Hanging Mirror Progress Report

[steve-norrell]

In a previous post (http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=49738) I sought advice on whether or not dowel joints would be strong enough to support a mirror (about 17 x 22 x 1/8) in the frame shown in the pictures. The bottom joints that will bear most of the weight were made with 5 dowels, about 1-1/4 inches apart. The top joints are rail and stile.

The blue tape is to hold the middle frame rail and muntins in place pending a final decision about their attachment. I would like to install them so that they can be easily removed for cleaning the mirror.

The oak will be stained with an oil-based stain to match the daughter's other furniture. Final finishing will either be wipe-on poly or just several coats of wax.

The joints came out pretty nice, but I know that I should learn to make acceptable Mortise and Tenon joints.

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. Regards, Steve

[RAFlorida]

Steve, that's gonna be a sharp

looking wall mirror. The dowels will hold that piece together just fine. Your daughter is going to love that piece hanging on the wall. Congrats on a job that looks great.

[cgallery]

looking wall mirror. The dowels will hold that piece together just fine. Your daughter is going to love that piece hanging on the wall. Congrats on a job that looks great.

+1.

And I like the grain. Were you selective in the wood you used for this? Because I think the straight grains really make it look great.

[JimD]

Looks great Steve.

Jim

[Pappy]

That is going to be one NICE looking mirror!

[crokett]

That is gorgeous.

I assume you don't want to take the mirror off the wall to remove the muntins? Screws through the back into the muntins would do it. Another option would be to figure out a way to use the trim on the mirror frame to key the muntin in place.

[BobSch]

Beautiful piece. You daughter will love it.

[steve-norrell]

Thanks for the kind comments.

Cgallery: I did pick and choose the oak pieces. I purposely looked for pieces with the straightest grain I could find. The thickness was just under a full inch and I planed everything down to a true 3/4 inch before assembly. I had to look quite a bit to find a board with relatively straight grain and no splits or checks (at least that I couldn't work around).

Crokett: As a matter of fact, the muntins are keyed into the frame rails and stile and are glued to the cross-piece (muntin?) so they will lift out as a single piece. But, I don't think it will stay in place when hanging. Also, there is some give to the wood and it doesn't want to lay flat. If I can't figure it out, I'll just glue them in and let the daughter worry about cleaning the mirror.

I followed the Woodsmith plans pretty closely, except that the daughter wanted it to be about 24 inches wide to fit in the space she was planning; that's about six inches wider than the published plans.

Again, thanks for the comments. Regards, Steve

[sleddogg]

I wonder if those Command Strips by 3M would come in a small enough size to adhere those muntins allowing for periodic cleanings and still be reusable?

Very nice work, looks great.

[steve-norrell]

I wonder if those Command Strips by 3M would come in a small enough size to adhere those muntins allowing for periodic cleanings and still be reusable?

Very nice work, looks great.

Thanks for the comments. I am not familiar with the 3M product you mention, but I have thought of using small pieces of ordinary double-sided tape (sometimes sold as 'turner's tape) to hold the muntins in place. If that doesn't work, I'll glue them in and let the daughter worry about cleaning the mirror.

By the way, from your site name, sleddogg, you might be interested to know that the Fur Rondy sled dog races finished this weekend and the Iditarod begins this coming Sunday (7th). The Rondy races are short-distance, fast sprints while the Iditarod is a long-distance endurance race.

Regards, Steve