Just for starters and to play around with designs, profiles, and the corner mitered cuts, soft pine will be just fine. If I have time and the project permits, I like the half-lap technique. (takes a little practice).

 

Frame making is very creative and yet, very exacting. There are no rules about what you can use to make them. That's what makes them so much fun to make. It's about making something that enhances the appearance of the art work, but doesn't overwhelm it.

I make picture frames from pine, but it is very carefully selected. I found some7/8ths by 4 inch pine at HD that often has long stretches that are knot free and grain without twists or other warps. Sometimes I just use part of this material for frames. It is thick enough for both a nice front profile and a half inch rabbet for the canvas. But when I can afford it, I love working with Cherry. It takes a deep, rich choclatey finish. It is easy to work and route. You might also want to look at the Yonika bit sets for picture frame profiles. I have also used chair stop you put on walls. This gives you thickness to work with. I have also used 3/8ths decorative trim and instead of cutting a rabbit, just gluing on strips of pine to create thickness and space for the canvas.

My wife is a painter and I get serious husband points for making frames for her. She bought me a special tool, a Lyon miter trimmer (Grizzly brand). You cut slightly long miters then use this double sided horizonal guillotine to shave it to an absolutely perfect 45 degrees. It has been around since the 1880 for making frames. You shave off 1/32nd inch at a time.

Gluing the ends of your frames makes for a weak joint. So I generally add a spline to all four corners of each frame. You can also glue on overlapping wood pieces to the back to form the rabbet and reinforce the joints. I prefer the spline as shown here.

To hold corners together and keep the frame absolutely square, I use simple spring clamps, like these. They only work if your 45 degree miters are dead on and the sides and also the top/bottom are cut to exactly matching lengths. If they're not identical, it's impossible to square up the frame.

You have to measure the painting or art very carefully and cut lengths based on fitting the painting into the resulting rabbet. I physically fit the frame to an oversized piece and then cut to the that point. I want the lip of the frame to overlap about half an inch over the edge of the painting. So I leave the rabbet about an eighth inch longer than measured.

To hold the painting in place, I got what looks like a stapler, but it shoots a small metal tab into the frame to hold the art in place. It looks like this.

Here's what the Grizzly miter trimmer looks like. It is incredibly sharp and I have it mounted on a piece of ply with handles so I can keep my fingers from being sliced. Ask me how I know that.

Sanding all those inside and outside curves is almost always necessary. On pine, I always use sanding sealer. And I discovered 3M's flexible sanding medium, which is so much better than sandpaper that I stopped using anything else. I only sand to 220 grit, any more is counter productive. And I use shaped sanding blocks, which I got at Rockler for cheap. With the 3M stuff wrapped around the blocks, sanding goes really fast. I start with 120 grit, then 220. Some go higher, but I think it only raises fuzz.

For a perfect glossy finish, forget sanding and use a scraper, there are many curved scraper shapes that work. This is a pretty standard mix of scrapers with a burnisher to "sharpen" them. Violin makers use these to make perfect foundations for their stain and varnish.

I use a sliding miter saw to rough cut corners, then the trimmer. But you can do this on a table saw. I use my reliable Freud industrial Glue Line for stuff like this, it makes a baby behind smooth cut. I also recommend you pop for an incra precision angle gauge. It is very precise and the long support arm allows you to use a stop block for exact same length cuts. Unless you buy the miter trimmer, this is my recommendation. It's a peach!

Cheapo miter gauges are rarely precise enough for frame making.

And then, after assembly, your frame is square and glued up, you notice tiny gaps in the miter joint. Oh NO! But relax and order a small container of Timber Mate, which comes in the colors of most common wood species on Amazon. Take a tiny bit on your finger and rub it in gently. Sand off the excess and the gap disappears. This stuff also finishes exactly like the wood. For a perfectionist like me, it is the critical final touch. Don't forget to remove any glue squeeze out.

Speaking of glue joints: If you're gluing end grain, carefully apply a coat to each end, let it dry, the add a second coat and press them together. I cover the bench with glossy side up. You might wish to make a corner jig or use a corner clamp to make sure it's square. If you do, wax the heck out of the base so you don't glue your frame to the jig.

Long post, and I hope it is helpful. Making picture frames is a gas!

 

Thanks for the info, guys. Lot to consider here. Will play with the few bits I have now and learn.
Speaking of rabbets, we had three in our backyard yesterday. 😏

 

We have a large back yard that used to be desert, but I've landscaped it (low-water zeroscape) so it has shade. And we also have a family of cottontails living in an underground den. Not much for them to eat here, but they somehow get by. Our dog doesn't seem interested.

I saved the post into a pdf so I can share it later. Fiddling with frames is kind of fun, precise, but fun.

 

Pine or poplar are good cheap woods to start with.
A hint on early frame making: Frame things that will have a limited predictable life. Later on as you get your processes down pat, experiment with more expensive woods on frames that you would like to keep for the long term. Early on I framed some nice things with cheap pine. I now cringe every time I look at them.

 

"Cover it with Krylon." Covers a multitude of flaws. Not framing anything but just getting used to the cutting and fitting the wood.

 

Having a stressful day? Stop by router forums and see what nice people are up to.

Excellent thread, lots of good information. Thanks.

 

There's more to picture frames than just 90* corners.
One of the "very first" real frames I made was for the US Navy. Octo-Framed mirror for the ship's galley. The glass was cut, tempered and mirrored by a mirror company and safety laminated. Then, I sand-etched the ship's image on the front panel. I think it was about 40 inches long and very heavy. The wood was "real" teak to match some of the other woodwork in the area.
The mounting was simply 4 holes with plugs. The ship was in charge of the installation. The attached sketch is only a rendition of what I made - the actual photos were lost a long time ago.
Just be aware of the the possibilities of a "frame-maker".

The frame was a whole one inch thick teak - for the joints, I dug out an area for a wood plug that fit snugly but not tight and epoxied in place. When working with real teak, (or any oily wood) you have to wash well with acetone immediately before applying the adhesive. Now, decades later, I would have used a nice "bowtie" insert to look more professional. Oh, the joints were also "half-lapped". The wood plug was just insurance.

 

John, that is a real piece of craftsmanship. My complements. Which ship?

 

Thanks, John.
Since I didn't have an actual photograph of the one I made, I substituted the photo for my first ship, USS Thomas J. Gary (DER-326) based in Key West, FL until given to the Tunisian Navy in Africa around 1980.
The actual project went to one of the new FBM submarines out of Kings Bay, Georgia. I was also commissioned to sand-etch all the glass partitions of the booth seats for the local McDonalds with submarine and nautical images. Hopefully, they are still there now.
Yep - I really enjoyed working in that area.

 

Thanks for the info. Key West? That must have been a good duty station.

 

LOL not to get too far off your topic - - - I was raised in Central Florida and caught this Destroyer Escort right after boot camp. Spent 4 very adventurous years on it and saw so many countries I've lost count. From the Equator to the Arctic Circle from the Caribbean Sea to the Norwegian Sea and all OVER the Mediterranean Sea. . . . yep, I've been everywhere, man !!! LOL.
And then, to top it off, From that ship, which was at the Naval Base in DownTown Key West, I got transferred to the Naval Air Station, Key West. Which was about 7 miles up the road for 3 more years. (Then, to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Italy for 3 years each for my shore duty) yada yada yada.
And, I was very fortunate to have a good assortment of tools with me to enjoy the "local" native woods of each place I was stationed.
So I guess I've come full circle, as they say. (I'll be 76 in June).

 

You could try cookie frames

Oh crap I just replied to a ancient post

 

You can make some really cool looking frames out of old barn wood if you like a rustic look. It looks great on western art and wildlife art. If you can't find barn wood, you can take the wood from old pallets and get the same affect. Don't be afraid to experiment. Have fun, Jim in Texas.

 

I found some decorative trim strips at Home Depot. Some paintings and art cry out for a more decorative accent. You can glue straight onto flat surfaces, or cut a shallow 3/4 inch groove and glue these in more or less flush. I used a rope style on a painting of a boat for example.

Here are more of them.

 

You're right, Tom. You can get very creative with these. Most folks don't realize that you can use these for inlays. Jim in Texas

 

I have used weathered fence palings for picture/mirror frames.