Well      06/14/2019

Wooden frame for a picture with your own hands. How to make picture frames with a hand router. Deciding on a design choice

Modern interior it is very difficult to imagine without paintings decorating the walls, framed in elegant and stylish frames. Moreover, not only oil-painted works of art are worthy of a beautiful frame - dear photographs of friends and relatives, children's drawings, hand-embroidered or donated paintings, panels made from natural material, paper, leather or salt dough, also need a beautiful frame.

Frames give the work neatness and completeness, complement them, decorate and place the necessary accents. A well-chosen frame for any picture is half the success of the emotional perception of the work as a whole.

But buy at the store finished frame paintings right size almost impossible. In addition, the width or color is not always satisfied. Of course, in cities where there are framing workshops, the problem of acquiring a frame of the required format is solved quickly, but even framing one picture can almost ruin an ordinary citizen, and if you need a lot of frames, then buying them can become big problem. The only way out in this situation is to make picture frames with your own hands, the material for which can be not only wood, but even some improvised material.

Wood is the ideal frame material. Products are distinguished by high strength, reliability, durability and fit perfectly into any interior. You need to start making a frame for a picture with your own hands by determining the size of the entire product and the width of the baguette. To find the most suitable width, you can first experiment with cardboard - cut a frame out of it and see how nice it looks.

Having decided on this value, it already becomes clear what width of the bar should be prepared for the baguette. Planks should be chosen very even, with straight edges, without cracks, knots, mechanical and biological damage, 15-20 mm thick. They need to be polished very well and it is better to do this on a special machine. But if there is none, then you need to stock up on a few sheets sandpaper different grain sizes and spend a couple of hours to give the blanks the required quality.

The usual smooth picture frame, even very well sanded and varnished, still has a somewhat rustic look. Refinement will be given to it by beautifully made samples, for which special devices are used - milling cutters. These are attachments for woodworking machines or hand tool, allowing you to make samples of a wide variety of configurations.

Also, on reverse side slats, it is necessary to provide a special recess into which the picture is inserted and which, in fact, turns an ordinary rail into a baguette.

When the material is prepared, it is necessary to take two more important steps that require maximum accuracy and care: this is cutting the planks at an angle and connecting the parts together.

You need to saw off the baguette strictly at an angle of 45 °. An ordinary protractor and a hacksaw are unlikely to help cope with the task; in framing workshops, special machines are used for this: the so-called "guillotines" and circular saws.

At home, it is desirable to have a jigsaw and a miter box.

When fastening the elements, it is necessary to ensure that all corners of the frame are straight, and the joints are very tight, it is unacceptable that even the slightest gaps remain between them.

It is recommended to fasten the prepared baguette into a single structure using special wood glue. The connection is best done in two stages: first glue the adjacent strips together, and then, when the glue dries, fasten both halves of the frame.

The finished frame can first be tinted with a stain, and then varnished, but you can do without a tone - it all depends on the interior where the picture is supposed to be placed.

It will look very nice if the picture in the frame is placed under glass. To do this, it is enough to make the necessary measurements and use a glass cutter.

Of course, picture frames made of wood are very beautiful, but in order to make them, you need not only special tools, but also at least the slightest skill in working with them. And what if all this is not there? Then there is another way out: to use alternative materials, from which, by the way, products are obtained no worse, and even much more interesting and creative.

Almost all handmade frame options will require very thick cardboard as a base - 2 sheets of the same size, which are larger than the existing image by the desired frame width. In one of the sheets, with a clerical knife, a window is cut out in the middle, half a centimeter smaller than the size of the picture - a kind of frame is obtained. This frame and the whole cardboard must be glued along the edge, on three sides: from the sides and from the bottom. The result will resemble an envelope with a large cutout on one side, it is very convenient to insert photos, children's drawings on thin paper, embroidered pictures into it.

The front side of the frame must be decorated, there are more than enough options for this. For example, you can decorate natural material: shells, cereals, seeds, dried flowers.

The frame decorated with twisted paper tubes looks very original.

You can use quilling, origami, flowers made of paper and silk ribbons, beads and rhinestones. Frames decorated with mosaics of colored paper look amazing, ceramic tiles or CDs. If it’s really bad with creativity, then you can simply paste over the frame with beautiful wrapping paper.

Also, polyurethane stucco molding is excellent for framing paintings. Painted "under the tree" or covered with gilding, it practically will not differ in any way from expensive wood or plastic products made in specialized workshops. The main thing is to be careful in the manufacturing process. Good luck with your creative endeavors.

Dear readers, comment on the article, ask questions, subscribe to new publications - we are interested in your opinion :)

The release of picture frames is a simple and exciting task, especially since when decorating paintings and photographs (as a rule, all kinds of frames and frames are used. The most common option here is a cudgel. The shapes of the bars can also be very diverse: a rectangular section or a special plinth is used .

Tips and tricks for making DIY picture and photo frames

Approximately (to say), a frame for a photograph, having a size of 800x1000 mm, will consist of bars 80 mm wide and 25 mm thick. At the same time, the bars are cut into a “mustache”, this means that at an angle of 45 degrees, after which they are glued together.

It is possible to attach volume to the ends if the ends of the frames are not only sawed down at an angle of 45 degrees, but at the same time the saw is set vertically in front of an angle of 80 degrees. Thus, when gluing, the edges of the frames will rise, giving it greater depth and size.

It is best to use electrical, miter and hand saw, where you can set the angles of the washed down, (on) as much (to) as it is very difficult to manually cut it with a simple hacksaw in two projections. Using this method, it is quite easy to make a three-dimensional deep frame using wide, although thin parts, the thickness of which is 20 mm.

However, butt gluing of the ends is by no means particularly durable and reliable, so it would be best to reinforce it with plug-in spikes, that is, self-tapping screws. Plug-in spikes are quite difficult to perform; as a rule, they are made on dowels.

Of course, it is much easier to make a connection on self-tapping screws, only in this case you need to finish sealing the self-tapping screws. You can use wooden plugs to close the holes, of the same breed in their structure, to the details of the frame, after which everything is carefully sanded, and then varnished.

Another way is to insert flat pitfalls from the outside of the corners of the frame. For this purpose, an angle is sawn on the circular saw from the side of the edge; in addition, this can be done hand saw. Then pick up a spike, a sliver that fits snugly into the ragged cut and glue it. Excess glue after drying is cut off, the place of gluing the spike is sanded.

A quadrant is made in the frame to secure a picture or photo. It is performed using a manual milling cutter, like before and after the completion of the frame.

Previously, even before the start of work, well, decide on the size of the frame. It is done according to the size of the picture or photograph, given the presence of this, that the size of the frame both in width and height is set to be 15-20 mm larger from the canvas itself. That is, the watercolor should be included in a quarter of the frame for tight fixation.

Picture frame made of plastic plinth

The principle of making picture frames from plastic plinth is well simple. An ordinary plastic plinth should be cut down, as in the previous case, under a house of 45 degrees. The elements of the future frame must be screwed to the subframe with self-tapping screws. A stretcher is a wooden frame, get and sign it and stretch the canvas of the picture.

However, there are two problematic points here. It should be borne in mind that all the corners of the parts do not fit perfectly. That is why it is necessary to glue the joints with a narrow strip, which is cut from a piece of the plinth.

In addition, the edges of the paintings will remain open, although it is not forbidden to close them. flat material, for example, parts made of fiberboard laminate. Then compensate with some paint in accordance with the color of the frame. The edges are nailed with thin nails to the subframe.

It is difficult to find such a house or office where there would be no place for paintings and photographs. But just attaching a picture or a masterpiece of art to the wall will be ugly, and ridiculous. It was in order to arrange photographs and paintings that frames were invented. With their help, you can ennoble the interior and add comfort to the premises. Now there are millions of options for frames in stores, but it is not always possible to find one that suits your home. That is why we will tell you how to make a frame with your own hands, while spending a minimum of money and effort. You need to start by choosing a design for future crafts.

Deciding on a design choice



What you need to pay attention to when choosing a frame design:

  • will it fit the overall interior of the room;
  • the frame must be color scheme with an image, not with walls;
  • the frame should complement the image.


To achieve the desired result, you need to carefully consider the material from which the frame will be made.

Material selection

There are no special restrictions on the material. The only thing that is unchanged is the base on which the decorations will be glued. It should be dense, strong and not soak from the glue. Thick cardboard and, of course, wood are well suited for the frame. Moreover, the wooden frame itself is already a complete craft. It can be opened with varnish and it will be appropriate for any interior.You can decorate the product with any improvised means. It can be pasta, pebbles, clothespins, buttons, beads. But do not forget that the selected material should complement the picture. So, for example, shells are suitable for the seascape, and a pasta frame with the addition of cereals is perfect for the kitchen.

Let's focus on the two main materials from which frames are most often made - wood and polyurethane foam.

wood frame

The tree is classical material from which picture frames are made. Such designs are durable, suitable for almost any picture and room design.

To make a wooden frame, it is not necessary to go to the forest for wood, then process it and cut out the planks. You can contact hardware store and buy wooden skirting boards there. They are perfect for a product like this.

What you need:

  1. Wooden plinth. Its length and width should correspond to the size of the picture. Therefore, be sure to measure the picture before buying a skirting board and do not forget that the frame will be longer than the canvas.
  2. Well sharpened knife.
  3. Scissors.
  4. Sandpaper.
  5. Glue for furniture. PVA will do.
  6. Hacksaw.
  7. Little nails.
  8. Hammer.
  9. Ruler. Better if it is angular.
  10. Cardboard or plywood.

What to do:


For a richer look, carved wooden skirting boards can be used. Their price matches the look, so for such material for the frame you will have to pay a decent amount, but at the end of the work it will be worth it.

PU foam frame

For women, "polyurethane foam" sounds threatening, but do not be afraid, because it is ordinary foam, only stronger. They make from it ceiling plinths which are now being used to renovate apartments. Their price is low, but the variety of patterns is impressive. There is no difference in manufacturing with a wooden plinth. But do not forget that this is not a tree, so polyurethane foam should be handled with care. Any blow can lead to dents, or even completely break the entire structure.




What you need:

  1. Ceiling plinth.
  2. Hacksaw or sharp knife.
  3. Glue.
  4. Ruler.
  5. Plywood or cardboard (depending on the size and strength of the katrina).

Devices for a manual router

How to make picture frames manual router

Creating frames for pictures and photos, one of the most simple ways manufacturing products in woodworking. These are several wooden slats cut with a trimming tool and interconnected into a frame. First of all, in any frame, the main role is played by the profile of the shaped part of the rail. For the manufacture of the rail profile, we need milling table and a set of standard cutters. Next, we consider the methods of forming various profiles for the rails of the future frames.

This frame (see the photo above) is one of the popular models because it is basic and looks attractive. The milling sequence is shown in fig. 1-4.

The frame described above serves as a good basis for creating many variations, see fig. 5-6.

The simple formation of profiles with a router and their gluing will help create the option shown in the photo below. Here the strip is made of contrasting wood, see fig. 1-4.

You can add another color to the frame with a rail of the desired color. In the photo below, a stripe painted with gold paint has been added to the inside of the frame to emphasize inner edge frames, see fig. 1-4.

To give the frame a nice, smooth look, you can round the edges of the rail and create a merging effect, see the photo below. Increase the width of the rail and this frame will be good for large paintings or photographs, see fig. 1-4.

Even in small frames, you can add a contrasting strip (insert) for decoration. The second strip creates a cutout for photos, paintings and glass, see fig. 1-4.

Various frames are used to frame paintings, favorite photographs, children's crafts. You can buy them in the store, but they are different standard sizes And appearance, and designer products have a high cost, which is not always justified. How to get out of this situation? It will take a little patience, the ability to work with simple carpentry tools. You can make a wooden frame with your own hands. If you have experience, you can create a real work of art on your own by decorating products with original carvings.

For a photo of a custom size, you can make a wooden frame yourself.

How to make such a frame with your own hands? There is nothing complicated about this, as the main material are used wooden slats or plywood, you can cut patterns with a jigsaw. Before work, you should take measurements, think over design options.

To make a frame with your own hands from wood, you need to prepare the following materials and tools:

Sawing wooden blocks at an angle of 45 ° occurs with the help of a special tool.

  • wooden slats of the required length and thickness (if a carved frame is to be made, then a plywood sheet can be used for this);
  • a sheet of thick cardboard;
  • acrylic paints, topcoat varnish;
  • a set of brushes for decoration;
  • jigsaw with a set of files;
  • nails;
  • hook or metal loop;
  • Sander;
  • sandpaper.

Wooden frame with passe-partout

Any tree is used for a frame with a passe-partout. The product is made in the following sequence:

With the help of cutters, you can make different patterns.

  1. First, the dimensions are measured with a ruler. If the edges of a photo or painting are a little worn, it is best to trim them slightly.
  2. On thick cardboard, the position of the photograph is marked with a pencil. After marking, the resulting rectangle is carefully cut out. It is allowed to use scissors, a special clerical knife with replaceable blades. A special cutter designed to work with a passe-partout is best suited.
  3. With a jigsaw, 4 elements are cut out for the future frame. end internal corners done at a 45 degree angle. It is necessary to provide that the edges are even and smooth, otherwise, when gluing, a high-quality connection will not work.
  4. A small amount of wood glue is carefully applied to the ends, the elements are connected together, clamped with clamps.
  5. For the frame, you can use glass, which will protect the photo or picture from damage. Glass can be cut independently, for convenience, a glass cutter is used. You can order from a specialist not just smooth glass, but already decorated glass. This frame will become even more attractive and stylish.
  6. To install glass, special grooves are made on the reverse side of the profile. The grooves are marked to a depth equal to the thickness of the glass.
  7. On the front side of the product, you can provide original decoration. There are many options, if you wish, you can dream up. The frame can be painted, gilded or varnished. by the most simple option is wood varnish. To do this, first polish the surface, remove all dust. After that, the wood is carefully varnished with a brush. You can use both transparent mixtures and those with any shade.
  8. When everything is ready, you can start assembling the frame. If the product is dry, it must be carefully laid front side down. After that, glass is laid on top, a passe-partout (it should fit snugly against the tree). A photograph or picture is attached to the back of the passe-partout, a second piece of thick cardboard is used to fasten the wrong side, thin plywood, a piece of fibreboard. The back is attached to the product with small galvanized nails. It is necessary to ensure that the carnations do not break through the frame. From the top you need to fasten a loop or hook. If the frame will be used for a shelf or table, then instead of an eyelet, it is best to provide a special stand.

Varieties of baguettes for paintings

After all the details are ready, they are glued with PVA glue.

Today you can make baguettes for photographs and paintings with your own hands. The most popular material for the implementation of ideas is wood, you can make frames from plastic, metal. Wood is the most expensive material, but at the same time the highest quality, durable and beautiful. A real baguette of the classic type is made only from wood. It can be done in modern minimalist style or more ornate with intricate carvings that are great for an old renaissance painting.

The wooden frame is universal option, it can be used in any interior. It is best to take hardwood, tropical, conifers. The ideal option is pine, ramin, exotic ayos. The wood must be dense, not form cracks and chips during processing.

Wood must be selected such that it does not absorb moisture, is not subjected to temperature effects, and is durable.

From wood, you can make a profile of the usual classic, reverse, flat, office. The surface of the frame can be varnished or painted, you can use special oils, silver, gold plating.

After the frame is ready, it needs to be decorated, this can be done by painting it with acrylic, or sticking beads or shells on it, gilding or aging it.

Aluminum is a cheaper option for making frames, but there are certain limitations. Similar hardware decorated not as richly as wooden ones, design options are limited. Stucco and others decorative types decorations for metal frames are not used. Usually they are simply painted or varnished, pasted over with special films. Aluminum baguettes are not always suitable for home use, they are usually used in office premises.

An aluminum baguette is great if you need to decorate posters, large photographs, diplomas, posters, graphic images. The advantages of aluminum frames are as follows:

  • high quality and strength of the frame;
  • low profile weight;
  • the possibility of using special paints that literally impregnate the material.

Plastic baguette for the interior

Plastic baguettes are sold by the meter, they only need to be cut and glued.

Plastic frames are not only of high quality, but also cheap. From such material, you can create an imitation of a wooden frame, but the cost and weight will be much less.

You can use plastic baguettes (most often made of PVC) for mirrors, photographs, modern painting, and children's crafts.

The assembly process is simple, in many specialized stores you can buy ready-made plastic profiles to make beautiful and durable frames.

Is a wooden, plastic or metal frame better? It is unequivocally difficult to answer this question, since they all differ in their advantages. But working with a tree is much easier, and the result is more attractive. The manufacturing process is not difficult, you just need to be careful and patient - the result will be amazing.