Picture Frame Moldings - Woodsmith Woodworking Seminars

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Accent Strip FrameAn easy way to dress up an otherwiseordinary-looking frameis to use a contrasting wood asan accent. In this frame, a mushroom-shapedaccent strip isglued into a groove that is routeddown the center of the frame.The main part of this frame isjust a piece of 3 / 4"-thick stockwith an 1 / 8" cove routed alongeach edge, see Step 1. Then agroove for the accent strip and arabbet for the glass and pictureare routed, see Steps 2 and 3.The accent strip is just a 3 / 8"-thick piece of bullnose moldingwith a “tenon” that fits into thegroove in the frame. This tenonis actually a hair shorter thanthe depth of the groove in orderto prevent it from bottoming outand creating a gap where theaccent strip and frame meet.Because the accent strip is sosmall and narrow, it would bedifficult (and possibly dangerous)to rout the profile after theblank is cut to size. To solve thisproblem, just rout the profile onthe edge of a wider piece ofstock, then rip the inlay strip tosize, see Steps 4 through 6.1Using a !/4”-dia. core box bit,rout a !/8” cove along bothedges of the frame blank.4To create the bullnose profileon the accent strip, roundover both edges of a wide blank.2Hold the frame blank tightagainst the fence while routinga groove down the center.5Two passes with a straightbit create the shoulders ofthe “tenon” on the accent strip.3Before starting on the accentstrip, rout a rabbet in theframe for the glass and picture.6Switching to the table saw,cut the accent strip from theblank and glue it to the frame.Wide Accent StripFor a larger frame, the width ofboth the frame and the accentstrip is increased. And to varythe appearance and lighten thelook of the frame, two sizes ofcoves are routed along the edgesof the frame, see Steps 1 and 2.Placing the larger cove onthe outside edge of the moldinggives the frame more of athree-dimensional look. Thismakes it appear less massiveand cumbersome without sacrificingstrength.Here again, the groove for theaccent strip is routed with astraight bit. But this time, thegroove is centered between thetwo coves. It’s not centered onthe workpiece, see Step 3. Keepthis in mind when setting thefence on your router table.3The groove for the accentstrip is centered between thethe two coves, not the blank.1After cutting the frame blankto width, rout a !/2” covealong the outside edge.4Before starting on the accentstrip, rout a rabbet in theframe for the glass and picture.2On the inside edge of theblank, rout a !/4” cove, usingeither a core box bit or a cove bit.5The edges of the accent stripare shaped on a wide blankbefore cutting the piece free.No. 121 Woodsmith 21
Single Bead ProfileWhen making a piece of furniture, Ioften use “built-up” molding. This isjust two or more simple pieces ofmolding that are stacked together tocreate a wider profile.The same technique can also beused to make picture frame moldings.But instead of stacking the pieces oneon top of the other, you simply “stack”them side by side.In this case, I added a simple beadmolding alongside a cove molding. Iused walnut for both the bead moldingand the cove molding, see photo.But you could use two different typesof wood for a contrast.I made the coved piece first by routinga stepped roundover along oneedge and a cove along the other, seeSteps 1 and 2. The roundover createsa shadow line that will help to set offthe bead molding, making it standout a little more. Then the rabbet forthe glass and picture is routed on theinside bottom edge, see Step 3.To make the bead molding, justrout an 1 / 8" roundover along bothsides of a blank made from 1 / 4"-thickstock, see Step 4.Finally, the bead molding is simplyglued to the cove molding. The trickhere is to keep both pieces flush alongthe bottom. And to do this, it helps tohave a nice flat surface to work onwhile gluing the pieces together. (Iused the top of my table saw.)1The first step is to create asmall, stepped roundover onthe outside edge of the frame.2The !/4” radius cove can bemade with core box bit or acove bit with a bearing.3Before starting on the beadmolding, rout a rabbet in theframe for the glass and picture.4The bead molding is madeby routing a roundoveralong two edges of a thin strip.SHOP TIPA rubber trowel(used for groutingceramic tile)makes a greatpush block forrouting profileson narrow stock.Double Bead ProfileFor a larger picture frame, here’s awider molding profile that uses twobeads — one on the inside and anotheridentical one on the outside of theframe. The bead moldings sandwicha flat, wide piece of wood that makesup the main portion of the frame.Because of its simple, symmetricaldesign, this frame is verystraightforward in construction. Itstarts as a single blank, cut to width.(I used ash.) A small roundover witha shoulder is routedalong the topedges of theblank, see Step 1.The next stepis to make thebead molding.This is identical tothe molding used in the frameabove. I chose cherry this time tocreate a contrast between the beadsand main part of the frame, seephoto at top of page.After gluing the beads to the sideof the frame, a rabbet for the glassand picture is routed, see Step 3.1Rout a small roundover along boththe inside and outside edges ofthe main frame piece.2To create the bead molding forthe frame, rout a !/8” roundoveron both sides of a !/4”-thick blank.3After gluing the bead molding tothe edges of the frame, rout arabbet along the inside edge.22 Woodsmith No. 121
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Picture Frame Moldings - Woodsmith Woodworking Seminars

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