.I first took a broken pole and cut it with a hacksaw into smaller pieces. Then I pushed a section of the pole through a band saw with the pole stabilized on either side by a block of wood. (Note: DO NOT push the pole through the saw with your hand! Use a block of wood or another section of pole, and then pull the pole out on the other side. DO NOT put your hands anywhere near the saw!) Keep in mind this will send tiny pieces of fiberglass everywhere, so I would recommend doing this in the garage or another easily cleanable enclosed area. Also, it’s a good idea to wear goggles and some kind of mask so you don’t inhale too much fiberglass!
After that, I went to A.C. Moore and bought an 8x10 inch unfinished wooden frame (the width of the frame just happened to match the width of the pole!) as well as the glass and backing that the frame would need to hold a picture.
http://www.treemo.com/content/1129406_vrrx3d1mt3ar3_or.jpg
http://www.treemo.com/content/1130286_gbse3ao0m2jo0_or.jpg
http://www.treemo.com/content/1129412_axvertus2ihxi_or.jpg
Next, you need the edges of your pole pieces mitered so they fit on the frame properly. This is supposedly the hardest part when making a frame and I don’t have a device to do it correctly, so I asked a friend who works at a frame shop to do it for me. I gave her the frame as well to make sure the cut pieces of pole would fit suitably on the frame.
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http://www.treemo.com/content/1130284_uj4lq14pl6jgq_or.jpg
After the pole pieces were cut for the final time, I just applied silicone glue to the edges of each piece of pole so that it would adhere to the wooden frame. I also glued the sides so the corners would fit tightly when the pole pieces met.
http://www.treemo.com/content/1129414_afphjzr0a470x_or.jpg
After letting everything dry, I just peeled off the excess glue to make the frame look a little better. (Note: this will also end up leaving gaps in the space between the frame and pole piece, so you must decide whether you want it to look like that or have the excess silicone showing.) An alternative that I did not try was to wipe of the excess glue before letting it dry. I do not know how this would affect the appearance of the frame, so I went with the previous method.
http://www.treemo.com/content/1129418_9sill3ngpnfa7_or.jpg
I then brought the frame back to my friend because I needed something to hold the glass, picture and backing inside. She very quickly found two small pieces of metal that are shaped like a Z with a hole in the middle. She then used two self-threading screws to hold the metal Z’s in place, and also hammered a small zig-zag piece of metal to hang the frame from.
http://www.treemo.com/content/1129420_b6yx5k3h2w1yf_or.jpg
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http://www.treemo.com/content/1129424_becqsdo0k8if3_or.jpg
After all this was done, I had a unique, functional frame that could be hung horizontally or stood up both horizontally and vertically. Best of all, it only cost about $15 for the frame, glass, and backing.
http://www.treemo.com/content/1129416_johkyhwsewx95_or.jpg
Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions about how to make this yourself!
