Joining spacers when flat

[Fellows Framing]

Hello,

I am struggling to join spacers (approx 6mm deep) when flat with mitred corners to make a "frame", but without a rebate.

I know they are not designed for this but in this case I need a very thin inner frame.

My underpinner 5mm nails are just slightly to long and gluing makes such a fragile bond due to the small surface area that it breaks to easily.

Does anyone have any tips for how to join the mitred corners please?

Thanks in advance.

Kind Regards
Sarah

[Not your average framer]

What gives your frames made from slips their strength? Is ther nothing else to strengthen these? I'm not completely sure how this is intended to work. What holds the glass and backing board in place?

[Not your average framer]

Have you consider using Rose and Hollis A10 (pine), or Simons M0092C, Simons M0092F, these are cheaper than slip, but can easily be made to look nice as well.

[Jag62]

Not sure what underpinner you have but Cassesse do 3mm wedges.

Regards,

Neil

[JFeig]

You did not say if or if-not this spacer is intended to be visible when being viewed in the frame. If it is not, then a whole or partial "lap joint" would add strength. This will take some woodworking skill to achieve.

[Tudor Rose]

We often use 3mm wedges to do this.

[Not your average framer]

my original reason for buying a Cassesse under pinner was the fact that Cassesse underpiiner are made to use 3mm wedges' I have been using 3mm wedges for years and they are geat for joining slips. I use lots of slips, because they enable me to do so many different creative things. Slips are a really big deal for me! They are so easy to create accents and contrasts with, and so cheap to add extra interest to an otherwise less interesting frame. I don't know why slip seem to be out of favour with so many people. They have never been out of favour in my shop!

I used to regularly buy Frinton Mouldings bargain bundles until one day they put there prices up and also what they put in the bargain bundles was not so useful. I've still got quite a few mouldings which came from these bargain bundles, but I needed to be a bit creative to sell them. Some were sometimes a bit dated of just needed that lttle something extra to really make them "rock". That extra something came from suitably painted slps or narrow moulding added inside these frames. I'm still doing it now, it's something of a trademark of things that I do.

I use plenty of the Cassesse 3mm wedges to join them and it works a treat!

[Fellows Framing]

Thanks all for your comments.

I have a minigraf underpinner smallest v nail is 5mm.

The "spacer" frame is to sit inside rebate of another frame and will be visible.

Would anyone sell me a strip of 3mm softwood v nails please? I could hammer them I think as its a soft wood. What do you think?

Sarah

[Justintime]

Also are you using a decent PVA like Titebond. Clamped with a good glue, you'll have a job to pull it apart, imho. i use Ulmia clamps for something like this. Once in the frame, it won't be under much stress.

[vintage frames]

This is just a simple inserted slip situation.
I've been doing this for ages.

Forget the underpinner ( and the hammer ). Using a good quality wood glue ( Titebond 3 ) assemble the slips lightly together on a sheet of glass.
Now wrap a light duty strap clamp around the slips and tighten very slighty.
When you're happy that all the mitres are true, place another piece of glass on top to cover the strap clamp.
Add a suitable weight to hold down the glass and now tighten up the clamp.

You will be surprised how strong the bond will be.

[vintage frames]

Just to add to that -

It's a good idea to wipe a little wax over the under sheet of glass. If it is too clean then any excess wood glue that bleeds from the slip mitres can actually harden and stick a bit to the glass.

[pramsay13]

When I use small spacers I simply glue them and put them inside the larger frame to dry. Then it doesn't matter that they are not particularly strong as the bigger frame provides the strength.

[whitbyframer]

I turn the psi down to about 40 and can then use 5mm wedges as they don't come through.

[prospero]

If the v-nail is bursting though the face then place them so the rebate of the outer frame will conceal the break.

Or

You could place a scrap piece of mountboard under the corner so it does not penetrate as far and then file/grind off the
nail flush on the underside.

[Not your average framer]

Another possibility would be to glue the spacer together with super glue. I know that some framers do this. It's not what I like to do, I'm not sure how long super glue will last for!