How do you make a wooden picture frame?
Do it yourself · Making furniture
Small projectMaking a wooden picture frame
Four strips of wood and a piece of glass. And yet this is the project on which most beginners get their first real lesson in accuracy.
- Four times 45 degrees
- Rebate before mitre
- Offcuts will do
Why mitres are so tricky
A frame has four corners. Each corner consists of two saw cuts. Eight cuts that are each allowed to be half a degree out — and they are not.
If you cut each corner at 45.5 degrees instead of 45, that error adds up around the frame to four degrees. You see it as a gap on the inside of each corner. That is why you always check your mitre box or saw first on a test piece, and not on the real wood.
The second point is the order. Rout or saw the rebate — the recess that holds the glass, photo and backing board — in the full-length strip, before you cut the mitres. Adding a rebate afterwards to four loose corner pieces is much harder and rarely looks good.
And the third: glue with a band clamp or four corner clamps. Mitre faces are end grain, and end grain soaks up glue. So first spread a thin layer on the end grain, let it soak in for a moment, and only then glue properly.
A frame for a 13 × 18 cm photo needs barely a metre of moulding. This is the project for using up offcuts of oak, ash or walnut that are too beautiful to throw away but too small for anything else.
- Wood
- offcuts 30 to 50 mm wide, 15 to 20 mm thick
- Corner
- four times 45 degrees — test on scrap first
- Rebate
- deep enough for glass + photo + backing board
- Gluing
- band clamp or four corner clamps
- Reinforcement
- a spline or dowel through the corner
- Finish
- oil or wax; lacquer flattens the grain
- Time
- half a day, plus drying time
To be fair: four corners that close perfectly rarely work out the first time, and that is not a matter of paying more attention but of tools. A cheap plastic mitre box simply doesn't give 45 degrees. If you want it really tight, you need a mitre saw with an adjustable fence — or accept that your first frames will have a hairline gap.
Your saw
Reinforce the corners
From strip to frame
- Determine the size — photo plus a few millimetres of play
- Make the rebate — in the full strip, before the mitre
- Test the mitre angle — two test pieces at 45°
- Cut to size — the inside of the rebate counts
- Dry fit — measure the diagonals: square?
- Glue and clamp — thin, let it soak in, again; band clamp
- Reinforce the corners — slot and spline
- Sand and finish — grit 120 to 180, oil or wax
- Glass, photo, backing board — from front to back
To be fair: a cheap plastic mitre box simply doesn’t give 45 degrees.
Which wood glue? →From strip to frame
- Determine the sizeMeasure the photo and add a few millimetres on each side: the photo must not be jammed in. That inside dimension is what you match the rebate to.
- Make the rebateRout or saw a groove along the length of the strip, deep enough for glass, photo and backing board together. Do this in the full strip, over the whole length.
- Test the mitre angleCut two test pieces at 45 degrees and put them together. If they don't close perfectly, adjust before you touch the real wood.
- Cut to sizeCut the four pieces with mitres. The dimension that counts is the inside of the rebate, not the outside of the strip.
- Dry fitPut all four pieces together without glue and check that the frame is square: measure the diagonals.
- Glue and clampGlue thinly on the end-grain faces, let it soak in, glue again and put the band clamp around it. Check the diagonals once more before the glue grabs.
- Reinforce the cornersOnce cured, saw a small slot through each corner and glue a thin spline into it. That is what really makes a mitre strong — and it is a nice detail at the same time.
- Sand and finishGrit 120 to 180, ease the edges lightly, and finish with oil or wax.
- Glass, photo and backing boardInsert from front to back and secure with small plates or framing points. A hanging eye or a sloping saw cut at the back takes care of hanging.
Which wood for a frame
| Species | Why | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Ash | light in colour, straight grain, cuts cleanly | can tear out slightly at the end grain |
| Oak | pronounced grain, timeless | hard; use a sharp saw and pre-drill |
| Walnut | dark and calm, ideal for small frames | expensive — exactly why offcuts are so handy |
| Beech | dense, even, takes stain nicely | moves more than other species with changes in moisture |
| Spruce or pine | cheap and easy | soft: mitre corners tear out more easily |
| Reclaimed wood | character and patina | check for nails before you saw |
Four common mistakes
Gap on the inside
The mitre angle is just over 45 degrees. Adjust the saw and test again on scrap — sanding a glued corner doesn't work.
The frame is not square
Measure the diagonals while clamping. If they are unequal, push the frame into square while the glue is still wet.
The corner comes loose after a year
End grain soaks up glue. Glue twice, and a spline or dowel through the corner makes the joint permanent.
The photo is jammed
The rebate was made to the exact photo size. Always add a few millimetres of play; paper moves with the humidity.
Frequently asked questions about making a wooden picture frame
How long does it take to make a picture frame?
For a beginner, half a day's work, plus the drying time of glue and finish. With some experience you can make several in one day.
Why don't my mitres close?
Almost always because the saw angle is not quite 45 degrees. Half a degree out becomes four degrees over four corners. Always test first on a piece of scrap.
Should I make the rebate before or after cutting?
Before, in the full strip over its whole length. Routing afterwards in loose corner pieces is much harder and rarely neat.
How do I make a mitre corner strong?
Glue twice because end grain absorbs, then saw a small slot through the corner and glue a thin spline into it. That spline is a nice detail at the same time.
Which wood is best to use?
Ash, oak, beech or walnut give the neatest result. Spruce will do, but tears out more easily at the mitres.
Do I need special glass?
Ordinary thin window glass or an acrylic sheet is enough for a frame hanging on the wall. Acrylic is lighter and doesn't break, but scratches more easily.
More small projects
A frame is a great stepping stone to bigger jobs. The DIY section lists them in order of difficulty.
Have a question about your project? Just ask — we're happy to help.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Wooden mitre box with cuts at 45 and 90 degrees — Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Corner of a wooden frame: mitre joint and rebate on the inside edge — Auckland Museum, CC BY 4.0 · Corner clamp holding two wooden strips square to each other — Marco Bernardini, CC BY-SA 3.0
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