It’s the season for resolutions – and I have one that is hardly unique; I need to lose some weight. I’ve let myself slide into pretty poor shape (namely, round) thanks to my good friend, denial. Denial and I have been such great pals in large part because of the lack of mirrors in my home. Well, over the holiday, I stayed with family who love a reflective surface. Ugh. Seeing myself at all angles at all times was certainly a much needed wake-up call (the next call is going to Jenny Craig).
Could you stand to come face to face with reality? Or perhaps you’d just like to bring light and air to your home? If so, we’ve found some free plans to create a wall mirror frame from our sponsor SKIL! This particular plan presumes you already have a mirror cut to a certain size and shape and does not provide instruction on how to cut glass. Cutting mirror can be quite tricky if you don’t have the right tools, environment and skill – and therefore isn’t a DIY project for a beginner to tackle. If you have a very particular idea about a mirror that you can’t find in a store (or an old mirror that you’d like to make new), consider speaking with a professional glass cutter to get a custom piece made.
Mirror acquired, it’s time to get working on your frame. The frame created with these plans would have you combine cherry and maple via a nesting molding to create the desired look, but as the article that accompanies the plans explains, you can really do anything you like with your mirror frame (if you like nesting molding design, oak and ash or mahogany and walnut are other combinations suggested). Ultimately, you’ll want to create something that compliments your home and craft a frame that is a lovely piece to look at on its own.
If you’ve ever built a frame before, you’ll find these instructions from SKIL to be fairly straight-forward. If this is your first frame, these are great plans to show you how it’s done. If you’re fond of wordworking, you’ll likely already have all the tools required, although some extra clamps may be in order (Our sponsor Rockler has a great selection of clamps should you need a few more!)
Now, what you see in that mirror, once completed, is up to you. My hope is this time next year, what I see in the reflection is a little lighter! Check out the free plans from SKIL, available as a PDF download.
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