The inner frame, which I am calling the mat, was made from curly maple veneer on 1/4 mdf with a bit of koa trim.
I could not find a regular cardboard mat at the hobby stores in the right size, and they wanted too much for a custom one so I made this from some scraps.
I had these random sizes of mdf and veneer, so I glued them up and trimmed them to size.
Notice the slight cupping from the veneer shrinking after glue-up. This will turn out to be hepful for holding the print in place in the frame.
For a hint of contrasting color I glued a bit of koa trim to the edge,
Then bevelled it with a hand plane.
I love the color of these shavings.
Just checking that everything is square.
Gluing and clamping.
Take a minute to admire it up close. Watco oil finish really brings out the color and figure.
Next time, the final assembly.