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??
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