How to Make a Wooden Picture Frame

Picture frames are one of the most common beginner projects and one of the most commonly botched. The issue isn’t difficulty — the issue is that a miter joint is unforgiving. Four corners at 45° sounds straightforward, but a half-degree of error in your saw compounds across four cuts and four corners into a gap you can’t hide. The good news: once you know how to set up the cut properly, the rest of the project is easy.

This plan covers a simple flat-face frame for an 8“ × 10“ photo or print. Scale the dimensions for any size.

What you’ll need

Tools:

• Miter saw (a sliding compound miter saw is ideal; a basic 10“ miter saw works fine)
• Router table or handheld router with a rabbet bit (for cutting the recess that holds the glass and backing)
• Clamps — band clamp or corner clamps made for frames
• Random orbit sander
• Tape measure and a reliable square

A table saw with a miter gauge can substitute for the miter saw, but miter saws make repeatable 45° cuts faster and more consistently. If you don’t own one yet, this project is a good reason to get one.

Materials:

• Hardwood or poplar molding stock, roughly 1.5“ wide × ¾“ thick (picture frame stock)
• Wood glue
• Glazier points or flexible points for holding the glass and backing in place
• Glass or acrylic glazing cut to 8“ × 10“
• Mat board (optional but makes prints look much better)
• ¼“ hardboard or plywood for the backing
• Sawtooth hanger or D-ring hangers and wire

The cut list

Picture frames are measured by the opening (the visible area), not the outside edge. For an 8“ × 10“ opening with 1.5“-wide frame stock and a ¼“ rabbet:

Part	Size	Qty
Long side (inside edge 10“)	Miter-cut to 10“ inside length	2
Short side (inside edge 8“)	Miter-cut to 8“ inside length	2

To find the cut lengths: measure from the long point of one 45° miter to the short point on the opposite miter. For a 10“ inside dimension, that’s 10“ + (2 × frame width) from long point to long point — your miter saw fence stop handles this once you dial in the first cut.

Step by step

1. Cut the rabbet first. Before you miter anything, run the rabbet into the back of your molding stock while it’s still in long, manageable pieces. The rabbet is the step cut into the back of the frame that holds the glass, mat, and backing. Set your router bit or table saw to cut ¼“ deep × ½“ wide on the inside edge. Rout the full length of stock, then set it aside.

2. Dial in your miter saw. Set to exactly 45°. Make a test cut on scrap, then hold the two pieces together. The corner should be perfectly tight with no gap. Even a fraction of a degree off will show. If your saw has play in the 45° detent, use an angle gauge to confirm the actual angle before you cut your good wood.

3. Cut the four pieces. Cut one end of your molding to 45°. Then measure from the inside of that miter to the intended inside dimension and mark the short point of the opposite miter. Cut. Repeat for all four pieces — but cut both same-size pieces (the two long sides together, then the two short sides) so they’re truly identical.

4. Dry-fit before glue. Lay the four pieces together on a flat surface and check the corners. All four should close tight with no gaps. If one is slightly off, re-cut — don’t try to force-clamp a miter gap shut; the joint will be weak.

5. Glue and clamp. Apply wood glue to both faces of each miter joint. Corner clamps make this manageable solo. A band clamp that wraps all four corners simultaneously is even better for keeping everything aligned while the glue grabs. Wipe squeeze-out immediately.

6. Pin the corners. Once the glue has set (20 minutes), reinforce each corner from the back with a brad nail or a glued spline. Miter joints on frames have almost no long-grain glue surface, so they need mechanical backup.

7. Sand and finish. Sand the face and outside edges through 120 and 220. Ease the outer edge slightly with sandpaper. Apply your finish — paint works well on poplar, oil or shellac on hardwood. Let the frame cure fully before fitting the glass.

8. Fit the glass, mat, and backing. Slip the glass into the rabbet from the back. Add the mat board and print, then the hardboard backing. Press glazier points into the rabbet to hold everything in place — a glazier point driver makes this fast; a flathead screwdriver works in a pinch.

9. Hang it. Sawtooth hangers are fine for small frames. Larger frames do better with two D-ring hangers with wire stretched between them — they level more easily and hold more securely.

Mistakes to avoid

Measuring to the outside edge instead of the inside opening. Everything about a picture frame sizes off the opening. If you measure and cut to the outside, you’ll make four perfect pieces that don’t fit around your print.

Skipping the dry fit. Miter corners do not forgive errors. A dry fit before you open the glue bottle is not optional.

Gluing without mechanical backup. Miters on end grain have weak glue surface. Brads, splines, or metal corner fasteners are what actually keep the joint together long-term.

Not cutting the rabbet first. Trying to rout a rabbet in an assembled frame is awkward and risky. Do it before you miter.

Go deeper on the joinery

A miter joint is one of the simplest wood joints — and understanding how it compares to mortise-and-tenon, dovetail, and other options opens up a lot of design possibilities. Our guide to wood joints breaks down when each joint makes sense and how to cut them without a lot of specialist tooling.

When you’re ready for a wider library of plans — including frames, furniture, and outdoor projects with full dimensioned diagrams — our full review covers what dedicated woodworking plan libraries include and whether they’re worth adding to your shop.