Cool idea. which comes first- making the cut or making the inserts?

Once you get the right width attached to the side of the blade most all 1/8" BB will slide in to the slot without having to use a hammer! 

This blade is only used for the slot sawing and nothing else. I believe I have averaged at least two frames a week since 2000 for Bernadette except for when her wrist slowed her down that couple of months. I do get a relief getting close to Christmas for her nativity scenes take center stage from the frames but not from making things for her stained glass as each of the ten pieces has to be groove fitted for ten or more characters in each scene.

She still uses too much solder in places and that's okay but it makes each slot having to be a different width.

  Funny for that blue tape has Aleene's glue holding it to the blade for this was another experiment for that glue. At least ten years and not having to reglue it.

I also have gotten to where it is the glue of choice when sticking the pieces of carving on to the backer board when finished screwing around with the carving projects plus each piece of wood usually has two very thin sheet metal screws. Its a thicker viscosity and don't run in to other things while trying to find the little holes for the screws. Also when pressed hard against the backer board it seems to make a suction and not necessary for clamps

Lew I make the cuts first then slide a piece of bb in the slot and mark where it needs to be scroll sawed and always mark which side goes up on the bb. If you put many frames together you will see not all slots end up exactly the same size or shape...

Edited August 18, 20214 yr by Smallpatch

20 hours ago, Smallpatch said:

Once you get the right width attached to the side of the blade most all 1/8" BB will slide in to the slot without having to use a hammer! 

 Jess, I'm missing something here. What is being attached to the side of the blade or are we talking about the thickness of the frame?

54 minutes ago, DuckSoup said:

 Jess, I'm missing something here. What is being attached to the side of the blade or are we talking about the thickness of the frame?

Thank you for asking that - I'm not sure either!  I was wondering if the tape created a slight wobble to make the kerf wider.  Kinda like those adjustable dados?

Yes yes. The tape does make a slight wobble and will give you a wider gap. The only other way to cut the size gap for the baltic birch is to keep sliding the fence a smidgen at a time and keep cutting wider but with four corners thats a lot of extra work.

Or you can keep changing blades until you get the exact width you will need...This is more or less what I did then I only use that blade only for the corner cuts.

I glue these frames up using four corner clamps and its just end grain to end grain glued but after it dries it will stayed glued until I can gets the gaps cut in each corner  and marking where the scroll saw will cut me some slot fillers. I do mark the bb as up so it will end up glued in to the slot in the up positions. 

  Then the small strips I cut out of the back of the frame is used with the 23 gage pin nailer to hold the stained glass or what ever I built the frame for...These pieces will be too long to start. I can cut a frame from stock wood and have it ready to glue up in about a half hour. And I have made the strips to attach the pictures back in the frame instead of going to buy something.

 Once I get the 4 pieces of wood in the clamps and before any glue is applied I can check with a framing square to make sure the the corners are 45 degrees and can take out any one side, apply the glue retighten the clamps and check to see if things have not slipped out of where I want to to set up with the glue. Two clamps are always still tight so the three pieces of the frame should still check 45 degrees. As long as as opposing side are exactly the same length your frame will glue up like it is supposed to...

  When I first rip the wood to the width of the frame and before I do any miter sawing I saw out the area in each piece of wood where the picture will go and it ends up being about 5/16" square. Its never exact for this is not critical as to the size so eye ball is good enough.

   Then, and this is important to cut the first miter with the gap down on the table for the other end of that piece of frame you will size the correct length then the other end of the miter will be cut with the back of the frame in the up direction. The reason for the first angle to be sawn with the gap for the picture is facing down.. You are not cutting for length on this one but the other will always be where you can see the mark where you want the saw blade to go on....

  The gap down means the sawed out piece of the frame will always be down for the very first angle sawn on all 4 pieces of the frame.

 This won't take very many frames to realize why.

Remember make opposing sides the same length and for a square frame all 4 sides are exactly the same length.

 I have never put anything in the slots for the glass to lay on before I lay the glass in .

I am assuming everyone works from the right side of the blade or this is what I do so every things different if you work from the left side of the blade....

Thanks Jess, I was thinking you were cutting the slot on the inside to accept the glass.

I had to read it over a couple times Jess, but that right there is a great how-to on building a frame.

Bob I cut the slot for the glass before I do anything else and save the pieces to pin nail them back in to hold the glass or pictures to the frames.