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| by:
Paul Lewis
photos: Bert Klassen
illustration: Len Churchill |
BOX FRAMES |
| Turn
knickknacks into objets d'art with this set of box frames |
The inspiration for these box frames came from a similar set
at a restaurant the crew from Canadian Home Workshop
frequents for lunch. These frames are well suited to a dining
room where they can do double-duty displaying your diminutive
prized possessions as well as providing low-level lighting.
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| Getting Started |
I chose to use reclaimed barn board for this project because
the rough texture and patina of the weathered wood lent itself
well to the objects I intended to display. If you can’t find
this material, almost any wood will work for this project, and
you can finish the box frames to coordinate with your decor.
In
addition to the wood, you’ll need low-voltage halogen puck lights.
These lights come in packs of three for about $40, and are widely
available.
Start
by ripping the boards to the 4" and 5" widths you’ll need for
the box and frame pieces. Cut the box sides and tops to length.
Then make the holes for the puck lights in the centre of the
top pieces using a hole-saw in a drillpress. Alternatively,
you could mark the holes with a compass, drill a pilot hole
and cut the openings with a coping saw.
Once
the holes for the lights are completed, assemble each box using
glue, biscuits and butt joints. Clamp these up and set them
aside while you continue with the frames.
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| Mitre the Frames |
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I used a compound mitre saw to cut the 12 frame pieces to
length. You could also use a radial arm saw or tablesaw; just
fit your saw with a stop block to ensure identical pieces.
Assemble
each frame on a flat surface using glue only, and clamp. Once
the glue has set, remove the clamps and plunge a biscuit slot
across the back of each mitred joint. Place a glued biscuit
into the slot. Joining the frame pieces this way avoids the
hassle of trying to capture a biscuit in the mitre joint and
lining everything up all in one operation. The protruding
half of the biscuit can be sanded flush when the glue is dry.
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Putting It All Together
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Affix the frames to the boxes using a couple of #10 biscuits.
Then attach the back which you’ve cut to size. I planed my
backs to 3/8" on one side only to keep the profile of the
project as narrow as possible, but you can leave the back
full thickness if you don’t have a surface planer. The backs
should be fastened securely using biscuits, as they bear the
weight of the frame and its contents.
Finally,
seat each puck light in its opening and secure with the tiny
screws provided. A sawtooth hanger centred on the top of each
box back takes care of hanging each unit.
Concealing
the wires that power each light is key to the success of these
box frames. Because the lights are low voltage, the wires
can be snaked through walls without using junction boxes to
house the connections. I pried off the baseboard below my
intended hanging spot and used fish tape to get the wires
from the frames to the floor. A groove milled in the back
of the baseboard will allow the wires to run to the transformer—which
is hidden behind a nearby cabinet—without being seen.
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When
he’s not art directing Canadian
Home Workshop,
Paul Lewis is probably working in his shop near Bradford,
Ontario |
| You will need |
| Sides |
3/4"
x 4" x 8 1/2" |
2 |
| Top/Bottom |
3/4"
x 4" x 7" |
2 |
| Back |
3/4"
x 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" |
1 |
| Frame
Members |
3/4"
x 5" x 17" |
4 |
| Halogen
puck light |
3/4"
x 2 1/8" |
1 |
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