How to Build a Picture Frame

For photographers that like to display some of their favorite works, learning how to build a picture frame can save them quite a bit of money.

Now there are many techniques to this craft, but I decided to keep this lesson simple so that the initial investment in tools and supplies could be kept low. Well, unless you already have one, you may want to barrow the use of a table saw; they can get a bit pricey.

Ruler or tape measure - ruler preferred; 1/16
inch hash marks
Miter box - can use a chop saw if you have
one
Backsaw - 12-16 points to the inch
Corner (framing) clamp
Wood Glue
Wire brads - as long as the molding is wide
Tack hammer - resin head preferred
Nail set - smallest point you can find; 1/32" is preferable
C-clamps - 2 should do
Drill
Table saw
Wood (molding) - at least ½" thick, as wide as you want a frame side to be, long enough to finish all four sides

Please note that all materials in direct contact with your photograph should be acid-free, especially if you plan to keep the piece for more than two years. Nothing will ruin a photograph like the wood pulp acids found in some matting materials, tape, and paper.

Okay, here we go!

This is the measurement that you will need to know to cut your frame pieces. This is not the size of your photograph. This is measured from the matting or mounting (Note: it is always recommended to use a matting... it is visually appealing to the photograph and it lifts the glass away from the piece to prevent condensation or mold damage).

The matting has to be square. Do not trust the naked eye approach. Measure from the top left corner to the bottom right and from the top right to the bottom left. If these measurements are equal, the mat is square. Also measure the height and length at three different places to make sure the sides are straight. There can be no more than 1/8" variance.

There are two things that you can do here. Some framing and art supply stores will sell frame molding. While this makes things easier since it was made for framing artwork and already has the rabbet cut (explained later), it can be a bit expensive. I prefer the second option: combine builders molding to create picture frame molding. It is less expensive and I can create a variety of combinations.

The example for this newsletter will be a basic box molding. This can be even less expensive by substituting planked wood if you have access to a wood shop to size and finish the wood.

Before chopping up the chosen moldings into lengths needed for the frame, a rabbet cut must be made. This cut creates the lip of the frame that holds everything in the frame: glass, mat, photograph, and backing.

Draw the cuts on the end of the molding. Set the depth of the table saw blade to height A. Set the guide to distance B from the blade. Make your first cut. Now set the depth of the table saw to height D, and set the guide to distance C from the blade. Make your second cut.

The depth of the frame, distance A, needs to be at least 3/8" deep, but it can be more. A normal lip, distance D, is 5/16".

Caution: Never allow your hands to get close to the table saw blade. Use a piece of scrap wood to push the molding through the cuts when you get close to the end. Safety goggles would be a good idea too.

Now for the frame pieces. For easier handling, the pieces can be cut to general length before the angles are cut. If you want to do the precut, cut the molding to the measurements of the mat plus the 1/8" plus twice the width of the molding. You may want to add an extra 1/8" on your first few frames until you get used to it (the 1/8" is so everything can be easily placed into the frame and the addition of twice the width of the molding is for where the molding pieces are fit together).

Use a C-clamp to attach one of the molding pieces to the miter box. Be sure to place another piece of scrap wood into the rabbet cut, tight against the inside of the lip, or else you may end splitting the frame a little around the lip. The C-clamp should only touch the miter box and the scrap wood; it should not come in contact with the molding. It should also be placed as close to the cut as possible. The scrap wood should not touch the miter box. The molding should be flat against the bottom and side of the miter box.

Line up your backsaw in the miter box groove that would give the proper 45 degree cut. Slightly press the saw up against one of the sides of the groove to make sure it does not wobble. Keep it flat against the side at all times. Go ahead and cut the piece. Do not be in a hurry! This is where you want to take your time and get a nice smooth flat cut.

Once you have that first angle, use the measurement that you got from the mat or backing, add that 1/8" to it. Now make the mark for the second cut on the back of the molding on the rabbet cut side. Just measure down (on the rabbet cut side) from the cut you just made and mark the new measurement. Use the same procedures above to make the second cut. Use the edge of the miter groove to line up with your mark. Remember that this angle will be opposite of the first one.

Repeat both of these cuts for each frame side.

First make sure that the frame is the correct size. Lay down your glass, mat, and backing the way that they would fit in the frame. Now assemble the frame pieces around the stack. The edges of the glass should not be visible, and there should be at least a small gap between your glass and the lip of the frame. Of course, all four corners of the frame should come together nicely.

Note: you may want to label the back of each frame piece as being a corresponding top, side, or bottom to keep from attaching the wrong sides together.

Now remove the glass, matting and backing and put them in a safe place. Lay out the frame in the shape it should be in.

Take two joining sides of the frame and secure them in the corner clamp. Make sure to put a scrap piece of mat or something in between the clamp and the outside of the frame piece; otherwise it may get scratched.

Moving the pieces one at a time, slowly work them into a nice flush corner fit. Once the corners are together, there should not be a gap between the top or side of the corner seam. Some clamps tend to lean in slightly, so if the face of the frame pieces come together but the side is slightly gapped, try pushing them a bit tighter together.

If the edge is nice but the face is gapped, the cut is not quite straight. Try to determine which piece needs to be corrected. Remove it and use sandpaper to fix the cut.

Note: if any corrections are made to a frame piece, start back at the beginning of the assembly by making sure that the frame is still the correct size.

Once both pieces are secured and the corner fits nicely, remove one piece. Put wood glue on both of the cut faces of the corner (just enough that a little will squeeze out when they are pressed together). Put the removed piece back in the corner clamp and fit the two pieces back together again nice and snug. They should line up nicely since they have already been lined up once and one of the pieces was never moved.

Important: Remove any glue that got squeezed out of the joint now. Use a damp rag and just wipe it off. Glue is much easier to remove while it is still wet.

Since the corner is being supported by the clamps, we can go ahead and tap in the wire brads while the glue is wet. Drill a pilot hole where the brads are to be hammered in. Snip off the head of one of the brads to use as a drill bit (drilling a pilot hole will help keep the frame from splitting). Tap in the brads as far as you can without hitting the frame (hold the molding so that it does not slip in the vice). Use the nail set to tap the brads in to just below the surface of the frame.

Caution: Do not let the drill chuck touch the frame; it may scratch the wood. Do not tack the brads in too close to the outside corner of the frame; they may split the wood.

Each corner needs two brads to keep the corner from twisting. Most framers pit the brads in the top and bottom so that they cannot be seen from the sides. Larger frames may need cross brad support; put two in from the bottom and one in from the side.

Leave the corner in the vice for at least another 10 minutes after you are done working on it. It will still be a bit fragile, so be sure to support the frame when removing it. Set the corner aside on a nice flat surface.

Clean your clamps of any glue or debris before securing the next corner. If anything gets under your frame pieces, it will be very hard to get a nice fit.

Assemble the second corner the same as you did the first. Double check to make sure that you are putting the correct ends together.

Now there should be two L pieces. Just pick a corner to glue and secure it in the corner clamp. Make sure to put something under the rest of the frame that is not in the clamp. You want the frame to sit as flat as possible. Follow the same procedures as above.

For the final corner, the glue needs to be up on before the corner is secured in the clamp. The rest of the frame must be supported here as well. Other then that, follow the same procedures as above.

After everything is nice and dry, fill the small holes made by the wire brads with the appropriate wood putty or colored wax filler.

Note: only use the filler or wax if the wood does not require any further finishing. Use the filler or wax that matches the finished wood color, after all finishing is done.

Once the frame is completely done and has had at least a day for the glue to cure, you are ready to put the guts inside.

Lay the frame face down on a towel or something that will not scratch the wood. Put in the glass, mat, mounted photograph, and the backing. There should be at least a small lip of the frame sticking up around the backing. Tack in a couple of wire brads around the inside of that lip to secure the backing and the rest of the guts into the frame.

Pat yourself on the back for a great framing job!

Trust me, just like everything else, the more you do, the easier it gets.

This is the January edition of a newsletter from Photography Tips and Techniques called "Fun with Photography."

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Yes, I am the original author. I just figured that I would share my back issues here.

I hope you enjoyed it.