A friend from work came to me and asked me if I would be interested in making her a shadow box. She made a nice piece of art for her son's teacher as a year-end gift, and she wanted a nice way to display it!
Enter: ME
After asking some questions and discussing some possibilities, we came up with a plan, and I got to work!
I made the frame out of 2" wide spruce wood. The wood is 3/4" thick.
My friend told me that the piece of art that she made is 12" X 18", so I wanted to make sure that the inner dimensions of the frame is at least that big. After the box assembly, the frame could accommodate a bigger piece, if need be!
I also cut a 1/2" "ledge" out of the inner sections of the frame so the glass can sit recessed into the frame (I'll show you that later on).
I glued the edges of the frame together, and added corner braces on the back. Then, I clamped the corners together and let it sit overnight.
After drying, I gave the frame a good sanding the next day...
Next up is the glass!
I decided to re-purpose a piece of glass for this project; it's cheaper and I've never cut glass before! I would feel a lot better if I ruined a cheap piece of glass rather than an expensive, new piece of glass.
I bought a frame from a thrift store that had a 15" X 20" piece of glass in it for $2.99...
That's right, $2.99!
I put the frame to the side in my workshop. Maybe one day, I'll need it... who knows?
I also bought an inexpensive glass cutter (about $5) to cut the glass to the size I needed, which was about 13" X 19" (an extra 1/2" all the way around to sit on the ledge of the frame.
I made some marks with permanent marker on the glass and used a straight-edge to guide the cutter along the glass in a straight line in one firm motion. Then, I "snapped" the glass with light pressure over the side of my workbench...
Success!
First glass cutting experience was a good one!
Take note of the inset ledge I cut out around the inner frame. I did this so that the glass would fit snug and stay in place with the adhesive.
BUT...
The glass will be the last thing to go in, so I put it to the side for later...
Next is assembling the box!
I decided on a 2.5" deep "box" for this one. I measured the perimeter just around the outsides of the corner braces so I can hide those from sight.
After measuring and mock-up, it's time to secure it!
I used a brad nailer and wood glue to secure the corners of the box to each other...
Now, to attach it to the frame!
I did this with wood glue and clamps. I clamped it down into place and let it set up for 24 hours.
After removing the clamps the next day, I gave the whole piece a thorough sanding before moving on.
The next thing to do is to cut out another "inset ledge" on the backside of the "box" for the backerboard to sit in...
I used my router for this part. I cut out a 1/2" inset around the inner perimeter of the box...
Next up is cutting out the backerboard!
I used a thin piece of backer board and cut it to size using my scroll saw. I also cut out a little notch from one corner to make it easier to remove the board without using your fingernails!
At this point, I have done all the woodworking that I'll need to do. So, I sprayed the whole thing down with water-based matter finish spray-on polyurethane. I wanted to keep that natural wood finish look without the shiny, so this worked perfectly.
Now I need some way to keep the backerboard secured against the box...but still able to be taken off to access or change-out the artwork...
Hmm...
That's what I need!
These are little pivot arms that I screwed into the box that use tension to keep the backerboard tight against the box...
I decided on 6 of these pivot arms; 2 on the longer sides and 1 on each of the shorter sides...
I also confirmed with my friend that the artwork is set up in a portrait style. So, I added a couple saw tooth picture hangers at the top.
Now that everything else is finished, it's time to put in the glass!
I used silicone to secure the glass. I applied a thin bead to the inner ledge of the frame. Then, I dropped it in and pushed it down. Then, I applied a thick bead of silicone over the small gap between the wood and the glass for good measure.
I let it fully dry for 24 hours before handling. I gave the glass a good wipe-down with some Windex and...
It's all done!
I really like how this turned out! This was my first foray into the world of shadow box making, and anything involving glass. It was tough, but I definitely picked up some very useful skills along the way! Anyone who sees this shadow box can tell that it's custom made and one of a kind!
I can't wait to give this one to my friend at work tomorrow! I know she's going to love it! I hope the teacher who gets it loves it as much I do!
Until next time!
-Kevin
Comments