Four Picture Frames for Mom's Needlepoint

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StartDate: 
Oct 05 2009 to Nov 30 2009
Finished project?: 
Yes
Work History: 

In November 2009, I had promised my mother that I would frame a set of four of her needlepoint projects. She had fairly specific requirements: the frame should be simple, but provide a way to put glass in front of the picture, but the glass could NOT touch the picture. This was a challenge I enjoyed attacking.
I created four frames, and managed to finish them in time to ship them to Mom in Ohio in time for Christmas. Unfortunately I was in such a rush to get them finished and shipped, I only managed to take pictures of two of them.

Design Notes: 

I created an inner frame out of very clear poplar, just large enough to hold the picture in a recess at the back, and just thick enough to hold the needlepoint about 1/4" away from the glass. This inner frame was then wrapped in an outer frame of red oak. The outer frame was two layers, since I didn't have anything thicker than 5/4 in the shop. The front layer is a mortise and tenon frame that is pinned through the tenons. The outer frame is just a flat miter frame that is screwed to the back of the front frame. The poplar inner frame is then inserted into a very deep recess in the back. The whole thing is then backed with a thin piece of plywood behind the picture, held in place by brads.

Afterthoughts: 

Technically challenging, these were the first frames I decided to try completely from scratch. And they turned out very nice. I did have one place where tearout in the routed profile ate into the hidden tenon of the front frame, but I was able to camaflouge that error fairly well. And a couple of the mortise and tenon joints have slight gaps. But considering it is a first attempt at such a complicated frame, they turned out great. As usual during this era, the finish was poly over BLO (boiled linseed oil), which turned out very nice.