10 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKINGI Can Do That
PHOTOSBY^JASON^ZENTNER(^3) / 8 " Rabbet
(^1) / 2 " Cove
(^3) / 4 " Round
Nose
(^1) / 2 " Roundover
(^3) / 8 " Roundover
(^1) / 4 " Roundover
(^1) / 8 " Roundover
(^1) / 4 " Half-
Round
(^1) / 2 " Straight
45° Chamfer
(^1) / 2 " Round
Nose
(^1) / 4 " Straight
(^1) / 8 " Round
Nose
Weekend Picture Frames
By Tim Johnson
Create extraordinary frames with ordinary router bits.
Here’s a fun way to save money,
be creative, make something useful,
and use up scrap stock: make your
own picture frames. You can start
from scratch and have fi nished
frames in a day or less, and the only
tools you need are a tablesaw and a
router table. The challenge is to cre-
ate unique profi les using the router
bits you already have.
1
Part A: Start with a^13 / 16 " thick by 2"
wide blank.
1 Round over the top edge by making
one pass on each face with the^3 / 8 "
roundover bit.
2 Saw a^7 / 16 " deep by^7 / 8 " wide
groove on the inside face,^3 / 8 " from
the rounded edge.
3 Rip the blank to fi nal 1^1 / 4 " width.
Orient the blank outside-face down
(grooved-face up), with its rounded
edge against the fence.
Part B: Start with a^3 / 4 " thick by^7 / 8 "
wide blank.
4 Rout a^1 / 4 " by^3 / 8 " rabbet on the
inside face. Orient the blank bottom-
Final Size: 11 / 8 " x 1^1 / 4 "
edge down, with its inside face against
the fence.
5 Rout a^1 / 4 " cove on the inside face,
using the^1 / 2 " round nose bit. Orient the
blank top-edge down, with its inside
face against the fence.
Glue Part A to Part B.
PART B
PART A
11
2
3
4
5
The frames and instructions that
follow will get you started. You
probably don’t have all the same
bits, but that doesn’t matter. Just
substitute and experiment. You’ll
fi nd that a little tinkering yields an
amazing range of profi les.
Most frames are made using small
stock, so be sure to work safely.
Always use guards, featherboards
and push sticks. Never use stock less
than 12" long. Create profi les on long
stock; then cut individual frame piec-
es from the profi led stock. Similarly,
use wide stock to create thin pieces;
rout the profi le, then cut to fi nal
thickness. Rout large or deep profi les
in multiple passes, raising the bit or
moving the fence in small increments
before each pass. PW