Picture Frame - Mitre Corner with splines

 

This is what I wanted, a picture frame for my drawing. The drawing is an odd size, so there are no standard (cheap) frames available, hence a custom frame needed to be made.

  I thought a rustic  look suited pussy willows, so finger jointed 1 x 2 was okay for this job.  Although current glues are very good I wanted to give the corners a little extra support.  The wood is less than 3/4 thick (after sanding)  and only 1 1/4 wide (after trimming)  so I felt dowels would be more trouble than they would be worth.  Instead I opted for veneer splines to add glue surface to the mitred corner.

  To cut the slots I used my Moxon vise to hold my work.

  The 'real' Moxon style vise is generally used for holding boards while cutting dove tail joints. You can buy, and spend a bunch of money for the 'real' thing.

  I went DIY.

  My vise clamps to my work table and uses clamps instead  of screws to move the jaws holding the material being sawn. As far as I can tell it works fine. 

   The mitred corner is clamped in the vise where it is very well supported and I used a rip saw to cut the slot.  After the slot was cut I used 80 grit sand paper to widen the slot slightly to  fit the veneer I had available.

  

  I cut the veneer with a sharp knife and glued it in place.

  I give the glue several hours to dry before I slice off the excess with a flush cut saw and knife.

 I could easily hide the spline with some stain if I wanted.  This project doesn't require the extra step.  After making many picture  frames over the years I think I have found the one I like the best.  A larger frame from thicker wood could easily have two splines per corner  and be quite solid.

Fifteen

  Yesterday was our fifteenth wedding anniversary.  Eva gave me a cool card, treats and some interesting beers. ( thank you Sweetie)  I gave her chocolates, a glass pitcher for summer drinks and a maple 15. I'm not much for cards.

 The 15 is nothing clever but...the vise I used to finish the 15 is.

  This vise is my DIY version of a  Moxon Vise.  My vise is strong and flexible and can be mounted almost any where using a variety of clamps. 

 Because of the design I could slide the "15" down in the jaws and have it supported while I filed the saw makes away.

   The other bonus is I mounted the vise on my stand up bench section so that I was working at chest level while filing, not hunched over.  My back troubles me less when I stand up and sit up straight.

  That is the assortment of rasps and files I used to remove the saw marks and smooth the wood.  One of maple's great virtues is that it will finish as smooth as glass if you take the time.

  As a foot note:  here is the Wedding Guest Board that I made a couple of weeks ago.

  I hope they still have it 15 years from now.

cheers, ianw

Woodworking Vise

  We all agree that if you are going to do quality wood working you need to have time, talent, and good tools.  There are dozens of books and web sites discussing work benches and nearly as many dealing with vises, clamps and hold downs. In my case buying and learning how to use clamps and vises made for a noticeable improvement in the final quality of my work.

  To go along with the various discussions relating to vises the Moxon Vise is discussed at length.  Last April I wrote a blog for another site about my version of the Moxon (face ) vise.

   

  I found my vise to be practical and useful for my needs. As I was surfing around this morning I found another woodworker's take on the Moxon Vise.  His motivation seemed much like mine, he wanted the utility of the vise without the ultra hype and high cost.

Make an Inexpensive Sliding Moxon Vise

  You can see that on my vise I used Bessey Clamps and Mr. Bates used pipe clamps. I enjoyed is video, and it shows why I don't make videos, my shop is never, ever that clean and neat.  I can only guess that Mr. Bates is a much more organised and professional woodworker than I.

  A footnote project is the box I made for the kids house.  The box is made to sit on a low wall beside their stairway.

  The ledge collected loose bits and pieces (keys, phones etc.) as you went down the hallway to the kitchen. With the box in place, less stuff falls down the stairs. 

Bench and Back Issues - a resolution

  If you have been following along with the Blog for the last few months you know that I have had a spring and summer filled with frustration and back pain, and frustration caused by back pain too.

   The situation has resolved to where my back hurts most of the time but not too much, unless I spent an extended period of time sitting (riding in the car) or bent over at the waist.(gardening, leaning on my desk, working at my bench  etc.) My computer desk in my office was made into a standing desk over a year ago and now the  lap top that I use away from my desk looks like this:

   Yes, that is a Chromebook on top of a stool, on top of the kitchen island.  That puts the keyboard 47 inches off the floor and means that I stand very erect to type on the computer.  Standing is tiring, but not painful, so this is how it is now.

    In the shop I have a heavy duty rolling work table that I have been using for years. It is a good height for sawing and planing and when I need to do smaller work or carve I would sit on a stool at the work table.

   Sitting is not a good idea any longer and bent over and working is just a recipe for disaster.  The solution was a higher bench top upon which to work.  I have turned my mind to all sorts of solutions, raising this bench on blocks, or building a new top for the bench that is raised.  I even thought of retiring this bench/work table completely. (not a good idea 'cause it has good storage)

   The solution was of course staring me in the face, but I couldn't see the forests for the clutter in the workshop.  I have a KREG Klamping Table:

on wheels no less.  Which I have used for several years, and think the world of, but it was too low too.  In a moment of inspired "obviousness" I checked the table and noticed that it was set at its lowest height.  I set in there to have it close to the height of the work table.

   It was just a couple of inches taller than the work table, not enough to make a big difference in the strain on my back......but.....a few minutes with a socket and nut driver and voilà:

   it is now 7 inches taller than my old work table, a total of 41 inches off the ground and now usable for smaller work and I am planning a Moxon style vise, 

Moxon style bench with high end hardware

   to clamp onto the Kreg Klamp Table to enable me to cut dovetails and other small joints.  That will add an inch or two and now the back stain issues should be "but a happy memory, of a far off time and place" or a least less so than now.

     The solution was at hand all the time and required spending exactly no extra money.

Dovetail Box 2

  The box is nearly finished, once the glue dries I will sand and stain it.  This is the first time I made all four corners dovetails.  In the past the boxes have had two dovetails and two mitre or butt joints.

   What have I learned from the experience?  This is a slow method for me to use, the method is not slow (I've seem Rob Cosman), I am slow.  I can also see why wood workers that use dovetail joints often make a special vise to hold the wood while they saw.  It is important to have the wood solidly clamped and at a good working level.

   I also learned that cutting dovetails by hand is enjoyable and something I will turn to more often, I think.