New member, new to framing. Lots of questions!

[FrancoB]

Hello everyone. My name is Franco and I am a CNC machinist from the East Midlands.

One of my hobbies is Japanese arcade machines and also the artwork that goes with it. I have a few Japanese posters that I would like to frame. They are not a standard size (roughly 1000x750mm) and so custom frames have to be made for them.

I could pay to have them framed but I would be looking to pay £70+ to have them framed. I have no problem in spending money but I like to make things and I would like to make them myself if possible.

I have a workshop set up in my garage with a table saw, mitre-saw, router, router table, heavy duty pillar drill and I have access to a wide range of machinery at work to help me make jigs etc. I am quite handy with making things and I make a hell of a lot of acrylic parts for people, mainly reproduction parts for Japanese arcade machines

This is an example of some frames that have been made for similar posters:



This is the type of thing I am trying to replicate and I have a few questions about it.

I presume the moulding of the frame would be something similar to this 23mm ['Black & White' Matt black FSC 100%]?

The main questions I have are to do with how this type of frame is cut and joined together.

Would it be possible to use a router to trim the ends of that type of moulding? I was thinking of making a jig with perfect 45degree angles to cut the moulding to size.

Is the next step in the process to join the four pieces of moulding together? I have seen diy kits like this for joining the frame:



Is this used to drive 'v nails' into the corners? Is glue also used for the type of frame I wish to make?

I was thinking of making a similar jig and using my drill press to drive the 'v nails' into the frame.

Once the frame is made is it just a case of inserting the acrylic, putting the poster in the frame, putting a mountboard (and/or) back board in and then using points to keep everything in place?

In regards to the acrylic, would 2mm be thick enough for a frame approx 1000x750mm or would 3mm be more suitable.

Sorry about the 1000 questions. I have been trying to find information on the net and have been trying to find suitable youtube videos but I can't seem to find anything specific for my needs.

If there are any good tutorials/FAQs or any other resources out there that may help me I would love to know them.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice you can give.

[Nigel Nobody]

Welcome Franco!
It seems that you don't have much basic framing knowledge, so I would suggest you do a framing course to learn the basics. I'm not sure that you can expect a whole basic framing course in a few sentences.

You could also try the search facility to get some information while you wait for some personal answers.

[prospero]

Hi Franco.

You seem to have some nice woodworking equipment. And if you are an engineer you should have the basic aptitude to make frames. But making the frame is really the simple part of the whole job. Take posters. They are paper and they are big. Paper expands and contracts according to the humidity in the environment. So if you put a poster straight in a frame, it will go wrinkly. You have to get it in a stable condition first. This involves either using a window mount and hinging it or sticking the whole thing down to a stable board. The second option should only be used on items of no real intrinsic value, as you are permanently altering them.

I would not buy a 'hobby' underpinner. I think you'll find they are harder to get good results with than an expensive pro machine. A mitre vice and nails will be better. Mitre saws are not really accurate enough for serious framing. But on a narrow moulding you may get away with it. If you are only going to do black frames, get some plain ash moulding and paint it black. After you have joined the frame. This way you can make good any slight gaps in the mitres and sand/paint over any filler (including the nail holes). As long as the corner joint is sound. On a big frame with a narrow moulding, the corners are under a lot of strain. Using acrylic instead of glass will help, but acrylic is not as rigid as glass and can scratch very easily even with careful dusting.

Interesting idea about making a jig for your router. I have my doubts as to whether it would work. You could get though a lot of expensive moulding trying to get it accurate enough. Machining wood is not the same as machining metal. You would be better off using your router to make you own moulding profiles.

But don't let me put you off. Just bear in mind that there is more to framing than meets the eye.

[IslandViewJake]

Looking at the examples, especially those sizes in such thin moulding, I think I'd order metal chops and save a lot of hassle. Better strength/width ratio.