found was quite detailed with lots of flourishes. Diane’s work is more contemporary so that wouldn’t be appropriate. My take is more modern and “flat”. The finish is Real Milk Paint’s Blue Spruce, top coated with OSMO #3043 satin finish. The picture shows how the top coat really enhances the color and also seals the milk paint. I experimented with the social media “stuff” and created this instagram Reel to show off this frame — Enjoy! You may be prompted to sign in to an Instagram account but if you X out that box the reel should open.
Frame #270
This profile is for a 1/4″ panel so it can be made from material that is 1″+ thick. The width could be whatever you want but I generally stay about 3″ wide. The first step is to cut a 1/4″ bead on the outside edge which, cut #3. You could use a router but I prefer my Veritas small plow plane with a 1/4″ beading bit. Once that’s done use a 1/2″ dado head to make cuts #2. The depth is roughly 5/16″ and the technique is to leave an area wide enough to support the board when using the dado, it will be removed by setting the board on edge against the fence and creating the recess on the face; cut #1. The final table saw work required is cutting the rabbet. Please note: when creating a profile I always cut one or two test pieces about 12″ long for doing the setups. Lay out both ends of the test piece. After each cut is correct I orient the frame pieces the same way and cut them all before going on to the next setup.
Once the profile is cut it needs to be mitered and joined. I use biscuits and allow glue to fully dry overnight. I used a 8/6 mm gouge to form the peas and the tools shown are needed to lay them out evenly on all sides. I did go into quite a bit more detail in my about initially making this frame. Here is a LINK to that one. The finish for this frame is identical to the original #256; composition gold with my Iced Gold finish.
Hope this blog helps any of you who are discovering new ways to make custom, closed corner frames. When I first started writing these many years ago it came about because of the frustration I had then trying to find information about how to do this “stuff”. Appreciate those of you that read this and the occasional comments and question you ask.
Woodworks by John 