Picture Frames

Here's some pics and jabber about the picture frames I'm making for my Grandma. The design is of my own creation. It's quite simple and considerably easy to make. I used some African Mahogany that I bought at a yard sale last summer. I got the wood for probably about half a penny per foot. Talk about a good deal! The pictures should be explanatory.

First I used my router to make a rabbet cut along the edge of the 3/4" by 1" sides.
(The rabbet cut is that groove along the edge)

Next I cut an bevel along the edge with my tablesaw.

Repeat last two steps 1,849 times. Not really.  Next step: Miter the corners.

This is where the miter sled I made several day ago comes into play. It made it very quick and easy to cut all these miters.

This is what the final picture frame will look like. There will be 4 just like this one and 2 rectangle ones.

          If you think what you just saw looked complicated, then stick around for the glue-up and finishing! You haven't seen nothing yet. Yes, I must admit; I have a strong dislike for gluing and staining. But, I am not alone. In fact, this is a common feeling for woodworkers. We have put so much effort into building our projects that when it comes time to glue and stain, we dread the thought of something going wrong. Besides that, it's tedious, time-consuming and messy. Oh well, I guess that's just life!

    My next post will show the glue-up and staining processes. See ya!

The New & Improved Table Saw Miter Sled

  I am making some picture frames for my grandmother right now (more on that in my next post) and since I'll be making tons a 45 degree cuts, I thought it best to make a user friendly and efficient miter jig. I thought of using the traditional one that came with my table saw, but I wasn't looking forward to using it for the 48 cuts I had to make. So, I decided to make a better one.

Here's a pic of the traditional miter jig. Tried and true it may be, but not the best for multiple cuts (at least not the one I have)

 Voila! After 30 minutes of dedicated work, I finished this handy tool.

             Here's a picture of the sled at work. (Well, not really...the saw's not moving)
              So, in sum, now I have a quick and easy way to make all those tricky cuts.
                            Stay tuned to see the picture frames I'll be making with this!

The New Tool Cupboard

Here's the new tool cupboard in my shop. I re-purposed an old box I found.

And here's the tools. It's pretty much just the tools that I use for dovetailing. Plus a level. I made customized spots for each tool.

                                                

I think I might put some back-saws in the door. Not for sure yet. That's all for now!