Introduction: How to Make a Wood Mirror Frame
Don't you just hate those cheap plastic frames that come on mirrors? Well I do, so I decided to make a better one. I used some 3/4" x 3" pine. It is cheap and easy to work with.
I rough cut my pieces, leaving my four pieces over sized for the miters. I used my table to put a rabbet on the back of each pieces. This will allow the mirror to site "inside" the wood, rather then on top. This is something you don't have to do. You could just glue the mirror on the frame, just make sure your frame opening is smaller then your mirror, by 1/2" on each side. I then cut a 45 degree miter on each end of my four pieces, for a total of 8 miters. Using my pocket hole jog, I put two holes in each end of the smaller sides(top and bottom pieces). If you don't have a pocket hole jig, you can use glue, biscuits, nails etc. I then screwed the four corners together, with a little glue and set it aside to dry.
Using my orbital sander, I gave the frame a good sanding with 220 grit sand paper. I also eased the edges and corners. I applied some ebony stain to the wood, which made the grain in the wood really pop. To finish off the frame, I sprayed several coats of polyurethane, giving the frame a light sanding with 320 grit sand paper in between coats. Now it was time to attach the mirror. I used glazier points. You need to be really careful and not break the mirror like I did, haha. You could just put a bead of silicone on the frame and glue in the mirror. I wanted the option of making it somewhat removable, just in case the mirror did break.
I hope you enjoyed this projects. Thank you for watching.
Brian.
