How to Make a Unique Frame for Your Digital Photos

With the advent of digital cameras it is easy to accumulate hundreds of photos that, in many cases, remain on your computer. These photos of family members, pets, scenes, vacations to name a few, remain more or less hidden on your hard drive in many cases. It would be nice to display these digital photos where they would add to the décor of your room. The cost of conventional wood frames can add up thus making low cost, yet aesthetically pleasing, wood frames becomes an attractive option.

For purposes of this article a multiposition wood frame is one where multiple groupings of either 3" x 5", 4" x 6" or 5" x 7" inch photos are displayed adjacent to each other. These long, multiposition, frames make a striking and unique design statement that can be incorporated into many decors. Not only can they be used alone but also in concert with other sizes and shapes of frames. For example, the accompanying photo shows two frames made using these techniques which are used as a virtual headboard for a guest bed. In this case it was used in a lake cabin where the subjects of the photos were loons found on the lake. As can be seen both a three-position and a five-position frame were made using the similar procedures.

Obviously a multitude of different photos can be used. The ease of taking multiple photos of candid shots of kids, adults, and pets in relatively rapid succession with a digital camera often provides sequences of photos where it would be nice to be able to display them together. While this can be done with individual picture frames, displaying them all in one picture frame, adds a unique, eye catching display not often seen.

A starting point is to select the photos you want to display. These should be at a resolution suitable for printing and able to be corrected for any obvious defects such as red-eye. It is suggested that a reasonable number to start with is 7 photos, all of the same size. If these are digital camera photos they can be economically printed either at home or commercially.

Once you have decided how many positions the frame will have make a sketch of the frame to determine what dimensions it will be. The final openings should, of course, be slightly less then the outer dimensions of the photo size that you are using. We use a quarter inch undercut for this. In this example the outer boards were 2" in width and the inner divider strips were 1" wide. You can choose other dimensions if you wish as long as you incorporate them into your sketch and subsequent dimensions.

As an example if you are using 4" x 6" photos and 5-1/2" will be the width of the opening the following would be the length for a 7 position frame: two 2" side boards, six 1" vertical divider boards, and seven 5-1/2" openings which adds up to 48.5" total. Similarly the outer side boards would be made up of two 2" boards and an exposed photo height of 3-1/2" for a total of 7.5".

The frames shown were made with knotty pine to complement the knotty pine used on the window and door trim in this room. The top, bottom, and two side strips were ripped down from larger 1" x 6" tongue and groove boards that had been acclimated to the indoor environment for more then a month. Care was taken to select boards that weren't warped or that had excessive knots. The tongue was cut off and two 2" strips were cut. The length of the strips were such that each strip would be sufficiently long to produce one side and one top (or bottom) board with the miters that would eventually be cut on each end.

Once the boards are cut to size undercut what will be the inside back surface edges by ¼" thus taking out a ¼" x ¼" the length of the boards. Next carefully cut a 45 degree miter on each end of each board so that the cut out ¼" strip will be on the inside of the frame facing the wall when assembled. If you desire something other then a square outer edge on the frame now is the time to router the outer edge of each outer board.

Now rip a 1" wide piece of wood to form the vertical partitions. Cut a ¼" strip of the two long sides as was done on the outer frame and cut six of them to have a snug fit between the top and bottom rails of the frame.

At this point if you want anything other then a natural finish you should apply it. This could be paint or stain. For a natural finish apply a polyurethane or similar coat once the frame is totally assembled.

The assembly process is straightforward. Use good quality wood glue and assemble the 4 outer wood pieces of the frame preferably using frame right angle clamps. Once the outer frame glue has thoroughly dried carefully space and mark the location of the vertical partitions. Use a square to make sure they are evenly spaced and vertical then coat the ends with a small amount of glue and clamp two or three of them in position at one time using a bar type compression clamp.

Once the glue has dried apply any final clear coat, cut glass to fit the openings, add two hangars on the back at each end, and insert your digital camera or other photos backing them with cardboard cut to fit the openings.

By following these guidelines you can make a unique wood picture frame to highlight your digital camera photos and add a striking dimension to your home's décor.