How to Make Your Own Collage Frame With Bracket Plates
Collage picture frames display images much like an arts and crafts collage in that they both contain pictures organized around a particular theme. However, collage frames display pictures in a much more compact, stylish manner. Finding pictures to display is the easy part of the project. Creating the wooden frame to hold them is a bit more complicated, but anyone with a flair for woodworking crafts can construct one.
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Things You'll Need
- Circular saw
- Wood, 1/2-inch thick
- Measuring tape
- Carpenter's square
- Pencil
- Clamps
- White glue
- Sandpaper
- Stain
- Hammer
- Screws or nails
- Cardboard
- Custom cut glass (optional)
- Bracket plates
- Picture hanging wire
- Safety glasses
Instructions
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1
Cut the wood for the frame. Measure, mark and cut two pieces that are 1 ½ inches by 17 inches. These pieces are the top and bottom edges of the frame. Measure, mark and cut four pieces that are 1 ½ inches by 5 ½ inches. Two of these smaller pieces will be spacers between the collage pictures, while the other two pieces will be the outside edges of the frame.
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2
Mark measurements at 1 ½ inches, 5 inches, 6 ¾ inches, 10 ¼ inches, 11 ¾ inches and 15 1/3 inches along the bottom of one of the long pieces of wood. These measurements will be the marks where you will place and glue the smaller pieces of wood. Make identical marks on the other long piece of wood.
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3
Arrange the pieces of wood in the shape of the frame before you glue them to make sure all the corners are square and there are no gaps. If there are gaps, sand down the edges to make them even.
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4
Glue the ends of the four smaller pieces of wood and place them in between the two longer pieces in accordance with the measurements you made on the wood. Clamp the project together and let the glue cure according to the label’s instructions.
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5
Sand the frame with fine-grit sandpaper. Stain the frame with your preferred color of stain. Allow the stain to dry according to the label’s instructions.
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6
Cut two pieces of wood ½ inch by 10 ¾ inches and two pieces of wood ½ inch by 5 ½ inches. Glue them to the back of the frame along the inner edges where the pictures will be positioned. Clamp these pieces to the frame and let the glue cure. These will act as molding to hold the cardboard backing in place and to secure the bracket plates.
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7
Cut a piece of cardboard to the dimensions of the inner molding. With the frame face down on a table, position your pictures in the windows. Place the cardboard within the molding. Tap small nails into the inner edges of the molding to hold the cardboard in place.
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8
Attach bracket plates to the vertical pieces of molding. Center both plates vertically against the outer edges of the molding and secure them with small screws. Thread picture-hanging wire through the holes in the brackets. Twist the ends of the wire tight against the bracket plates. Your frame is ready for hanging.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to include a piece of glass to fit behind your frame, both the depth and width of the molding will need to be ½ inch larger to hold the glass. Simply place the glass within the molding, position the pictures in the windows and place the cardboard backing on top of the pictures. Tap a few more nails into the inner edges of the molding to hold the extra weight of the glass.
Don't order your custom glass until you know the exact dimensions of the inner molding.
You can alter the dimensions of this project to make it bigger or smaller.
Always wear safety glasses when operating power tools.
