[Urbancowboy88]

Hi ya'll. Im a first time carver and my fiance's birthday is coming up and i want to carve her a picture frame with some sunflowers on it. My plan is to buy a real cheap frame from a store and take the glass and back out of it to use in mine, but im not sure how im going to cut the sunflowers on it. I would like the petals of the sunflower to actually overlap the edges of the picture frame. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

[wade clark]

Urban,
You're on the right track, but don't discard the frame yet! Use it as a template for the new frame. If it were me, I'd find a nice thick board in the width of the original frame, maybe a bit wider. There is probably a better stronger way to do it, but here's what I'd do:
Router out from the back exactly what I needed to drop the glass and the back panel into. THEN, carve the front.
To strengthen the frame from splittling on the shallow ends, you might cut a piece of paneling like thin plywood and glue onto the back.
As for the carving pattern, you're doing this for a person who thinks YOU ARE THE MOST WONDERFUL PERSON SHE HAS EVER KNOWN, and no matter how you screw it up, it will be the most magnificant gift she's ever received because it came from your hands, your mind, your love for her! So, find a picture of sunflowers you like and do the very best you can, remembering what I just said! Carve it shallow, carve it deep...doesn't really matter! Just include her name, your love, and your name. She'll love it as much when she's 100 years old! Have fun!
Wade

[AlArchie]

sounds like you ave a couple ways to go,depending on how handy you are with either a router, or a dado on your table saw.

I don't know how you would approcah that if you are going to use milled frame material, but if you are working from scratch, I'd suggest a basic 1 1/4" wide frame, cut from standard 3/4" stock. (1" nomnal). three sides would be ripped to the 1 1/4" width and the third side that you want the sunflower on, ripped 1/2" to 3/4" wider, to accomodate the overlapping sunflower design. You could actually make that one as wide as you want, but those smaller increments would keep it in sync.

On the back sides route out your picture/glass/back recess, allowing about 1/4" for the section that will retain the glass, picture and backing. The depth of this cut will depend on the total thickness of the glass, picture, any backing material and the back of the frame you purchased.

On the extra wide side, route out that 1/4" plus whatever extra width you chose. Now, on that piece sketch in the sunflower and leaves, stalk, etc that you will be using, and cut away the outline with either a scroll saw or coping saw. You'll also have to rip the "cutaway" portions down to that 1 1/4" width. This should give you the extra space you need to do your carving.

Depending on whether you will be mitering the corners or lapping them, do that and assemble the frame acordingly. I suppose you could carve either before or after assembly...up to you.

You could also carve the extra-wide piece before you routed the back, I suppose......either way should work.

Hope this makes sense, it's kid of hard to describe an assembly process with just words.

Al

[Urbancowboy88]

Thanks for the input. I think i know how im going to go about it now thanks a bunch.

[Thor]

I know you already have your plan set, but just for those who may want to carve a picture frame....
A lot of picture frame moulding is made from basswood. It's soft, true, lightweight, and doesn't warp very badly. The framing equipment likes it too.
If you want to just try one, and don't have skills or equipment to build a frame, you may want to go to a frame shop and buy a standard basswood frame to start with. I've carved some over the years, and they turned out well.
Just a thought.
Thor