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How to Cut a Ceramic Picture Frame

Custom picture frames are a great way to show off photographs. You can make the frames out of many materials, including wood, vinyl, metal and ceramic tile. Cutting ceramic tile for a picture frame might seem tricky on the surface, but it can be done by any do-it-yourself type with the right materials and tools.

Things You'll Need

Ceramic tile
8 x 10 photograph
Pencil
Cloth
Table vice
Cutting wheel
Rotary tool
Spray bottle
Jig saw
1/4 inch plywood
Staples
Staple gun
Glue
Glass
Cardboard
Thumb tacks
Safety goggles

Instructions

- 1
  Set a ceramic tile upside down on a table. Place an 8-by-10-inch photograph on the ceramic tile.
- 2
  Trace loosely around the photograph with a pencil.
- 3
  Wrap cloth around a table vice and clamp the ceramic tile in the vice.
- 4
  Put on your safety goggles for the cutting portions of the project. Attach a cutting wheel to a rotary tool. Set the rotary tool aside momentarily and fill a spray bottle with water. Spray the ceramic tile with water to reduce the dust while cutting.
- 5
  Cut along the pencil lines with the rotary tool, going slowly to carefully follow the line as closely as possible.
- 6
  Use a jig saw to cut four pieces of 1/4 inch plywood to make a rectangle backing for your ceramic picture frame.
- 7
  Fasten the four pieces of cut 1/4-inch plywood together using staples and a staple gun to form the rectangle.
- 8
  Glue the plywood rectangle to the back of the ceramic frame and let it dry overnight.
- 9
  Fit a pane of glass into the back of the ceramic frame, then fit your photo in. Cover the back of the photo with cardboard. Push thumb tacks through the cardboard into the plywood to hold the cardboard in place.

Photography