How To Make a Photo Frame

How do you make a timber photo frame?

A picture frame from timber colonial moulding is one of the better beginner woodworking projects, because it teaches mitre cutting on stock small enough that a mistake costs a few dollars rather than a sheet of pine. There are no fixings in it at all — the frame is glued with Selleys Aquadhere Quick Set and held with masking tape until dry.

The part worth getting right is the measuring. Frame mouldings are measured from the long point of the mitre, not the short point, and if you measure the wrong edge every piece comes out short by twice the thickness of the moulding. The section below sets out how to lay the cuts out.

What you need

• Selleys Aquadhere Quick Set
• 2 long frame edges — timber colonial moulding, 287 × 41 × 18 mm
• 2 short frame edges — timber colonial moulding, 225 × 41 × 18 mm
• 1 backing piece — plywood, 283 × 221 × 3 mm
• A mitre box and tenon saw
• 120 grit sandpaper
• Double-sided adhesive tape
• Masking tape

How to make it

1. Cut the frame edges. Measure the photo you want to frame, then use a mitre box and tenon saw to cut lengths of moulding for the frame edges. Sand off any splinters with 120 grit sandpaper.
2. Prepare the backing. Test-fit the frame edges together and cut a rectangle of 3 mm plywood to size, then sand the edges with 120 grit. Cut the backing a few millimetres smaller than the size of the frame. Use double-sided tape to attach the photo in the centre.
3. Glue the frame together. Apply Selleys Aquadhere Quick Set along the back of the frame pieces and on the mitre cuts. Carefully arrange the pieces around the backing and hold them in place with masking tape until dry.
4. Add a stand. For a freestanding frame, use Aquadhere Quick Set to glue an offcut of moulding to the backing, holding it in place with masking tape until dry.
5. Decorate. Stain, paint or decorate the edge once the glue has fully cured.

How to measure mitre cuts

The lengths of framing for this project are measured from the long point of the mitre — the maximum length of each piece. To frame a larger or smaller picture, take its measurements and subtract 5 mm so the frame slightly overlaps the edges of the picture. Make the first mitre cut, then mark the length on the long point of the frame edge and make the second cut.

The 5 mm subtraction is what stops a sliver of white border showing at the edge of the photo. It also gives you a small tolerance: the frame is designed to sit slightly over the picture, so a photo cut a fraction large still fits.

What is a tenon saw?

A tenon saw is a type of handsaw used to make precise cuts in timber. It has a reinforced back to make it more rigid, and finer teeth than an average handsaw, which lets it make neater cuts. On mitres this matters — a coarse handsaw wanders in the mitre box and leaves a face too rough to close up cleanly against its partner.

Working with Aquadhere Quick Set

Aquadhere Quick Set is a fast-setting PVA wood glue for interior woodworking, suitable for softwoods, hardwoods, MDF and particleboard. Selleys' general directions for it are to ensure surfaces are clean, dry and close-fitting, apply glue to one surface, clamp until set, and wipe away excess with a damp cloth while it is wet.

Selleys does not publish a specific set time or clamping duration for Quick Set in its available product documentation, so this page will not invent one. What the documentation does say is that full cure must be allowed before stressing joints. In practice that means leaving the taped frame alone rather than testing it, and not staining or painting until the glue has fully cured — which is exactly what the final step of the method says.

For a working comparison, Selleys' published clamping guidance for the exterior-grade Aquadhere is 30 minutes on softwoods and 1 hour on hardwoods, with the joint left unstressed for 24 hours. A mitred frame in soft pine moulding held with masking tape is a low-stress assembly, but there is no reason to hurry it.

Why masking tape works here

Mitred corners are notoriously awkward to clamp — a conventional clamp pushes the joint open as often as it closes it, because the pressure is not square to the glue line. Masking tape stretched across each corner pulls the two faces together along the line of the joint, which is precisely the direction you want.

The technique that makes it reliable is to lay all four pieces face-down in a row, mitres touching, tape across each joint, then fold the row up into a rectangle and tape the last corner. Wipe squeeze-out off with a damp cloth while it is wet — dried PVA on the face of the moulding will resist stain and show as a pale patch.

Limitations

• Aquadhere Quick Set is for interior woodworking applications only — it is not suitable for exterior or structural use.
• For an outdoor frame or anything exposed to weather, Selleys Aquadhere Exterior is the weather-resistant product in the range.
• Surfaces must be clean, dry and close-fitting — PVA is not a gap-filling adhesive, so a mitre with a visible gap needs recutting rather than more glue.

Common questions about making a photo frame

Where do I measure the mitre from?

From the long point of the mitre — the maximum length of each piece.

How much smaller than the photo should the frame opening be?

Take the picture's measurements and subtract 5 mm, so the frame slightly overlaps its edges.

What size should the backing be?

A few millimetres smaller than the size of the frame, so it drops in cleanly.

How do I hold a mitred frame while the glue dries?

Masking tape across each corner. It pulls the joint faces together along the glue line, which conventional clamps struggle to do on a mitre.

How long does Aquadhere Quick Set take to set?

Selleys does not publish a specific set or clamp time for Quick Set. Its documentation says to clamp until set and to allow full cure before stressing the joint, so leave the frame taped and undisturbed rather than working to a guessed figure.

When can I stain or paint the frame?

Once the glue has fully cured.

How do I clean off excess glue?

A damp cloth, while it is still wet. Dried PVA seals the timber and will show through stain.

Can I make an outdoor frame this way?

Not with Quick Set, which is for interior woodworking only. Aquadhere Exterior is the weather-resistant option.

What timber should I use?

The project uses timber colonial moulding. Aquadhere Quick Set is suitable for softwoods, hardwoods, MDF and particleboard.

Why a tenon saw rather than a normal handsaw?

Its reinforced back keeps it rigid and its finer teeth cut more neatly, which is what a mitre needs to close cleanly.

How do I make it freestanding?

Glue an offcut of moulding to the backing as a strut, holding it with masking tape until dry.

My mitres have a small gap. Can I fill them with glue?

PVA needs close-fitting surfaces and is not a gap filler. Recut the mitre, or plane the face back slightly, rather than trying to fill it.