Design help, please--picture frame

[Alex Yeilding]

I know, what could be simpler than a picture frame, right? But this is a two-sided frame, suspended within another frame by rods that allow it to pivot around the vertical axis. The attatched image is a model of the frame, with a cutaway showing the profile. I am not wed to this profile, but am inclined to something simple, not a molding with lots of detail.

My problem is: How do I allow for inserting pictures,glass, mats, etc.?

A few things I have thought of so far include:

A sharp line in the molding profile, that on one side is a sub-frame that is tacked in to hold the pictures (but this subframe would be fragile)

A slot along the top through which the glass/photo/phot/glass sandwich could be lowered.

Make the top of the fram removable, indexed with a pin or dowel for alignment and to keep the sides from pullng out when he frame is assembled (but the open "U" would be fragile when the top was removed, unless there was a small piece retained to connect the sides.

No grooves on the side, and a deeper groove on the top than the bottom. E.g., the width between the inside edges of the frame verticals would be only a hair wider than the width of the photos and glass, and between the top and bottom would be 1/4" narrower. The bottom groove would be 1/8" deep and the top one 5/16". Pictures would be pushed up into the top groove, then lowered into the bottom one.

I'm leaning toward this last one, but don't like doing away with the margins on the sides, and while these frames are likely to remain upright, I don't like the insecurity of the glass just being held in by gravity (maybe a spring clip in the top dado will revove this issue).

So, what additional ideas can you folks throw out? I'm sure there is an elegant solution out there that will have me asking "Why in the world didn't I think of that??

[Jamie Buxton]

Use the glass as part of the structure. Fasten the axle pins to the top and bottom mouldings, and glue the mouldings to the glass. Epoxy will glue glass and wood. You can glue one side moulding on, too, if you want. The picture and matting slide in from the side. The other side moulding slides on after that. You may be able to get that last side moulding to stay on with just friction. If not, you'll need some other way to hold it on, like VHB tape.

This approach might be a little easier if you change the miters to butts.

[Doug Shepard]

Here's one thought - put threaded inserts into the bottom corners with fine machine screws with the heads countersunk so that nothing was visible unless you got underneath it.

[Todd Burch]

One long side for the frame could be held at the top and bottom with a dowel coming out of the miters (glued) at a right angle to fit into snug holes in the top & bottom rails. This mechanical joint could be reinforced with a rare earth magnets. Your 4 miter joints could have a v-groove reveal to them so it is less obvious that one side will pull out to give access to the glass and contents.

Todd

[Jamie Buxton]

Magnets! But of course!

[Alex Yeilding]

A belated thanks to those of you who posted ideas here

I like the idea of using one of the glass pieces structurally. It solves both the problem of the fragility of the structure with one side removed and the fixing on 1/2 of each of the unglued bevel joints.

Still toying with the ideas of insert-and-screw and magnets, as well as the idea of using splines in the corners, and leaving friction fit for the removable side of the frame.

BTW, I just saw a similar frame on a mass mailing from one of the WW magazines. Theirs was on a destop unit, while my frames will be the panels of a screen. I'm still inclined to make the top or bottom removable. My frames will be removable from the screen for changing out pictures, so gravity will tend to hold the rev=movable top or bottom in, and grabbing hold of the frame by the edge to turn it will not tned to pull out the unglued edge.

Thanks again for the advice.