Do picture frames need splines?

[Dan McGonigle]

Hey guys, I’m rushing trying to finish up 4 picture frames for Christmas gifts. When making picture frames I normally spline the miters to reinforce the joint but also to add visual interest with a contrasting wood. In this case I do not want splines for the sake of visual interest but am I wondering if my joints will fail without them. The frames are mahogany with a thin strip of maple inlayed 1/4” from the outside edges. If splining the joints for reinforcement is necessary I will use mahogany to not distract from the rest of the frame, but even then there will be a noticeable grain difference (albeit, likely noticeable to me only) and another step in the process. I’m hoping to have these shellacked and ready for glass Saturday afternoon. Any thoughts appreciated!

[Andrew Hughes]

I think they will fail eventually.If you don't have time to spline them at least shoot a finish nail in the corners and fill the hole. No one will notice the picture in the frame should hold their attention.

[Cary Falk]

I would reinforce it with something. Biscuits are great for this if you want it hidden

[Edwin Santos]

A lot of people cut the slot for splines at the table saw or router table with a slotting cutter. Both of these will do a good job but you have to make a carrier jig of some kind. If you have a biscuit joiner, the photo attached demonstrates another quick way.
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[Edwin Santos]

I don't know how wide your picture frame material is, but if it is wide enough for this technique, also using a biscuit joiner, it might be a way to reinforce the joint and keep the spline hidden.

101674298.jpg

[Lee Schierer]

When gluing mitered corners you are essentially gluing end grain. Apply glue to both sides of the joint and you will get a much stronger joint.

[Doug Hepler]

Dan,

I doubt that you need splines. Miter joints are considerably stronger than conventional wisdom suggests. See MacKenna FWW Jan/Feb 2009. He found that miter joints are strong but he is concerned that they can weaken with time because of seasonal wood movement. Maybe that would be true if the boards were wide, but I suspect that it is more a theoretical problem than a real one. "Prime" the mating surfaces with PVC adhesive. Let it soak in a bit and they apply a bit more adhesive.

If the frame will be suspended from the vertical pieces, and if the glass is heavy, you might consider reinforcing the bottom corners. You can use a gusset on the back of the frame or finishing nails driven in horizontally (as it would hang). Drill for the nails. Since I don't know how much weight or how much surface area we are concerned with I can only offer a tentative answer.

Doug

[Shawn Pixley]

I’d offer that heavier / larger frames need splines. I am working to repair 3 pieces that failed in my house. (No, I didn’t frame them myself). One will need thicker frame material as the glass weight has pushed out the frame at the bottom.

[Brian Henderson]

Need? No. Greatly benefit from? Yes. You need something to reinforce the corner, be it a dowel or a spline or staples. Butt and miter joints are just not that strong on their own. How you do it depends on the design of your frame and the aesthetic you're going for.

[Jim Becker]

"Size Matters". Smaller frames will not likely need a lot of reinforcement beyond a brad or two through the corners to lock things together. The glass and other materials works to keep things tidy. Larger frames will be better served with some form of reinforcement. It can be invisible splines, Dominos, biscuits, dowels, whatever or visible splines as a design statement. Another method, if you are doing a "built up" frame is having the base layer half-lapped which is super strong due to the huge glue surface.

[Jacques Gagnon]

Edwin:

Thanks for sharing your approach; it will give me an opportunity to get the biscuit joiner out of the box it has been sitting in since I bought the Domino.

[roger paul]

Edwin on your biscuit joiner is that home made or something that can be bought.
Thanks in advance

[Edwin Santos]

Edwin on your biscuit joiner is that home made or something that can be bought.
Thanks in advance

Roger,
Just to clarify the photo came from an article in Wood magazine, but to answer your question this would be a shop made jig. I just cut two 45 degree triangles off a piece of scrap ply and instead of bolting them to the biscuit joiner like the photo shows I fastened them temporarily with hot glue. A high quality double stick tape would do fine also.

I cut the spline material at the bandsaw, but the table saw would do also.

Edwin

[Jim Becker]

That's a really interesting way to do the splines using the biscuit cutter!

[Al Launier]

Good thread Dan.

Jim's suggestion of a half-lap miter joint is really good as it provides a very strong joint.

You might also consider this as an alternative: http://www.rockler.com/rockler-45-de...s-1-2-in-shank, with this if preferred http://www.rockler.com/router-bit-se...ock-miter-bits