Fabricated Picture Frame Walkthrough

This is a very fast and easy picture frame tutorial that could be customized for any occasion. Paint it, engrave it, make it bigger, or make it smaller — this design will prove to be a lucrative and repeatable asset for your hobby or your business.



We started off the design on paper, but quickly implemented the design into Torchmate CAD/CAM. The final design was made to fit a 5"x7" picture. You could easily manipulate the design to accommodate much larger pictures, or portrait style photos.


Simply load the file into the ACCUMOVE controller, and set your program zero on the plate where you would like the picture frame to be cut out. Set your height control parameters from your plasma cutter's manual, and you're ready to cut!



After cutting out the file and doing some weld prep, we were ready to place the shims. These act as spacers to make enough room between the metal pieces to fit a picture. You want it to be nice and snug. If you aren't going to weld the metal plate to the frame, you could always use some industrial strength double sided tape. Home Depot or Lowes has a great selection.



Tack weld each corner, with an optional tack at the bottom of the frame to keep the bottom shim from falling out.



Bend the legs to your desired angle, and you're finished! Put your favorite picture in, and it's ready for your home, office, or garage!



If you would like to cut out your very own picture frame, follow the link below to download the CDL and GM files!
http://torchmate.com/uploads/downloads/PictureFrameTutorial.CDL

http://torchmate.com/uploads/downloads/PictureFrameTutorial.gm

 

That would be a great idea! You would just have to get a magnetic strip that was strong enough to hold the back plate on. Or, you would have to cut on sheet metal that was thin enough to be supported by a weak magnet.
But the ability to paint or patina the metal after cutting would be great!