Really big picture frame

[James Baker SD]

My wife has a large (7' X 3') art quality lithograph that she wants framed. With UV acrylic, matting and backing the picture will weigh a lot.

Any suggestions on how I should reinforce the mitered corners from the frame (making it out of basswood)? I fear gluing semi end grain to semi end grain will make a joint that the weight will eventually push apart. I would like it to have a quality look. Thanks.

James

[Paul Atkins]

I've made many large frames for prints and photos but have not used basswood for them. It seems a bit soft for holding fasteners but I don't know how stiff it is or how much it moves. I used poplar and soft maple usually for frames up to 5'. The profile will make a difference as far as strength too. For the largest frames I used a cross member screwed on after the art was installed to prevent bowing. At the size you are making, I might even use 2 vertical members if it is a horizontal frame. The last series of frames I made were made of rock maple with exposed brass screws to hold sub frames that the photos were backed by. That was a confusing sentence. I made a lap joined flat frame of 1x2's that set into the back after the photo was mounted and the frame screwed into. Solid as a rock. Pin nailed miters with Titebond on the frame. I'll have to draw a picture I guess. Next post.

[James Baker SD]

Thanks Paul.

Let me add a few more details. The picture will hang vertically, almost filling the wall from ceiling to floor. I chose the basswood because it was light weight. I already have the acrylic and foam board and together they weigh a lot, so I did not want too much weight in the frame. I can rethink the choice of wood if I have to.

James

[Darnell Hagen]

Splines are the way to go.

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip010511sn.html

Note the grain orientation on the spline, it's important for strength.

Don't go too skinny with your parts, you don't want flex.

Don't sweat the weight, either. Make sure you hang it from a stud.

I inlayed two of these http://http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=41858&cat=3,40914,50630&ap=1 into the back side of the verticals of this:

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s168/DarnellHagen/P6110115.jpg

and it hasn't fallen down, yet. It has three splines per corner.

Banana for scale, and lunch. :D

[Neal Clayton]

another alternative is to build it like a cabinet door, rail/stile profiles with a mortise at each corner. you will wind up with the typical cabinet-door end grain to finish on the top and bottom, but that's not that big of an issue as long as you prep and finish it like you would a cabinet door.

basically, like building a window.

i've done the above for large old 1/4" thick mirrors, which have the same issue...30-40 pounds of glass alone, add the frame and that's another 10-20.

[Brian D Anderson]

another alternative is to build it like a cabinet door, rail/stile profiles with a mortise at each corner. you will wind up with the typical cabinet-door end grain to finish on the top and bottom, but that's not that big of an issue as long as you prep and finish it like you would a cabinet door.

basically, like building a window.

i've done the above for large old 1/4" thick mirrors, which have the same issue...30-40 pounds of glass alone, add the frame and that's another 10-20.

What he said! I did that when I made a large mirror for my living room:

http://www.jfreitasphotography.com/Temp/IMG_8254.jpg

There's nothing that says you have to do miters. I actually used pocket screws and biscuits. This thing weighed about 40 pounds.

-Brian

[Lee Schierer]

My wife has a large (7' X 3') art quality lithograph that she wants framed. With UV acrylic, matting and backing the picture will weigh a lot.

Any suggestions on how I should reinforce the mitered corners from the frame (making it out of basswood)? I fear gluing semi end grain to semi end grain will make a joint that the weight will eventually push apart. I would like it to have a quality look. Thanks.

James

Do a mitered lap joint. It will look like a miter from the front, but has the strength of a lap joint. Here's a link: mitered lap joint (http://www.binkyswoodworking.com/MiteredHalfLap.html)

[Neal Clayton]

What he said! I did that when I made a large mirror for my living room:



There's nothing that says you have to do miters. I actually used pocket screws and biscuits. This thing weighed about 40 pounds.

-Brian

the cap and the sill to hide the end grain is also a good idea, never thought of that ;).

[Frank Martin]

When I made a frame for a large mirror (around 5ft x 3ft) I made mitered corners but used loose tenon joinery. The wood was birch. The whole weighs around 70 lbs, and no issues with the miters, they look as solid as the day I built it.

Good luck...