The Vision: A Mirror That Defies Gravity
When a Colorado Springs Custom Furniture client requested a walnut mirror frame that appeared to float off the wall, the challenge was as much about precision as it was about perception. The final product would rely on an optical illusion, making the heavy mirror seem effortlessly suspended.
Step 1: Perfect Miters Start with Perfect Stock
The key to tight miter joints on a frame lies in perfectly square stock. To ensure accuracy, a feather board was set up while ripping the wood to width. Each of the four frame pieces was mitered at one end, followed by the use of a stop block to cut corresponding sides to exact lengths, preventing dangerous pinching between the blade and fence.
Step 2: Cutting a Deep Dado—The Two-Pass Method
A deep dado was needed to house the mirror and its supporting back panel. Rather than forcing a stacked dado set to remove excess material in one go, a safer two-pass approach was used:
- First Cut: Established the dado’s width.
- Second Cut: Adjusted the fence and blade height to refine the depth.
Step 3: Reinforcing for Strength
The mirror’s heft demanded extra stability. Floating tenons were chosen to reinforce the mitered corners. To keep the pieces steady during mortising, they were clamped together.
Step 4: The Band Clamp Problem—A Clever Workaround
Band clamps, often frustratingly ineffective, were replaced with a smarter solution: temporary clamping blocks secured with CA glue. These blocks provided sturdy clamping surfaces without obscuring the miter joints, ensuring tight, seamless corners on all visible edges. Paper was placed beneath the glue joints to protect the work surface, and diagonal measurements confirmed squareness.
Step 5: Assembling the Inner Structure
With the frame glued and dried, the temporary blocks were removed, and attention turned to the back panel. Alder wood was squared up, cut to length, and attached to the outer frame with pocket hole screws, adding rigidity to support the mirror’s weight.
Step 6: Final Assembly & The Floating Effect
- The inner frame was assembled with glue and brad nails.
- The mirror was carefully set in place.
- The Back components were painted black to blend into shadows.
- The back panel was installed, followed by the inner frame, secured with pocket screws.
The key to the floating illusion? The inner frame’s inset design creates depth and shadow when hung on a French cleat.
The Final Reveal
Though shadows in photographs may hide the effect, in person, the mirror appears to hover effortlessly, and for a final touch, the mirror was backlit with LED’s making it an elegant custom lighting solution.
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