Nearly two months ago we set about creating a floating picture frame (see it here) and I wanted to spruce it up a wee bit. I invested in a proper “thumb friendly” router (like this one) and a rabbet bit set (this one). The design was to create a picture frame with no visible nails or the need to fill nail holes. Here’s the adventure and my first experience creating a double rabbet joint.
PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
#01: Measurements You’ll Need: Measure the height, width, and depth of your picture. If you have a wrapped canvas frame, the measurements will be slightly greater at the edges where the canvas is overlapped (by about 1/8 – 1/16 inch).
#02: How much Float Gap You Want: For this version we used 5/16 inch between the wood frame and the picture which gave us the desired illusion. It was slightly tighter than our previous 3/8’s and looked better.
CONSTRUCTION AND ASSEMBLY
#01: Cut Your Wood. For this version of the floating frame, we opted for a slightly more complex rabbet joint. The frame was 1-1/4 inch deep and my wood stock was 5/8 inch wide so I ripped a board at 2-1/8 inch. I ripped a 1×3 in half for the back piece. In hindsight I suggest you keep the back piece wider to make attaching the picture frame easier.
#02: Cut Rabbet Joints! as shown the lumber for our picture frame was 3/4 inch wide. With a properly situated rabbet bit with the 3/8’s ball bearing and raised 3/8’s of an inch you can cut all your material without adjusting the bit. Run your boards flat and vertical (as shown).
When done with your router you’ll have two boards that look like the following:
They will connect nice and flush like the following image. I cut a few scrap pieces to make sure I had a good test fit with the router bit before running the intended project material.
#03: Glue Time. Once you have your boards ripped its time to glue them together. Run a bead of glue and press the boards together. I didn’t use any nails this time as the double rabbet joint with glue is strong. I ran two beads of glue to make sure both flat sides of the rabbet joint were glued.
#04: Cut Boards to Length. With this configuration the corners come together using a 45 degree angle (miter) cut. Start as close to one end as possible and make your first angle cut. The tricky part is measuring – measure along the inside of the “L” where the boards come together. We had a 30 x 40 inch frame – our cuts were 30 5/8 inches and 40 5/8 inches. The 5/8 inch accounts for the two reveals on either side – we opted for narrower than 3/8 inch on this go around.
With the first one cut, check it against your frame to make sure you’re getting the reveal you want. For boards that are the same length, use the first cut board to mark the second board. This makes the process faster and you can make sure that the boards are the same length.
TIP: If you haven’t used your miter saw in awhile, it’s a good idea to check the angle and calibrate the saw. Here is a useful tool to calibrate: make a 90- and 45-degree cut and check with the tool.
#05: Sanding. Yay, sanding… I used 80 and 180 grit sanding discs. Be careful not to take too much material from the frame. Also, don’t sand the angle cuts unless they are not coming together flush.
#06: Assemble the Frame. Take the four pieces you’ve cut and assemble them. We used some glue and two nails to hold each corner together. You can use a little wood filler on any nail holes.
#07: Apply Pre-Stain, Stain, and Poly. If you’re staining, applying a pre-stain wood conditioner as it will produce a more consistent application of your stain color. Apply the pre-stain per directions: apply, wait 5 to 15 minutes, and wipe off. Apply your stain within two hours. Let fully dry and apply your poly coat – check out that shine below!
Have fun making Custom Colors! For this project we ended up combining the Carbon Gray and Classic Black. The wood took the stain fast so we wiped off stain within 1-2 minutes of being applied. We layered the gray over the black.
#08: Apply Connectors. We used some Figure 8 connectors and screws to attach the canvas frame to our floating frame (photo from another floating frame project).
#09: Attach the Picture Hanging Kit. We bought a wire picture hanging kit but the eyelet hooks that it came with were to small for my liking. For this frame, I got some 5/8 inch hooks and connected the wire. The wire can just be looped through the eyelets are twisted around itself. We doubled up the wire for added strength.
#11: Hang your Creation! We used a picture hanger with the 3 pins that you hammer into the drywall from a picture hanging kit (like this one on Amazon). Instead of making your marks on the wall, you can use blue tape and mark on it. Attach bumpers to the back of your floating frame near the bottom to help keep it level and protect your wall.
That’s it! You can now enjoy your handiwork. Leave a comment and let us know how your projects goes!
