Simple project advice

[kas20amc02]

Second picture

[kas20amc02]

As luck (or ill fate?) would have it, one of my kids knocked an ~16x8 inch picture frame off the wall. The frame disintegrated (it was cheap) but the glass and mat were unscathed. My wife re-bought the same frame (“That is how I fix things-I buy new ones,” I was told). That leaves me with everything I need to make my own frame.

I have read the above posts a few times. I would love a firm recommendation on wood. I don’t need something premium, but I recently finished a project with Lowe’s pine and it would have been easier to make and more attractive in the end if I had started with higher quality wood. Given the amount of time I spent on the project, doubling the costs of the materials was the least of my worries.

I would like wood that is easy to work with, attractive and not too hard to find (i.e. preferably not online order only).


I want to make a simple frame, having learned that complex projects are a pain and hard to accomplish. Plan:
1. Rout the edge with a beaded bit.
2. Dado cut the inside edge to create a recess for the mat.
3. Cut the miter joints free hand with the SS table saw (no fancy SS miter set yet unfortunately) -OR- should I cut this on my cheap miter saw instead?
4. Sand the joints as needed and the wood overall.
5. Finish the wood.
6. Glue together with a band clamp.

I welcome your comments. Many thanks.
Karl