This paper considers the design of wavelet tight frames based on iterated oversampled filter banks. The greater design freedom available makes possible the construction of wavelets with a high degree of smoothness, in comparison with orthonormal wavelet bases. In particular, this paper takes up the design of systems that are analogous to Daubechies orthonormal wavelets-that is, the design of minimal length wavelet filters satisfying certain polynomial properties, but now in the oversampled case. Grobner bases are used to obtain the solutions to the nonlinear design equations. Following the dual-tree DWT of Kingsbury, one goal is to achieve near shift invariance while keeping the redundancy factor bounded by 2, instead of allowing it to grow as it does for the undecimated DWT (which is exactly shift invariant). Like the dual tree, the overcomplete DWT described in this paper is less shift-sensitive than an orthonormal wavelet basis. Like the examples of Chui and He, and Ron and Shen, the wavelets are much smoother than what is possible in the orthonormal case. (C) 2001 Academic Press.