There's something satisfying about displaying a favorite family photo, piece of artwork, or woodworking project in a frame you built yourself. Instead of settling for expensive, off-the-shelf frames with limited styles, you can create custom picture frame moldings using nothing more than a router table, a table saw, and a few pieces of scrap hardwood. In this video, Phil and Chris demonstrate just how easy it is to make elegant, professional-looking picture frames that can be customized for any project or décor.
Custom Picture Frames Start with Custom Moldings
One of the best parts of this project is how versatile it is. By mixing and matching a handful of common router bits, you can create dozens of unique molding profiles. Whether you prefer a clean contemporary frame or a traditional decorative profile, the router table makes it easy to produce consistent moldings from inexpensive wood.
Because you're making the molding yourself, you can also choose the wood species that best complements your project. Cherry, walnut, maple, oak—even leftover scraps from previous furniture builds can become beautiful custom frames.
Perfect Miters Every Time
Beautiful moldings deserve perfect corners. That's why building and using a precision table saw miter sled that makes cutting accurate 45° miters quick, repeatable, and frustration-free is so important. The sled ensures each corner comes together cleanly, resulting in tight joints that require very little cleanup before glue-up.
The free, downloadable plans even include the complete instructions for building this handy shop jig, making it a valuable addition to your workshop long after you've finished your picture frames.
Bonus Shop-Made Frame Clamp
Getting four mitered corners aligned during glue-up can be one of the trickiest parts of frame making. The included shop-made frame clamp solves that problem by applying even pressure around the entire frame, helping keep everything square while the glue dries.
Together, the molding techniques, precision miter sled, and frame clamp create a complete system for building picture frames that rival anything you'll find at a frame shop.
A Great Weekend Woodworking Project
Picture frames are one of those projects that almost every woodworker eventually needs. They're perfect for framing family photos, artwork, certificates, mirrors, or even showcasing your own woodworking accomplishments. Since they require only small pieces of lumber, they're also an excellent way to use hardwood offcuts that might otherwise end up in the scrap bin.
Once you've mastered a few molding profiles, you'll find yourself making custom frames whenever the need arises.
Download the Free Plans
Ready to build your own custom picture frames?
Download the FREE Picture Frame Moldings woodworking plans from Woodsmith Plans. Along with complete instructions for routing decorative moldings, you'll also receive bonus plans for the precision miter sled and shop-made frame clamp featured in the video.
Download the free plans here: https://www.woodsmithplans.com/plan/picture-frame-moldings/
