A challenge for me..in progress..will be long

[Lin]

I have a couple orders for this fretwork frame.....this one houses 7 pics.
It's getting close to being done and I took pics along the way...This is the hardest of all the fretwork frames I have done so far.....If you woodworkers see any thing in my process that would help me shorten my time or just make some of the steps a bit easier....please holler out and tell me. I would appreciate any tips and hints to make these easier to cut and assemble. I will post three or four pics at a time to give time for quetions or tips....and also so I don't get mixed up on what I'm doing. :wink:

The beginning: Frame is 17" x 17" with out the base.
First pic has 179 holes drilled...93 cuts made in the 1/4" oak overlay

Second pic has all the frets and hearts and ovals cut (264 cuts total so far) and has been attached to a piece of 1/2" walnut and lines drawn inside the hearts and oval before making outer cut to make rabbet for pics to be held in.

Third pic is after the outer cut has been made and the base pattern has been layed out on a 3/4" piece of walnut

Fourth pic is showing the base being cut at a 15 degree angle...cutting a 20" piece of 3/4" wood at that angle is a pain to do.....I always end up with bumpson the short sharp curves.....glad they made sandpaper.... :?

Will post more tomorrow.
Lin

 

[Greenfield Bob]

Lin, I know what you mean about those big bases I hate cutting them.
I can't wait to see it when you are finished with it.

Bob

 

[Matt1245]

That must take some patience, i take my hat off to you.

Matt.

 

[Lin]

Bob, I knew there would be someone out there that has cut one of this large bases and would totally understand why I said is was PIA....to do.

Matt, You wouldn't think I had any patience what so ever if you saw how easily my feathers are ruffled when my thirteen year old son starts in......Teenagers....gotta love them..... :roll:
More pics of progress

Fifth pic shows the remainder of the wood cutting done to include the bottom area of the overlay.
Before cutting the walnut hearts and oval......I redrew a line approx. 1/8" away from the line I drew before making the outer cut..(I do it with a ruler and make little dashes then connect them.....my freehand is not that good)...if you look close at the stack of hearts in this pic you can see the inner line still there..I also mark these pieces when I take them out to help me know which goes where. This area is what will hold the plexi, pic and backer for each pic.

Sixth pic is of the pattern for the plexi.....I use two pieces of 8.5" x 14" paper and laid the walnut piece on them and drew around the cuts for the hearts and plexi...marked each for placement as I went.

Will show off the new "toy" tomorrow......
Lin

 

[Chris Knight]

Gosh Lin, I think I would be phoning round laser cutting services if I had something like that to do!

 

[Gill]

I knew this was a major project, Lin, but I had no idea just how demanding it was.

I'm following your progress with bated breath.

Gill

 

[dedee]

Laser Cutting? Perhaps that is Lin's new toy.

I can't help thinking that this is one form of woodwork that I would not like to do by hand.

Staggering stuff Lin & you appear to do them so quickly.

Andy

 

[Greenfield Bob]

Lin,
Maybe I missed it somewhere is that your design or did you buy it?

Bob

 

[Lin]

To answer some questions.....The frame is in the final stages at present but I have been working on it plus other projects for three and 1/2" weeks.....I took the pics as I went along so I could post them in a short amount of time........instead of everyone having to wait three and four days for something new to look at. I'm a week-end wood worker but on this frame I have done some of the cutting during the work week or wouldn't have it so close to being done.
Gill, I'm hoping all this will help you when the time is available for you to cut one of those patterns.
Bob, I have done several different custom fretwork frames......all patterns were made by T-Bear.....I told him exactly what I was after and he made up the patterns for me for a fee. He sells these same patterns at the same price he charged me if you or anyone else has an interest in doing one of them......there are several smaller ones that he has done for me. I should have stated that the pattern maker was Ted....but I have done so many of this type over the last two years...most know that Ted does my patterns for these. A list of the patterns he has made for me so far"
Three oval-relief
Five oval-relief
Two hearts and an oval fretwork
Three hearts and an oval fretwork
An 8 x 10 fretwork
Eight hearts and an oval fretwork
A wedding frame that has two hearts and an oval and roses that I used colored sand in as a filler
And this one that has 6 hearts and an oval......
Here is a link to his site..... http://groups.msn.com/TedsScrollsawPatterns
He has some of the pics of my frames on the site but if you don't see one that you know I have done......copy a pic of it from my web site and send it to him if you want the pattern.....then he will know which one you are after.......the only two I haven't cut yet and are not on my site is the eight hearts and an oval fretwork......and the five oval relief......I'm getting ready to start the eight heart oval one this week-end....
New toy not a laser cutter.........sorta wish I had one thou.....Noce thought.
Lin

 

[Lin]

More pics.....
Seventh pic has my new "Toy" being used...Not necessarily what I bought it for but have found that it works great for these frames.
The 1/2" walnut pieces need to be taken down to 1/4" so them and the 1/4" plexi I will cut will fit perfectly in each space.......Prior to buying my 22" drum sander I would stack cut BB with the plexi then stain the BB to be used......Now I get a perfect match on the color and grain pattern......plus don't have any more of the hearts and ovals leftover to stack up in my "I don't want to throw away.....I will figure out a use for them,pile." I attached the walnut pieces to a piece of BB with light duty carpet tape and ran them thru the drum sander......making many passes to get them to 1/4".......I do like this new "Toy".....and these types of frames paid for most of the cost of it.

Eighth pic shows the fit on the oval after going thru the drum sander..I used a plexi oval from another frame I have in progress....plus the holes for the screws in the base have been measured out drilled and champered. All pieces at this point have been hand sanded and sharp edges broke on the base and inner parts of the hearts and oval.

All of these wood pieces were then oiled using Watco natural dannsih oil....and dried for approx four days before I could start assembly.

Assembly photos will be starting tomorrow.
Lin

 

[Gill]

=P~

I wanna toy like that! And the space for it.

Gill

 

[Greenfield Bob]

Lin, it is kinda funny, I had a feeling that was going to be your new toy, I have no idea why I thought that.

Bob

 

[Lin]

Gill, The drum sander is on wheels and has cabinet storage space under it......When not in use I just slide it beside the scrollsaw and its outta the way....most times I use it I just have to pull it out a few feet and hook up the dust collector and I'm good to go. This one was easier to find space for than some others I have bought.....Still working on putting the planer on wheels....It' suppose to be portable but I can't pick it up and lug it around.........
Bob, You must have ESP.......What do you think so far?...Ready to try one of these patterns?

More pics of progress

Pic nine is after all wood pieces have dried from their oil dip..and assembly begins......first up is to glue the overlay on. I have to admit.....this part is one I tend to procrastinate on.....Such a large area that I have to get the glue onto in a short amount of time....As you can see in the pic..I use Aleens Tacky glue for this. It has a decent time frame for laying on but you still have to hurry.....on these larger overlays I usually have to put a bit more glue on the point I started as it has already started to dry a bit......I like this glue because it dries clear so if I do happen to miss getting off any squeeze out it will not show after I lacquer the piece.
Very improtant point to make here.....the is the voice of experience....Make sure you are putting the glue on the proper side and when you lay it on the walnut backer you are laying it on the proper side.....Trying to get all that glue off the worng side of the piece is not a pleasant experience.....

Tenth pic shows the piece after placing the overlay on and as you see the toothpicks I used to clean up the squeeze out. After I'm sure of no movement I weight it down and let the glue dry for approx 8 hours or more.

Cutting the plexi and putting in the starter holes for turn buttons up next
Lin

 

[Greenfield Bob]

Lin,
So far I really like it and I think it would be fun to make.

I know what you mean about glueing overlays on, some of then you have to rush to much to get them on. I almost always Aleens Tacky glue on overlays.
I will be waiting for the next round of pictures.
Thanks for posting them so far.

Bob

 

[Gill]

Unfortunately, the only comparable drum sander I can find in the UK is this one from APTC. At £529 for the basic model, it's way too exensive for me. I'll just have to drool for the time being.

When you're applying the glue, would it be faster to use a glue bottle with a roller attachment or would you have too little control over the application?

It's fascinating watching your progress with this lovely project.

Gill

 

[MikeW]

Lin, thanks for this thread.

Not only is what you are making looking first class, but it's always neat to see something develop. And for the few things I have documented, I know it's a lot of extra work, so thanks!

Mike

 

[Greenfield Bob]

Gill, you could move to Northern Indiana or Southern Michigan. I know somebody that might let you use their's.

Bob

 

[Lin]

Well I woke up a bit late this morning.....did a 14 hour day at the JOB yesterday and my get up and go just isn't there......so no pics today....If I'm online this evening I will toss a couple in here......otherwise will be tomorrow morning......
Mike, I'm glad you checked this thread out and like what you see....
Any suggestions so far?

Gill, The drum sander I have is on the link you posted....Mine is a Performax but they are directly related to Jet. The 22-44 on the bottom of that page is my drum sander......The only difference I see is that I don't have the extension tables.....Something I might want to look into myself.......those could come in handy. I paid on a sale right around $1000.00 for it....I think it was $999.99 plus tax.......I have an 80 grit belt on it right now.....and also have a couple 120 grits that I haven't used yet.

It's time to go to the JOB.......so I'll be on my way......see you tonight or in the morning.
Lin

 

[Lin]

Thought I'd pop in here an post a few more pics......I have to go into the JOB at 3 am......so won't get on puter before hand....

Pic eleven shows the plexi cut. I put duct tape on top of the protective film to help keep it from melting back as I cut it. I used a #5 double skip tooth blade to do the cutting. I lucked out this time....I am getting more accurate with each one......all my plexi fix perfectly in their rabbets without me having to sand them a bit on the disc sander.

Pic twelve shows how I put the starter holes in the back of the frame for the little turn buttons on the hearts and oval......I used two turn buttoms per cut out. I use one of them as a visual guide an use an awl to put a starter hole in the walnut for the little brass screws.

Pic thirteen shows the hearts and ovals during lacquering process. I use two coats of semi-gloss Deft lacquer on the face that will be closest to the pic and and two coats of semi-gloss then two coats of gloss lacqueron the side that will show......sanding after the first coat on each side with 1000 grit sand paper. I do the four coat lacquering on the frame itself also. If I have pits in the lacquer I will sand with 500 after first coat and 1000 after second and give an extra coat of lacquer if needed.

Next sets of pics will be how I put the base on.

Lin

 

[Lin]

Gill, Been thinking about the glue roller.......I haven't ever used one......
Will it cause the glue to run down the sides of the frets at all? Sounds like if it wouldn't over do the glue it might make that part of the process a lot easier....Need to get one and try it on maybe a highly fret work ornament....ya know one that I have stack cut three of.....so if I lose one to the glue it won't be a major loss.....Thanks for the idea.
Lin