The Framers Forum

A question often asked by folk new to DIY home/hobby framing is what equipment do I need to get started. Well, as I started out using a hand mitre saw and hand mitre trimmer, I thought I would show how easy it is to use this kit and get quality results.

To make a hand finished frame you will need:

Mitre saw
Mitre trimmer
Mitre clamp and band clamp
Wood glue, hammer and nails
Wood filler and sandpaper
Paint and wax

Hopefully the photos are self explanatory.
The finish I wanted for this corner sample was a distressed dark blue.
Materials used were:
Rose & Hollis A103 Pine
Farrow & Ball Off Black mixed with Hague Blue
Sanded back to wood for distress finish
Finished with Liberon Walnut wax.

To make a complete frame use a band clamp while the glue sets and then tranfer to the mitre clamp for cross nailing.
As well as accurate mitres you need to make sure opposite sides of a frame are exactly the same length.

Thats a really nice finish on the moulding David, I really like the look of that. Thanks for the prompt re colours and mix, really helpful. I will have a go at that.
I have some of those tools too, which now sit redundant, due to the intro of morso and underpinner etc.
But seeing the mitre trimmer brought back memories , so very sharp, without thinking I picked mine up holding each edge from the front (either side of the blades), stupidly I forgot my fingers went round the back and guess what the one blade sliced right into two of my fingers, like a scalpel , thankfully I still have them, but they took a while to heel. So anyone starting out with these tools remember the sharpness of the mitre trimmer, think carefully about hand position before you pick it up or move it.

This post is VERY helpful to a complete beginner who has yet to purchase, but fingers crossed I have myself a Logan F100-2 mitre saw, Logan Pro Joiner and the DIYFraming mitre trimmer in the pipeline... although I now know I need more stuff as well as a mount cutter.
Can i ask what an underpinner is?

Your pro joiner is an underpinner but I suppose the definition would be a machine that joins a mitre with a 'V' shaped sort of 'staple' or a 'wedge'. You can get pneumatic ones or manual ones.

Here's a manual one

[youtube]ar3G23QweWw[/youtube]

Here's a pneumatic one, accompanied by the Queen of Sheba.

[youtube]ZbjSKcnhwgI[/youtube]

Your pro joiner is an underpinner -holds the moulding whilst inserting a pin ( v nail) from underneath.

Ah right Iv got you

Kevlar wrote:...so very sharp, without thinking I picked mine up holding each edge from the front (either side of the blades), stupidly I forgot my fingers went round the back and guess what the one blade sliced right into two of my fingers, like a scalpel , thankfully I still have them, but they took a while to heel. So anyone starting out with these tools remember the sharpness of the mitre trimmer, think carefully about hand position before you pick it up or move it.

Done that too

Good advice from Kevlar about being very careful when you pick up the trimmer. You should always wear gloves when you do move it..... preferably made out of Kevlar... that's if he doesn't mind!

Thick skinned plenty to go round, took a while for me to get myself back together after concorde used me on the inside of their fuel tanks.

Thank you for the advice.
Mind if I ask you where you get your Liberon walnut oil, I've tried the internet and cannot locate it?

And does the walnut oil alter the paint colour at all?
I've just finished a furniture beeswax tin that I'm pleased to get rid of, as it changes the colour of light paints, darkening them a shade or 2. Annoying when you've got the colour just so to match the painting.

Use Liberon's stockist locator service at:http://www.liberon.co.uk/stockist-locator,436,465.html

Jonny. That's an extremely helpful link.
5 stores local to me - inclusive of travis perkins. Many thanks

It was walnut coloured WAX that I used and I chose it to darken the blue paint!
As J2M suggests, you could try http://www.liberon.co.uk/ or http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/Home.php if such a thing as walnut oil exists? I know it tastes good drizzled on a stir fry or salad!

I would be a bit wary of using an oiled finish on frames. I once stood a mount on an oiled beechwood easel with bad consequences. The mount acquired a tidemark several inches wide at the bottom.

Liberon do two colours - 'Clear' and 'Natural'. One is colourless, the other yellowish. Never can remember which is which, but I use the yellow one on white painted finishes with no noticeable colour shift.

You could try a decorators 'Varnishing Wax', which is just a clear medium that you paint on. Dries very clear.

Ooops, my typo mistake there, David & Prospero.
I use walnut oil, yes the edible kind, but for cleaning oil paint off of my brushes and just didn't think or register as I posted.
I did know you mean wax and it's written properly on my shopping list.

Hello Prospero.
I'll have a look out for Varnishing Wax too. At the moment if I want a light satin lustre to my frames for protection, I use a very expensive artist satin gloss, or matt varnish if I don't want the shine.

It works, but I'd like to find an alternative too.

Thank you again for your help.