DIY Wooden Sunglasses

by Pieter Bron
(Amsterdam)

Q: Hello!

We are currently working on some custom built wooden sunglasses, but we are unsure how we can do the following:

We have got two identical wooden frames (the front), and we'd like to screw the lenses between them, in order to tighten them. Is this possible and if so, how should we proceed?

Kindest Regards,
Pieter Bron


A: Hi Pieter,

Well.... I see that you try to make history here, good for you, congratulations :)

Thanks for asking us, this is a challenging matter...

If I understand correctly, you want to join the two wooden pieces (frame front) with the lens between them. I have to say, some pictures would help us.

First thing that is decisive is that the lens has the same curvature as the frame, so when you join them, there is no tension between them.

Now, you have different possibilities to join these three together, but because we never did this, there are more ideas than facts, but maybe you will find this helpful:

First method
Glue them together, so you will need no screws. This will not temper with wood and look natural. The glue you will use must be strong, but gentle with the wood.

Second method
Put the lens and frame in the right position together (as you finally want them to look) and then make holes thru all of it, and then put in the screws. I think it will not be an opportune idea to put in the screws without drilling the holes first because the wood may crack. Maybe is more appealing to use rivets, not screws, depends how you want them to look.

Third method
Be creative :), for example you can use leather, long thin leather to tight them together, like the shoe laces. You need to make a lot of holes in the lens only, all around, and put the leather in x, all around the frame. I think it would look very attractive. Another thing, you can use wood screws, so it will look real elegant (wood in wood), but you need custom made screws, small but strong.

Also if you want to see how a wooden eyeglass frame is made by hand, you might want to check out the video below:



I hope this helps, do not hesitate to make a comment if you have other questions.

You might want to check this wooden glasses.

Arpi

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