DIY: framing canvas panels

Canvas (and other) panels, Life of a Daily Painter

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Usually I paint on canvas stretched over a wooden frame. But the materials can be expensive and the frames don't always come out true, that is square and flat (a good topic for another post by the way). Because I'm branching out into faux encaustic, recently I purchased several small 8 by 10 and 11 by 14 inch canvas panels for experimentation.

With artwork, even experiments can turn out good--and then you have to figure out how to present them. Present mostly means hanging the piece on a wall in a fairly attractive manner. Jon Peters talks about presentation in this video.

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The problem with Jon Peters' method is that he uses power tools. My use of power tools includes a drill, a sander, and a small router. So if you want to make a frame and don't have circular saw or don't want to use one (I tend to be somewhat accident-prone, which could spell disaster); try using a hand miter box for the frame corners. Here's an article on how to properly use a miter hand saw.

My original idea for mounting the panel was to route a straight channel for the panel to fit in. Jon uses a routed rabbet in the demonstration above, another solution. Or, you could use a 1 by 1 furring strip glued inside the outer frame for the panel to rest on.

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Router bit types and associated cuts, PMC

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This floating panel idea by Jon Peters really appeals to me, although half-inch plywood seems a little thick. Note that you still have to make the frame with a ledge for the panel with backing to sit on. Also note how the inside of the frame is finished matte black.

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Here's a step-by-step article on custom framing using no power tools by A Beautiful Mess. And here's another article about making float frames that shows different clamps used for artwork frames. The Grizzly clamp looks particularly useful.

-- Marge