Hand tool picuture frame

[Chris S Anderson]

I made end-grain cutting boards for Christmas presents this year, and next year I'd like to make thick and decorative picture frames from cocobolo and bicote woods for presents; however, I made a transformation this year - I want to make every possible project from hand tools only.

I Googled for picture frame plans and techniques, but nothing came up for hand tool only. I'm starting off with two basic questions:

1. I am not using a nailgun on my joints, so what joiner would look best or is best hidden. The wood for the frames will be in the area of 2 inches wide, so I have some room to work a joint in, hidden or otherwise.

2. I don't want to sand at all, and I am new to planing (other than flattening and jointing), and I have a LN smoother, jointer, and low angle block. How do I prepare my surface on the frame pieces if the end result is rounded? Would I use my #7 to flatten, my block to create the bevel or rounded fronts, and then use my smoother to make the rounding effect perfect?

Thanks,

Chris

[George Clark]

What about glue, nails and a hammer to join the molding. That's the way most frame shops did it in the past. Clip the points on the nails and they will be more likely to go in straight rather than follow the grain and blow out. Drill pilot holes with a hand drill if the wood is difficult to nail. A Stanley miter vice would be an asset. There are several clones on the market.

http://www.unitedmfrs.com/cart/detail.cfm?item=3538

I'm assuming you are going to miter the corners. Stanley also made a combination miter saw and vice but they are a bit hard to locate. A miter box and a shooting board should get you satisfactory corners.

George

[Michael Faurot]

. . . next year I'd like to make thick and decorative picture frames from cocobolo and bicote woods for presents; however, I made a transformation this year - I want to make every possible project from hand tools only.

That sounds like a nice project. But if you're still new to working with hand tools, you should probably pick some different species of wood to work with. Cocobolo can be difficult to work. You might instead want to pick a more straight grained hardwood.

I Googled for picture frame plans and techniques, but nothing came up for hand tool only.

Here's what I do, when making a picture frame:

1. Figure out how big the frame needs to be and then add on about 15% for cutting the miters and to deal with defects in the wood.
2. Dimension the wood (i.e., get it square and flat).
3. Before the wood is ripped down to strips, I like to put the rabbet in to hold the picture. A plow plane is good here, followed by some clean-up with a shoulder plane. Another good choice is something like a No. 78.
4. Rip a strip off the stock, clean up the saw marks on the stock with a plane and repeat the rabbeting process. Don't worry about the saw marks on the strip, those will be on the outside of the frame, and can be cleaned up after glue-up.
5. Miter the ends and adjust the fit with a shooting board.
6. Glue up the pieces.
7. After the glue has dried saw areas in the corners of the frame to take splines for strength. Make some splines to fit the areas. I like to use a different species of wood which will contrast with the wood in the frame.
8. Glue in the splines.
9. Saw the splines close to flush and then clean up with a block plane.
10. Clean up any other areas that need it, with a block plane on the outside. Clean up glue squeeze out on the inside corners with a chisel and/or a chisel plane.
11. Add some decorative elements to the frame. Could be just a simple chamfer all around the outside. Could be more complicated by making some grooves with a plow plane for an inlay with a different wood.

How do I prepare my surface on the frame pieces if the end result is rounded? Would I use my #7 to flatten, my block to create the bevel or rounded fronts, and then use my smoother to make the rounding effect perfect?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by rounded. But if that means you wanted a rounded over edge on the frame, you would do that after you've glued up the frame pieces. So dimension your stock square and flat as normal. To get the round over, after the frame is glued up, use marking tools to put a line on either side of the arris you want to bring down. Now you can use a block plane to work that down. At this point, I typically use a bit of sand paper to smooth the round over and get it evened out. But you could use a curved scraper.

[Chris S Anderson]

Going to go with splines. Thanks. And that rounded scraper! That fits exactly what I have in mind. I want to round the inside and the outside of the picture frame. Doing the outside edge would be easy after the glue up, but the inside edge is a different story. I could keep it flat and square, but if I wanted to round it off, wouldnt I have to do that before I glue it up?

I've worked with cocobolo and bicote for a few months on 3 different projects, but always employed power tools for everything but the smoothing. Would it be easier to make splines frome one or the other? I was thinking of making one frame from cocobolo and the spline from bicote, and then making the opposite for the other frame. 2 sisters, 2 brothers, 2 sets of parents...perfect for making 2 different sets of frames.

[Michael Faurot]

I want to round the inside and the outside of the picture frame. Doing the outside edge would be easy after the glue up, but the inside edge is a different story.

True, working the inside after glue up can be problematic. There's a couple of ways to do this:

1. While the strip is still attached to the larger piece of stock, and still clamped up for the rabbeting, you could add your round over. I typically avoid the decorative elements at this stage because they often don't line up for me, after the mitering and glue-up. But if you keep this round over small, you may be able to get away with it.
2. Instead of a round over, I like to put a small chamfer on the inside edge. This can be fairly easy to do after glue-up. Work the basic chamfer in with a small plane. This could be done with something like a Lie-Nielsen 100 or Veritas Squirrel-Tail. Home Depot has a little Buck plane that's about $9 that could also work. Then you could work the very inside corners with a chisel or chisel plane like the Lie-Nielsen 97-1/2.

I could keep it flat and square, but if I wanted to round it off, wouldnt I have to do that before I glue it up?

The problem I have, with trying to do this before the glue-up, is getting an exact match at the mitered surfaces. So I do this after the glue-up, which makes it easier.

I've worked with cocobolo and bicote for a few months on 3 different projects, but always employed power tools for everything but the smoothing. Would it be easier to make splines frome one or the other?

Making splines with these exotic woods should be pretty easy to deal with.

I was thinking of making one frame from cocobolo and the spline from bicote, and then making the opposite for the other frame. 2 sisters, 2 brothers, 2 sets of parents...perfect for making 2 different sets of frames.

I'm familiar with cocobolo, but not with bicote. If the two contrast, when you set some pieces next to each other, that should make for some nice looking splines.

If you feel comfortrable working these species with hand tools, then go for it. But if you're still getting familiar with things, try a small scale project/frame out of something like poplar first. It's fairly inexpensive and is very easy to work with hand tools. This won't teach you how to deal with difficult grain, but it will show you how to deal with all the other aspects of making the frame.

[Phillip Pattee]

Chris,
There is also a school of thought where you put the profile you desire on the molding or frame before you cut it to length. The idea is that you use one long piece and profile it so that the profile is continuous and smooth. You could get some hollows and rounds, or some molding planes to shape your frame profile. This is not an area where I have any practical experience though.

[Jim Koepke]

Not much to offer other than a few old chestnuts...

Sometimes the best way to hide the joinery is to have it boldly stand out.

Think of the Greene & Greene style.

Also, you may want to think about the styles in the homes of the people for whom these are being made. If their home is filled with maple furniture will a frame in cocobolo fit in?

My technique might be to use lapped miters. But splined miters and exposed mortise and tenon or bridle joint could also look nice.

jim