Please visit the Kitch-n-Crafts blog for a more detailed description of this build! You can also check out our Etsy store if you'd like to purchase a similar hand-made picture frame!

When Kaly told me she needed a picture frame for her desk at work I decided to design a custom profile rather than buy frame moulding and assemble it. I found a nice piece of maple with some pretty grain and went to work.

Step 1: Cut, Rip, Shape

After you've found the right piece of wood it's time to cross-cut to length, adding a few extra inches for wiggle room. Then rip both the width and thickness to size the rough dimensions. Use a router, table saw and belt sander to create the profile of the moulding for the frame. I went with a stepped roundover on the outside edge and a low angle chamfer on the inside. This is also the time to cut a rabbet on the back side inside edge to take the photo, glass, and backing.

Step 2: Glue-up

Corner clamps are very useful tools for making picture frames. After the moulding was shaped to the desired profile I cut the four sides to length, making sure to angle the mitres in the proper direction. I spread glue on the mating surfaces and clamped up. This was a two step process due to the limiting size of the clamps. After glue up I noticed my corners weren't perfectly tight, so I used the old woodworker's trick of mixing sawdust from cutting the workpiece with wood glue to make a wood filler that matches color perfectly.

Step 3: Wood Finish

I prefer to use home-made finishes to store bought finishes. This frame was finished with a single coat of thinned boiled linseed oil plus two coats of a mixture of boiled linseed oil and finishing paste wax. The top coat was applied with #0000 steel wool to give a nice satin sheen.