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What wood to make frames from scratch

Posted: Fri 25 Feb, 2011 10:09 am
by Nigel55uk
I cannot find an appropriate "L shape" canvas/tray frame profile to make a frame for a series of canvases - which means starting from scratch with a square piece of lumber, rebating it, staining and finishing it.

What wood would be recommended that is easily available?

Re: What wood to make frames from scratch

Posted: Fri 25 Feb, 2011 2:16 pm
by JFeig
There are many "Floater Frames" available from various manufacturers. Recheck you searching with that title and you might be more successful in your search.

Re: What wood to make frames from scratch

Posted: Fri 25 Feb, 2011 2:53 pm
by framemaker
Welcome to the forum Nigel,

I would have thought tulip/poplar would be a good timber to use. You could try Mark at Piaf 2 Mouldings 01394 450022 if you want some made up.

Re: What wood to make frames from scratch

Posted: Fri 25 Feb, 2011 2:58 pm
by markw
Depends what sort of finish you want - if you are looking for a painted finish - then almost any softwood would do - If on the other hand you want a bare wood finish then Oak - Ash or Tulip are good. My preference for finishing would be ash - it stains well and has a nice grain. You may find for the type of frame you are writing about then the most cost efficient way of producing the profile you need is to use flat profiles glued together to make the L shape rather than routing out the shape.

Re: What wood to make frames from scratch

Posted: Fri 25 Feb, 2011 5:09 pm
by JamesC
Arqadia do more canvas Ls than are in the catalogue - so make sure you check online or ask your rep. Black, white, and dark wood are the most common I think.

Re: What wood to make frames from scratch

Posted: Fri 25 Feb, 2011 5:27 pm
by prospero
You might be able to find a plain, flat moulding that suits your purpose by turning it so the rebate faces down. Then it's an easy job to put a flat piece of timber in the rebate to form the shelf. Less wasteful than machining out an L from one piece. You might even find a finished moulding you could use this way by painting the back (which would be the inside) black.