How to make quick mirror frames?

[John Schreiber]

I need to make about a dozen mirror frames for my daughter’s girl scout troop to decorate with decoupage. The goal will be quick, cheap, sturdy and not too ugly. They will be 10”x12” with space for a 5”x7” mirror or picture inside.

My first thought was to use construction grade 1 x 10 dimensional lumber, plane it down to ¾” then use a router with a guide to round the edges, cut out the inside and most of the recess for the mirror and backing. (see front and back picture below) I would make a hardboard template for the outside and inside profiles, use double stick tape to attach it to the wood, tape the whole thing on some sacrificial foam and go around and around lowering the bit each time to get rid of the wood I don’t want. Then I’d have to use another template to route out the recess for the mirror.

That sounds like it would work, but it would waste a lot of wood and double stick tape. It wouldn’t be very strong.

Frame Router Frontjpg (858 x 705).jpg Frame Router Backjpg (858 x 705).jpg

I saw another idea to glue together overlapping slats, (see front and back picture below) probably “clamped” with brads from the back. The different widths of boards leave the recess for the mirror. I could plane the stock to thickness and width, and make up a jig to cut to a consistent length. That should work, but the approach is totally new to me.

Frame Slats Front (858 x 705).jpg Frame Slats Back (858 x 705).jpg

Ideas?

[Tim Lynch]

If it's going to be covered with decoupage, why not do your first idea with plywood? Maybe you/they could find a use for the piece cut out of the middle...

Otherwise, you could purchase a few lengths of molding, rabbet one edge to receive the mirror, miter all the pieces at once with a nice repeatable stop, and assemble them using an assembly jig, glue, and a brad gun.

I made a whole ton of frames this way to use as a faux panel decoration for my dining room and it went rather quickly. The assembly jig was just a square of plywood screwed down to the workbench.

Sure, it's not fine art, but again, won't the decoupage cover everything anyway?

[Tim Sproul]

The goal will be quick, cheap, sturdy and not too ugly.

Pockey hole joinery?

Lap joints can be cut very quickly - especially if it only requires 1-3 passes over the dado head - on a table saw. Glue and then pin/nail the laps together to avoid clamp time. With laps, you can also let the ends protrude, giving a bit more aesthetic appeal in the Arts and Crafts/Mission style.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Your simplest and fastest methods would be using stopped cuts in 3/4" MDF.

Freaky (the first time you try it) but effective.
AND FAST.
I made a 66" hallway bench that is a HUGE three-dimensional torsion box using stopped cuts on TS.

Here are the individual steps

1
- cut 3/4" MDF to outside dimensions
- mark starts and stops of frame's opening on the 3/4" MDF using a square and a pencil
- draw these lines to the board's edges

2
- clamp a sacrificial face to fence
- raise the blade
- using a square for these next two steps -
- mark the start of the blade on the sacrificial face using a marker
- mark the back of the blade on the sacrificial face using a marker

3
- measure out the required distance from your blade to the fence
- lock down the fence

4
- lower the blade

5
- put the board over the blade area

6
- turn on the saw

7
- raise the blade

8
- as you advance into the blade -
- reference the pencil lines on the board to the marker lines on the sacrificial face clamped to the fence

8
use a router for the following -
- rabbets in the newly-created openings
- roundover or chamfer the edges
- MDF is sharp!!

Obvious safety issues in stopped cuts on the TS
- keep track of the blade's location
- keep track of your fingers
- this is a small opening
- a 10" blade might not let you safely cut small openings without having to "pop" the cutoffs with a chisel or a jigsaw
- you can buy a 7 1/2" DeWalt plywood blade at HD for +/- 7$C

I f you have any questions - feel free to e-mail me

Howard

[John Gornall]

Rip some lengths of 3/4 MDF to 2 1/2 inches wide. Cut 12" and 10" pieces with 45 miters. Bisquit each corner and glue. Run a rabbet around with router using bearing guided rabbet bit. Should be able to make a dozen in half an hour.