Butt jointed frames

[Not your average framer]

Judging by what I see in customers homes, there appears to be quite a good market for rustic looking "butt-jointed" frames. Unfortunately, they are not something easily made from ready rebated mouldings and probably are best made by routing the rebate after making the frame. I've also never done this, so I'm ready to be educated by anyone who knows better.

So far the nearest I've come to anything like this is to butt some rectangular sections of pine together and glue another much smaller profile to the back to form the rebate. This results in what John (Roboframer) call the cookoo clock effect. Even using this method it can be very difficult to find an adequate method of fixing the butt joints, if the width of the wood exceeds the length of available nails and screws, etc.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[prospero]

Never made one, but the idea has crossed my mind.

How about fixing narrow quadrant to form the rebate?

or

Make a carcass out of flat timber and mitre as usual, then face it with thin timber. The thin timber would be wider than the underneath so the overlap forms the rebate. Rough sawn pine as used for fencing panels would be good. I have a stack of this saved since my fence blew down. Nice and wheathered complete with rusty nail holes. One day it will be frames.

or

cheat.

Make a flat frame and get out the old ripple paint. Cover the mitres well and use a comb to give it that rough sawn look. You can score the corners to make it look like a butt joint. Even add extra fake butt joints halfway along. It you get plenty of paint on and keep combing as the paint dries you get to a point where it starts to churn up the surface. It really looks like rough wood. Circular sweeps make a nice 'circular saw' marks. If you really want the whole hog, bang a few cut off rusty nails in.

[prospero]

As for make proper butt joints....

Where's Norm Abrams when you need him. He hasn't been on TV lately.

A biscuit/glue and clamp joint would be strong enough for a wide/small frame. Bigger ones a halflap joint would be strong, but you need a wide bandsaw to do them quickly and consistently accurate. Maybe a sliding chop saw as well.

Dowels in the corners would look good for more highly finished woods.

Why not get yourself over to the Grumble Mark. They seem to do a lot of this sort of stuff over there.

[Bill Henry]

A style that was popular a few years ago were Cross-Bar Frames.



They were rustic-type frames, generally roughly finished. The Cross Bar was particularly effective for “antique-like” cross stitch and crewel.

We purchase them since all we have is a miter saw, but for those who have a table saw, it should be a quick and easy construct.

[The Crofter]

Butt joints in timber can be secured using pocket holes & special screws.

This link will give an example http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp? ... =1&jump=44

Incidently it is worth getting the Axminster catalogue. Full of stuff you never thought you needed.

[danchip1]

You could use rebated timber profile and cut a stub tenon and stagger the shoulders accordingly, glue and clamp with sash clamp, much the same as in construction of door and window sash joints etc, alot of faffing about and more suited to a joinery work shop
As you observe, a rebate could be routed in afterwoods, but messy...
I used to make cupboard doors and would use a screw them and insert a wooden pellet in a pre drilled hole, you see the 10mm perfect circle but can look quite nice and discreet of done tidyly
I never really got on with dowels, the principle is sound but much precision needed, you can get a jig.
Biscuit jointer is probably a good bet but not for narrower profiles...

[WelshFramer]

Incidently it is worth getting the Axminster catalogue. Full of stuff you never thought you needed.

I'm told that visiting their shop can empty your bank account even quicker than looking through the catalogue.

[framejunkie]

I've never visited the shop, but Axminster has emptied my bank account more than once. The price i pay for being a wood geek, i suppose. Get the catalogue though. If i ever win the lottery i shall phone them up and say 'One of everthing please'

[prospero]

If I ever get my outside workshop sorted out, I want to get some good woodworking stuff. At the mo there is just room for a cheepo table saw and an even more cheepo chop saw. And then I can only use them when it isn't raining as I have to run an extension cable across the yard. On the wishlist is: A good table saw, planer/thicknesser, router table and a compound mite saw. What I could knock up with all that kit.

I have seen quite a few of the cross-corner frames as Bill illustrates. Usually oak, half lap joint on the corners with a cove routed on the edges just short of the corners. Not difficult to make with the right gear.

[Not your average framer]

I am also a fan of Axminster Power Tools and have bought quite a bit of useful stuff from them.

However the big item on my "wish list" is not available from them. Most forum members would not see the need for one of these and it would take a long time to get back what it costs to buy it, but I fancy Prospero might be with me on this one.

BTW they ain't cheap and you'll need to spend more money on a really BIG router, plus bits and special accessories before you can use it too! Plus if that's not enough expense, they have to be shipped to the UK from the USA.

However we are talking serious woodworking machinery and expense or not, I still want one! One day........

Here's the link: http://www.legacywoodworking.com/products.cfm?product=3

[prospero]

Drooling in the keyboard M8. Actually, That's not a lot more $$$s than a pro-quality compound mitre saw. (Shipping aside)

Someone posted a link to another gizmo on the G the other day. It was about two grand, but it did curved profiles as well as straight. I'll see if I can find it again......

What else can you buy for 2K these days? About 15 sheets of Museum glass (???)

[framemaker]

I would also add one of these bad boys to my wish list of machines I want:

http://www.shopbotbuddy.com/



regarding butt/lap jointed frames check out some of the joining methods here:

http://www.holtonframemakers.com/frames ... tment.html

in fact the whole website is worth a good look

[avantime]

Hello All - I've not been here for a while!

Anyway the Kregg system is very good on a budget.

I you have a router a simple way to rebate the frame sides is to make an MDF base (30mm if poss). Fix the router to the underside of the MDF with the rebate cutter poking out of the top side. Make a fence out of a couple of strips of wood screwed into the MDF in line with the rebate cutter - off set it so you get a 10mm rebate. With butt jointed frames 2 sides need the rebate to run right through. The other 2 sides need to be "stopped" - the rebate starts inside the line of the end cut (??!!) and ends before the other end (??!!).

Then using the Kreg pocket drill and screws the frame can be glued and joined.

I also have a "Big Bully" - an underpinner designed for joining butt frames. It's made by Taurus and fires straight brads across the joints in 3 places at a time! Must admit I rarely use it now - I used to make pine Arched Mirrors.

[Bron]

Here, an example of a butt-joined frame: http://frame-notes.blogspot.com/2009/05 ... inery.html

The rabbet is milled with a router, one of my "electric beavers", squared with mallet and chisel, Gesso and leaf cover a multitude of sins.

[framejunkie]

That's beautiful work Bron. Welcome to the forum. I aspire to making hand-carved frames, but never seem to have the time to brush up on my long-forgotten carving skills - I did some when i was a kid, and i still have all the gouges i inherited off my dad - he was a woodwork teacher, and not exactly a master carver. I pray that one day I'll have the time...

[Bron]

Simon,

Thanks!

Did some one mention free beer?