No-guesswork frames with mitersled modification

If you've ever tried to make picture frames, you understand the challenge of sizing the frame members to fit your photos. That's because the critical measurement is the length of the rabbet on the back of the frame—hidden when cutting—making it hard to size the frame sides accurately.

But this specialized miter sled makes it easy. The key to how it works: The thickness of the fences matches the depth of the picture frame rabbet. The rabbet overlaps the fence during the cut. Make the first cut on the right side of the fence; then switch to the left to cut it to final length. For even more efficiency, measure from the saw kerf and mark common image sizes on the left fence, as shown. Then just align the frame stock so the rabbet crosses the fence at the correct mark and cut. This ensures that the frame accomodates the picture. I've even created an angled stopblock that clamps onto the fence for making multiple frames of the same size.
—Brent Hill, Alpine, Utah