i have been watching a lot of youtube though. i love youtube. i have learnt so much from there. people freely sharing their knowledge, sometimes sharing mistakes that they have made. there is a lot to learn from there. i follow a couple great people on youtube. yes there is a lot of junk there too, but you just filter and then keep what you like. one of the guys i follow on youtube is called steve ramsey. he does woodworking. what i love about his projects is that they show that it is not difficult. he would take seemingly complicated things and make them simple without using complex or other than the normal tools or equipment.
i really liked a picture frame that he had made in the beginning of this year and was really keen to try it. i needed an excuse though... my sister in law got married and i had committed myself to making a wedding gift. she got married last year, so i was really starting to feel the pressure. here was my excuse.
most hand made frames' downfall are the mitered joints. if you get these wrong then the frame looks shoddy. i wanted mine to be perfect. well steve knew that and in that same week uploaded another video showing you how to make a simple jig to get yourself perfect miters every time.
these are the videos i mentioned:
having that ammo i made both. my miter sled is not as neat as his and i did not think it picture worthy but it did the job and that matters .
the frames started as a small sheet of plywood that i got from a crate that i picked up for free. yes the free stuff again! i stripped the crate and used its lid. i followed the same process as on steves video. "want to be any good? then copy the masters" they say. so i cut some strips of plywood. laminated them and worked them into the basic frame shape (cutting the rabbet for the picture to sit in etc.)
then came the careful measuring of the picture. while preparing for the wedding last year, i found some owlets in a tree and took a picture of them. i had this canvas printed and blocked to A3 size.
i'm known for making a hash with cutting so i measured and remeasured and it paid off! here is the frame around the picture for the first time:
when i glued it it measured square without any adjustments. that mitre sled is really a neat little addition to a workshop and will be used quite a bit more in the future. i sanded the frame as smooth as i could get it and then beat it with a piece of chain i found in my workshop. making marks in the wood. i used some black spray paint and gave the wood a very light coat of black. immediately after spraying i would rub the wet paint into the wood with a cloth. i then proceeded to sand the entire thing again. all the little indentations where now highlighted by the black paint. it also gave the corners and edges more definition. the frame then got a coat of raw linseed oil. i love the smell of linseed oil. i gave it that "not-born-yesterday" look. exactly what i wanted.
to mount the picture in the frame i used some hard board/masonite that also got a coating of linseed oil. these where just nailed in place at 45 degrees. yes i measured each on to make sure. i also fitted some wire to hang the picture. i had to use screws to hook the wire around since the frame is fairly heavy.
i'm super stoked about how this turned out. hope she likes it!
i'm now getting closer and closer to being able to rebuild the engine on the honda. a little more shop cleaning and i'll be there. hold thumbs!
