Impossible Frame?

Bongo

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True story. Today I made a square frame, .5" wide by 12.5" on each side (12.5x12.5x12.5x12.5) When I finished making the frame I was surprised to find it only took one piece of wood 48" long by .5" wide. In fact I had a small scrap of wood left over? How is it possible to make a square frame 12.5" on each side with just one piece of wood 48" long? It took me minute to figure it out? Can you?

square.jpg
 
You swapped sides with each miter so there wasn't the small triangle of waste on each cut.
 
Wouldn’t that still only save 1.5 inches? The last corner would be on both ends so couldn't overlap?
The picture would have to be misleading. with the corners butted together at 90s instead of 45s.
 
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👑Snowball is correct.👑
You start with a strip of wood 48" long, then make a series of 45 degree cuts - every 12.5". So the strips for each side of the frame end up being 12.5" on the long side and 11.5" on the short side.
frame2.jpg

there is a little scrap of wood left over from the first angled cut and the last angled cut -
xxxxx.jpg
 
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But that still doesn't add up to me.
last 11.5” is only the shorter edge. The point on the long end would stick out another half inch.

Untitled.jpg


The cut pieces not counting the scrap could be laid out and both top and bottom planes would be 48” but the total length would still be 48.5”
Am i missing something?
PS. shop grade scribble diagram is not drawn to scale.
 
You
But that still doesn't add up to me.
last 11.5” is only the shorter edge. The point on the long end would stick out another half inch.


The cut pieces not counting the scrap could be laid out and both top and bottom planes would be 48” but the total length would still be 48.5”
Am i missing something?
PS. shop grade scribble diagram is not drawn to scale.
Good catch - you're right. When I wrote the post I mixed up the trim and base numbers and gave wrong dimensions.
The frame has two parts. One made from .75 x 1.5 lumber and the other from .5 x 1.5 lumber -

The trim is four pieces of .5 x 1.5 x 12.5 on the INSIDE (13.5 on the outside)- with the 45 degree angle cut along the .5 side.
The base is four pieces of .75 x 1.5 x 12.5 on the OUTSIDE (9.5 on the inside) with 45 degree cut along the 1.5 side.

So the short side of the trim is attached to the long side of the base - the 12.5 sides - to make the frame.

- the trim took 52" of .5 x 1.5 lumber (13.5 + 12.5 + 13.5 + 12.5 )
and the base took 44" of .75 x 1.5 lumber (12.5 +9.5 + 12.5 + 9.5)

so when I finished cutting the base I mistakenly thought, hmmm.. four pieces at 12.5 each - should of took more than one 48" long stripo_O?? Later when I wrote the post I mixed up the base and trim dimensions -

my bad -
 
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