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I'm always looking for creative ways to use scraps and leftovers around the shop. When I bought my current home, a 1915 Craftsman Bungalow, I found a large stockpile of old growth figured maple hardwood flooring cutoffs. I can't believe they have stayed with this house for nearly 100 years! I know they are original to this home because they match the flooring in the house that I recently refinished. There really is no substitute for old growth wood. The figuring and character is amazing.

So I have a large stack of cutoffs, all less than 3 ft in length, in the rafters of my garage. Not really enough for any major project, as they are only 2-1/2 inches wide, but it couldn't just let them all sit there.

It hit me one day that they would be perfect stock for framing. I ripped the tongue off one side and then set my table saw blade to rip the bottom half of the groove side off, making a perfect rabbet to accept the glass, art and backing. The best part, I haven't even made a small dent in my stockpile of cutoffs.

The first two are water colors that my wife and picked up at a craft market in Prague a few years ago on spring break. They were already matted. I think we only paid like $5 for each. The third is a series of postcards all depicting nationality rooms in the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh, where I first met my wife. We actually found these postcards in an antique mall in Appleton, Wi, strangely enough. They were only a quarter a piece. I cut the matting myself, another hobby of mine. So for a few bucks in art and matting and free scrap wood, I have some great art hanging in my home.

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Great job on the frames!!

Sounds like more to come!!
..............Jim
 

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Incredible looking wood and frames. The scrapes can make great frames or accent pieces on other projects, great find.

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