How To Make a Wood Star Shaped Picture Frame
Standard picture frames usually are squares or rectangles. If you want a particular picture or photograph to stand out, why not create a custom star-shaped frame to house that special image? Star frames hang easily on the wall, but if you want it to rest on a shelf or mantel, then the two bottom points of the star should be level, so that it sits straight. Homemade star-shaped picture frames also make great gifts.
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Things You'll Need
- Plywood, 3/4-inch
- Pencil
- Jigsaw
- Safety goggles
- Plywood, 1/4-inch
- Router with rabbet bit
- Sandpaper
- Retaining clips
- Screws, 1/4-inch
- Drill
- Glass, 1/8-inch
Instructions
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1
Place your 3/4-inch plywood flat on a work surface, then draw the window of the frame--a rectangle, square or a circle works best. Draw the star of the frame around the sketched in window. You can make as many points on the star as you want, but remember if it is a sitting frame, the bottom two points need to line up.
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2
Put on your safety goggles, then cut out the window of the frame using the jigsaw. Cut out the star shape of the frame. Draw a second window on the 1/4-inch plywood that is 1/4-inch wider on all sides than the original window and cut it out with the jigsaw. This is the back of the frame that holds the glass and picture in place.
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3
Attach your rabbet bit to the router, then cut a rabbet edge all around the window in the frame that is 1/2-inch deep and 1/4-inch wide. Sand the frame and the back piece.
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4
Position retaining clips--the small, usually brass, clips that hold the frame back in place--with one in the center of each side of the frame window on the back. Screw them in place using the 1/4-inch screws, making sure the clips rotate around the screw at this point.
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5
Lay the frame face down, then fit the glass piece into the window, resting on the rabbet edge. Before buying the glass, make sure you know the measurements you want for the frame, so you can get the glass custom cut. It should be the same size as the backing piece of plywood-- which is 1/4-inch wider on all sides than the window.
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6
Place your picture face-down on top of the glass, then insert the backing piece of plywood on top of the picture. Move the retaining clips so that their ends are over the backing of the frame, then tighten the screws so the clips are securely holding the backing in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Hang your frame by placing a screw near the top point of the star and hanging with a wire, or by using scrap wood to make a foot for the frame, which you can attach to the back of the frame with a hinge.
Paint or varnish the frame as desired.
References
- Photo Credit picture frame 12 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com
