If we are lucky, in our lifetimes we will encounter those who go beyond the bounds of "what's normal". These people often shape the future for many of us because of their innovative ideas and creations. If we are really lucky we will actually get to meet people like this and if we are struck-by-lightning lucky, one of these people will actually agree to be Feature Member. This issue Woodworkweb is delighted to feature the truly outstanding creations of Judson Beaumont ...
To read the full article on Judson Beaumont and see images of his project, click "read more" below for the full article
In hundreds of garage sales, thrift shops, basements and store rooms around the country are sitting ... tens of thousands of older vinyl records. Vintage artifacts from the 50s, 60s, and 70s and many of them with some astoundingly wonderful art work. This project will bring out those old albums and give them a new life and decor in your home. The design of these frames makes them easy to change album covers, no need for clips or nails to hold the albums in the frame, a simple, innovative slot system designed by the maker allows easy changing of album covers. The wood used for this project was western or broad leaf maple (somewhat softer than the hard or eastern maple) but you could also use many other woods. We found cedar and pine to be a bit soft for this project. The beauty of this project is that it uses standard 3/4" material.
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Watch the video, then click below to read more details on how these frames are made.
OK, Now that you know how to cut picture frame material and make the angle cuts, now you need to put it all together. Glueing up smaller picture frames can be done with somehting a simple as black electical tape wrapped around the picture frame afer glue-up. The pressure of the tape will keep the corners together long enough to allow the frame to become ridgid. Larger picture frames are another story ... the black electrical tape trick doesn't work so well.
In this case it is better to have some sort of a picture framing glue-up jig. The one shown in the video can be made quite easily, the plans are easy to find on the Internet and it doesn't take long to put it together. As usual ... there are some tricks. I decided to offset the centre block so it makes it easier to use, AND I added wingnuts to the ready bar so that the whole jig can be tighted up around the frame quickly and easily ... you don't want to fussing around too much glues like Titebond lll, it will start harding up on you (especially in warm weather) in minutes.
Now that you know how to make picture frames, wouldn't it be nice to be able to make your own picture frame material ... simply and easily ... on your own table saw? The process of making picture frame material, also called molding can be as complex as you want to make it ... or you can make it simple. The molding I like to make are simple and when viewed in a cross section look like and "L" shape. They are easy to put together and look great.
I also ad splines in all for corners to add strength and an extra detail to the frames. I try to choose a contrasting wood so that the splines stand out somewhat from the frame molding.
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It's important to remember that the face sides of your picture frame metial will need to be almost finished before you peform your final cuts. There is no easy way to run "L" shaped material through a planer and even funning it through a jointer will be tricky. All that should need to be done after the final cuts is to sand the face sides and begin the final 45 degree cuts as shown in the assembly video.
Have you ever been asked to make a picture frame? I'll be you replied, "Oh sure" and went promptly into your shop to create this mastepiece ... then discovered it's not as easy as it sounds to make perfect picture frames.
Now you can make your own picture frames, simply and with unbelievable accuracy with a few simple tools, and save yourself hundreds of dollars in custom framing costs.
The problems with making picture frames comes with four - fourty five degree corners. If each one is off by only one degree, then in total that will be off by four degrees. The other problem comes when you try to correct the final angle and re-cut it. When you do this you are actually making that frame side slighly smaller ... which creates another problem. Now you have one frame side that is slightly shorter than the other and it will never come together nicely now.
Well we have solved your picture frame making problems with a simple, new and innovative way of making your own picture frames in your home work shop
With the home remodling and revitalization effects still taking place in North America, nice looking, quality items are STILL in demand. Clocks are the one thing that are unique and can add a special "richness" to a home that most other pieces of furniture cannot compete with. For the woodworker, making a clock is fun, rewarding experience and for those inclinced, there is even a market for making them in small quantities for a bit of extra spending money (like for more tools .... ) It is difficult to beat the old look of a "Schoolhouse" or "Rail Road" Clock, or even an Grandfather Clock to enhance the look and charm of a home.
There is something appealing about sitting in the shade in a nicely constructed wooden lawn chair. Adirondack Chair's have been around for decades and there are as many different patterns for them as there are places to put them in the back yard. It's a good idea to do a bit of research on them before you settle on a pattern, or if you are making your own pattern
Some woodwork projects seem to be very hard to find plans for, and quit racks is one of them. After searching through a few books I found a few designs that I somewhat liked and one particularly caught my eye more than the others. It looked tall, lean and elegant in a dark finish. As usual, there were no dimensions, but I surmised that with a bit of guesswork I could come up with a workable plan.
Caring for and restoring furniture takes knowledge and a little tender loving care. The most important thing in caring and restoring furniture is to understand the properties of wood and how finishes react with the wood and the atmosphere around the furniture. For expample as weather changes and the relative humidity (amount of moisture in the air) raises or lower, this affects the wood because wood is constantly absorbing or shedding small amount of moisture through it's pours. This shedding and absorbing process is what make wood shrink and expand, and in some cases even warp slightly but there are ways to minimize this effect. Dealing with old and antiques takes even more care and understanding of wood and finishes. We recommend this book for those interested in restoring their furniture,
Nothing dresses up a room or a cabinet like the regal presence of crown molding. This classical accent defines a project the way a frame embellishes an oil painting. And with such a wide array of profiles available, there's a crown molding made to fit every space. Smaller profiles are used on furniture, casework and cabinetry (like the dentil crown shown at right), while larger moldings are used as architectural trim.
So, why hasn't every do-it-yourselfer rushed to the lumberyard? Well, until now, installing crown molding really hasn't been a DIY project. Cutting compound angles and keeping track of inside and outside corners, all those splices and the molding's various orientations has been such a nightmare that most folks either call a pro, or balk at the cost of doing so.
The most popular furniture joint - the tenon - just got a whole lot easier. The BeadLock System is a dream to work with and delivers perfect mortise and tenon joints every time.
Aside from their (patented) jig, the only tool required is a drill. You can now dispense with those chisels, mortising machines, table saw jigs and other endless supply or possible jigs and ideast. All that is needed is clamp the jig in place and drill a few holes, then insert a length of the specially designed , pre-milled tenon stock . It is that easy !!
Buying wood is an expensive proposition. Once wood is used in a project it is gone forever so making smart purchases is very wise. Lumber is always expensive no matter what type or cut you are using. It is important to get the best value from wood because it is the "Woodworker's Consumable Product" and there are many ways of buying and using wood that can save you money and look good as well.
If we are lucky, in our lifetimes we will encounter those who go beyond the bounds of "what's normal". These people often shape the future for many of us because of their innovative ideas and creations. If we are really lucky we will actually get to meet people like this and if we are struck-by-lightning lucky, one of these people will actually agree to be Feature Member. This issue Woodworkweb is delighted to feature the truly outstanding creations of Judson Beaumont ...
Woodwork Topics 
In hundreds of garage sales, thrift shops, basements and store rooms around the country are sitting ... tens of thousands of older vinyl records. Vintage artifacts from the 50s, 60s, and 70s and many of them with some astoundingly wonderful art work. This project will bring out those old albums and give them a new life and decor in your home. The design of these frames makes them easy to change album covers, no need for clips or nails to hold the albums in the frame, a simple, innovative slot system designed by the maker allows easy changing of album covers. The wood used for this project was western or broad leaf maple (somewhat softer than the hard or eastern maple) but you could also use many other woods. We found cedar and pine to be a bit soft for this project. The beauty of this project is that it uses standard 3/4" material.
With the home remodling and revitalization effects still taking place in North America, nice looking, quality items are STILL in demand. Clocks are the one thing that are unique and can add a special "richness" to a home that most other pieces of furniture cannot compete with. For the woodworker, making a clock is fun, rewarding experience and for those inclinced, there is even a market for making them in small quantities for a bit of extra spending money (like for more tools .... )
Some woodwork projects seem to be very hard to find plans for, and quit racks is one of them. After searching through a few books I found a few designs that I somewhat liked and one particularly caught my eye more than the others. It looked tall, lean and elegant in a dark finish. As usual, there were no dimensions, but I surmised that with a bit of guesswork I could come up with a workable plan.
Nothing dresses up a room or a cabinet like the regal presence of crown molding. This classical accent defines a project the way a frame embellishes an oil painting. And with such a wide array of profiles available, there's a crown molding made to fit every space. Smaller profiles are used on furniture, casework and cabinetry (like the dentil crown shown at right), while larger moldings are used as architectural trim. 
