Strange

Paul Douglass

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S E Washington State
Yesterday afternoon I went to my neighbor's wedding. I sat at a table with another couple and the guy had a pair of sunglasses on that had a wooden frame. Course I asked to have a look at them to try to figure out how they were made. I figured the grove for the lens to fit in were made with a dremel tool, but not at all sure, because, how would you get the lens into the grove. Today I visited Lumber Jocks site to have a look at the projects, and there was, guess what, a pair of wood framed sunglasses posted that someone had just finished making. I read his statement about the picture and he gave an address to a YT video that showed how to make them! Now I know! But what timing!!
 
Have fun people! However, do consider a few points.

1. Your head is thicker (excuse me wider) than the back of the temples (the ear pieces) need to be. If the ends of the temples are not closer together than the widest part of your head there is nothing to keep the glasses up.

2. The temples cannot be thicker than the distance between your ear and your head where they rest or the glasses will be really uncomfortable. The temples can be thicker up a ways however, they cannot push the ear out further from the head than its normal position. Think of the letter "U." One side of the U is your ear and the other side is your head. Do notice there is width between the bars of the U where the ear attaches to the head---It is NOT a "V." You will need to carve material from your temple right where it sits on the ear (the left and right will not have the same contour).

You want the place where it sits on the ear (hereinafter called the "place") to be as thick as it can be so the weight is spread over the largest possible area, without having the temple press on the ear itself, pushing it out.

3. Spring hinge temples will allow the temples to open wider to go around the thick part of your head and then close down narrower to keep the glasses on your head. For all practical purposes the temples on the Wayfarer go straight back. They do not bend down behind the ears. Therefore, the only thing holding those glasses up is the fact that the temple ends are closer together than the thickness of your head.

Parts slide smoother and easier when they are lubricated. Oily skin and hair will be your enemy. Keep the temples really clean on the inside where they touch the head. The temples absolutely must NOT touch your head any place in front (anterior) of the thickest part of your head; if they do they will push the glasses down your nose.

4. Speaking of noses: You will want the nose piece (bridge) of the glasses to touch as much of your nose as possible. It will NOT be symmetrical. The more nose it touches, the lighter the glasses will feel and the more friction you will have to help keep the glasses up. You guessed it; you gotta keep your nose clean. Skin oil on your nose will lube the slide and the glasses go down.

You really do not want an inverted "V" shaped bridge on an inverted "U" shaped bridge of your nose---or vice versa. Think parallel. the sides of the glasses bridge should be the same size and shape as the size of the bridge of your nose.

Glasses frames are designed with flex for comfort. Wood frames will have NO flex so the fit must be pluperfect. It would be very easy to have a wood frame that was comfortable until you decided to chew gum or talk or whatever else might make your skin move around a bit.

You can purchase adjustable nose pads, like on metal frames, that can be put on plastic glasses frames (will work on wood also) very simply. You just drill two tiny holes that match the pronged pins on the nose piece. Then you press the prongs into the wood or plastic. In wood, you might need a very small drop of epoxy in the hole.

The thin, flexible, lenses in cheap sunglasses have a lot of distortions. Some people can tolerate them. Some people will get headaches from them. Some people will get nausea like sea sickness from them. I just stuck this in in case you are one of the people who react. Don't think you are getting sick or that it is something you ate.

There are a lot of people out there who say they are opticians. Since you can be an optician by saying, "Hey, man, I am an optician," there are a lot of lousy opticians. The good opticians are usually people who have been at it for a long time and learned from their mistakes, or someone who has a mentor (usually a relative) who has been an optician for a long time, or taken one of the two year optician courses from a state college. In case you did not recognize it, that was a disclaimer. There is no way I can tell you all you need to know to make a comfortable pair of glasses though you might make a pair that you can wear for short periods of time.

If you have specific questions, PM me. Jim C Bradley. I will do all I can to help you have a fun project in spite of all of the negatives I just threw your way.

Enjoy,
JimB

I will make some sketches to clarify what I have said. But, right now, I have to have some food.

I'll be back.

OK a couple quickie sketches---see attached.View attachment 83467View attachment 83468
 
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I think these are more just an novelty. Wouldn't think you would were them much. I can]'t wear them I have to have prescription lenses. Although at the wedding there were three people that had them. They got them as gifts for donating money to something.
 
I think these are more just an novelty. Wouldn't think you would were them much. I can]'t wear them I have to have prescription lenses. Although at the wedding there were three people that had them. They got them as gifts for donating money to something.

Paul,
There always seems to be a couple entrepreneurs who are making and selling wooden glasses frames that will hold prescription glasses. They are usually too clunky and people do not purchase many and the company goes kaput. Don't bother to ask me who is doing it now however. "I know nothing!"

The entrepreneurs may know woodworking, they may even know something about business, but they don't know enough about optics and what makes a wearable frame. There have actually been some really nice looking frames produced commercially. Nice looking, not comfortable. For a joke or for a party---have fun. In my hundred years in practice I have never seen a pair that was worn for anything else. The person may have purchased them for something else but did not end up using them that way.

With the new treatments of woods, thin laminates, small strong metal parts, etc. maybe the wood frame is due to make its entrance.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
Interesting video, but he doesn't have the quality touch that you guys have. In fact, compared to you guys his work is a bit crude.
 
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