Box Frame - Attaching Glass Without Adding Outer Frame

[RobM]

I was wondering if anyone had experience doing this sort of thing...

I'm doing a shadow box for a client, who has floated the idea of utilising only the box frame with an extra notch cut out of it, and the glazing dropped on top - no additional outside frame. As crudely shown on the attached sketch.

The obvious question is attaching the glass straight onto the notched-out box frame - would there be a glue that could reliably do this? I guess the next problem with this is how visibly blobs of glue might appear.

Would this just be a fools errand, or has anyone done this? Were do still have the option to add an extra frame, but I promised I'd ask about.

[JFeig]

This concept reminds me of metal framed glass retail display cases that used 1/4" plate glass as the counter top. They used putty to hold the glass in place. The putty was allowed to squeeze out and then the excess was removed with putty knives.

Are you planning to use gravity to hold the glazing for this frame in place as with a display case? A vertical installation might be problematic over time if it is hung on a wall. Using your words: "A fools errand" is in the making.

The tried and true method is to have a very deep rabbit with the glazing supported under the lip with one of several methods: glazing points under the glass, a small matching wood strip that is nailed into the side wall of the moulding, or a wood or board support that covers the entire side wall of the rabbit. Then there is also the glue in method.

[JKX]

If you could cut a groove a fraction wider than the glass thickness, about 5mm from the top, you could assemble three sides, slide the glass in, then fix the last side in.

The glass will rattle a bit but you could sort that out if need be.

[vintage frames]

I'm thinking you want the glass to be almost flush with the top surface of the frame.
If so, then cut the notch out first.
Cut the glass to fit as neatly as possible.
Polish the edges of the glass with some wet n'dry and water.
Now you need to run a very thin continuous bead of clear silicone around the face of the notch. This requires a fair degree of skill and if it was me, I would take it my my local glazier workshop and slip them a fiver for one of their guys to do it instead.

After pressing the glass in, leave to cure for 24 hours and then use a sharp razor blade to remove any excess silicone bleed.

[RobM]

Thanks for the help, guys.

It was a silly question from the outset - a groove, instead of a rabbet, would be the way to go. Though I can imagine the difficulty with that method would be sliding in the glass and attaching the last side without getting more dust inside, and the difficulty of then taking it apart again

The putty/silicone methods sound like something I perhaps shouldn't be trying on this project, but this and the above method are things that I ought to be trying out otherwise, if I'm going to buck up my game.

As it happens, we're going for an outer frame anyway this time, but I'm better aware.