Is it possible to make a frame with Architrave?

[BrickyBrian]

Having failed to find any inexpensive window frames on the Internet I thought I could make one up. The frame would need to be large enough to fit an 18" piece of Perspex and would be used for a shed. I thought that if I cut four pieces of 2” architrave laying them out on my bench in a square front down therby showing the back of the window frame to which I could attach pieces of 1” wood to the 2” architrave to act as a border for the Perspex to drop into. That was until using a mitre box I cut out the first two pieces of 2” architrave and found it was impossible to keep an architrave shape. Have I missed something or is it impossible to create a square frame out of architrave?

 

[Captain Nemesis]

Its perfectly possible - you just need to be accurate with your cutting.

Mind you - its only a shed - if you get the mitres reasonably close you could easily get away with using exterior wood filler to hide any gaps.

 

[BrickyBrian]

If I was using a simple piece of 10mm X 20mm planed wood no problem, a 45 degee cut has to match but I'm using a piece of bulnosed architrave which will be laid flat to form a square and secured using brackets and whatever way I cut the wood the corners will not meet so that the contours match.

 

[Captain Nemesis]

I really can't think what youre doing wrong. Surely you're not cutting a length at 45°, flipping one piece over, and expecting them to match?

Take two pieces, lay one over the other at right angles, and visualise cutting through both of them at 45° - how can the profiles possibly not align?

 

[oldbutnotdead]

I've made picture frames with architrave before now (using a compound mitre saw, mitre box was a dismal failure). As above you will get wastage, you have to make all 8 cuts.

 

[Captain Nemesis]

Picture frames need great precision.

Shed windows less so. Cut one 45° angle, position that piece over another one at 90°, draw the line you need to cut, and so on.

You can even scrimp on filler by gathering sawdust and mixing it with exterior glue if you really have to.

 

[Captain Nemesis]

Ricky - FOAD.