If you’ve ever made a picture frame, particularly using biscuits, you’ve probably ran into the challenge of holding two pieces together at the perfect 90° angle while the glue wood glue is drying. There’s an easy solution to this challenge that you can easily make in just a few minutes. This corner clamping jig design consists of one board and should less than 30 minutes to make. You can also make four of them in not much more time since the set up is the most time consuming aspect, and if you have four quick-grip clamps you’ll be able to clamp all four corners of your picture frame at the same time.
How to make a corner clamping jig
To make your corner clamping jig, you can use almost any scrap board you have laying around your shop that’s at least 3/4″ thick, 3 1/2″ wide, and 4″ long. In the diagrams below, I show using a 1×4 at 8″ in length.
Start by finding the center of your board by drawing lines from opposite corners. After finding the center, you’ll want to mark lines at 45° angles out from that center point. Then drill a 1″ hole, using a spade bit, directly in that center point.
After the hole is drilled, you’ll want to move your 45° lines out toward the edges of your board 1/4″. Then cut along this new set of 45° lines. I like to use my table saw with a miter gauge set to 45° so I can make the first cut, flip the board and make the second cut. This method ensures the two cuts are at a perfect 90° angle.
That’s it. That’s all it takes to make a quick corner clamping jig to make building picture frames and similar projects a little easier.
Of course, if you are planning on nailing or screwing the mitered pieces together or the pieces are taller than an inch or two, this corner clamping jig design might not be suitable for your need. The downside of this jig is that it covers the outside edges so you can’t drive a nail in to hold the pieces together. If you’re looking to use mechanical fasteners, you could try our right angle corner clamping jig instead so the outer sides are exposed.
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