Framing and the pocketbook

[r.e.]

In the last six weeks, I've spent $2500 on framing. I'm happy with the shop that is doing the work, but I think that I'm going to be in for another $6000 to $8000 over the next 12 months. I'm beginning to wonder whether I should start doing it myself.

I have the space and the main tools necessary to make wood frames and cut aluminum moulding. There are a few additional tools that I would have to acquire, but they are not expensive. There's a shop not far from me that can cut glass to my specifications.

I am not set up to cut mats, unless I do it with a couple of straightedges and clamps and acquire a Dexter handheld cutter. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have the feeling that this route would be frustrating and the results spotty.

If I'm going to buy a dedicated mat cutter, I want to get one that will just do the job, no issues. I'm considering machines by Keencut, Valiani and Fletcher. They all seem to run $1200-$1500. Not cheap, but the reality is that this isn't a lot of money in comparison with what I expect to spend, if I continue to use a framing shop, over the next year.

I have two questions of people who are doing their own framing.

Are you saving a significant amount of money over what a framing shop would charge?

Are you getting professional results?

Also, I'd appreciate comments on the merits or otherwise of the three brands that I'm considering.

Thanks.

[Drew Wiley]

If you're going to spend a thousand or so you can expect a quality matcutter from
several different manufacturers. You should also order measuring stops and a
squaring arm. But like all equipment you will need to make some starting adjustments and practice technique. Another thousand (or much less used) and you
have a professional glass/acrylic/board cutter mounted on the wall. And yes you can save a great deal of money, especially if you buy matboard in bulk wholesale. Making the frames themselves really depends on your like or dislike of shop skills. At a minimum you need a mitre saw built like a tank, extension wings with accurate stops, and a good clamping system. If you cut aluminum frames you need to be
especially careful and need a high quality blade. Nothing you're going to find at
Home Depot. So there goes another thousand. You should also have a good air
compressor for cleaning things. Is it worth it? Depends on how much time and energy you can spare. You will save a lot of cash, no doubt; but there are some
things professional frame shops can often do better and more efficiently. Do you
already have a drymount press too, or something equivalent?

[r.e.]

Thanks,

I've got a workshop area and good sized bench, a Milwaukee 12" sliding compound miter saw, planes for trimming, clamps, etc. The Milwaukee will handle aluminum, so it's a matter of getting the right blade.

I don't have a dry mount press, but I don't think that I want to dry mount.

There may be a point at which I'll want some of the work mounted on aluminum, but that is not something that I plan to do myself. I'm told - maybe incorrectly, I don't know - that mounting on aluminum is tricky.

What are the things that professional frame shops can do better and more efficiently, especially better? I don't want to go down this road and discover that it's false economy. If saving money is going to compromise quality, then I'd rather bite the bullet and have a shop do this work.

[Bill_1856]

There is a half-way method. Get the mats precut in bulk (probably cheaper and better than you could cut them yourself, and get precut metal frame kits and have the glass cut locally.

[percepts]

Obtaining quality results is not difficult with a little prcatice. But, and it is a major consideration, it is time consuming and I think that is the most important consideration.
Keencut or Fletcher are both top quality cutters.

My advice would be to buy precut mouldings. In the UK several companies offer a chop service. Arqadia are the market leaders. Obviously precut moulding costs more but there are major benefits. Firstly they are extremely accurately cut. Secondly if you purchase full length mouldings and cut your self, you will find that sometimes they are warped and there will be wastage and you need expensive mitre equipment. IMO the extra cost of precut/chop is well worth it.

Then for underpinning (V nails) you must have a machine with exceptionally good grip.
http://www.cassese.com/encrdang/asse.../assembang.htm. Using one of these will reduce the amount of finishing you need to do. i.e. the mouldings will be precisely joined so require less filling.

something like the CS79 is a decent machine. The pneumatic ones are more pricey and really designed for busy framing shops.

For aluminium precut are supplied with assembling kits so you only need to cut board and glass and are very quick to put together.

For wooden frames you need to finish frames with framing wax of the correct colour to fill any tiny gaps in corners and give a quality finsih. Use paper tape to seal back but check for dust inside glass before you finally seal anything.

A hand pinner gun for putting backing board in place (on wooden frames).

I'd use the light weight backing board which is easily cut with a mount cutter which simplifies things and speeds up process.

So in other words, if you are careful about your choice of materials and equipment, you can save yourself a lot of money and make the process reasonably quick and doesn't require any power tools.

The thing likely to cause you most problems would be cutting your own mitres even if you have a top quality mitre cutter so buying precut will save you a lot of time and frustration.

With mount board you need to consider carefully the biggest boards you will purchase as you will need a cutter big enough to cut that length or width very accurately (squarely). Depends on the biggest size you make. If you think carefully about print sizes, you may be able to make mounts for smaller sizes from cutout from bigger sizes and save a lot on mountboard as a result.

Actually cutting mat hole is really not difficult with any hobbyist mount cutter. The problems arise with thick board (8 ply) where you need a top quality keencut or fletcher to get reliable cuts.

Use new blades for every cutting session. They lose sharpness very quickly.

[PViapiano]

Use new blades for every mat that you cut and with a bit of practice you'll be fine.

Google Peter Liepke...he is an amazing photographer/printer who makes his own awesome frames and has a page on his site describing them. Ask him for advice...

[Frank Petronio]

If all of your work is a consistent size, why not just buy in bulk and do the final assembly yourself?

A lot depends on size. 16x20s are far easier than 30x40s from a shop/craft standpoint.

I used a paper-backed 3M adhesive film (forgot the number) to mount onto Aluminum years ago, I don't know if it is the current state of the art but the prints still look great and are sticking well after almost 20 years. It didn't seem like a fancy shop would do it any more careful than I could at home. A local sheet metal shop supplied flat Aluminum blanks with rounded edges, drilled for hanging, based on a "back of a napkin" sketch I supplied.

[percepts]

I've got a workshop area and good sized bench, a Milwaukee 12" sliding compound miter saw

Professional framers shops tend to use guilotines to chop moulding to size. Gives a far more accurate and very clean cut which doesn't require finishing.
Your average mitre saw simply isn't accurate enough for picture frame making. It only has to be out a tiny fraction of a degree and the frame will have gaps and if that is compounded on every cut, then you are in trouble. And the lengths also have to be very precise or things get worse. i.e. you buy the specialist tools for the job such as a morso or buy precut unless you want a lot of extra finishing work.

[Jim Becia]

As a gallery/frame shop owner for nearly 16 years and as someone who still mounts and frames my own photographs, I'll give you my opinions.

A Fletcher mat cutter is my mat cutter of choice. My 60 inch cutter is still going strong and it's 19 years old. Makes mat cutting a breeze. Stops are useful if you are using the exact same size time and time again. I never use them, but then that is my way of working. The advice of changing the cutting blade is right on. I change my blade after 8 cuts (that's a double mat.) The quality of the mat board is a big factor also. Musuem quality mat board by the major manufacturers - Bainbridge, Crescent, Artique (Larson Juhl's brand) all cut cleanly without any flaws. Not sure what the economics of buying precut mats would be in Canada. I had a friend who bought precut mats in bulk. While the price of the product was fairly reasonable, shipping really ate into the savings, specially in larger size mats. She just disliked cutting mats. She used www.matcutter.com and their work was top notch - perfect corners and clean cuts.

Glass cutting is the simplest thing in the world to do. My glass cutter cost me $15 and that and a 60 inch straight edge and I can cut anything. There is no need for a wall mounted glass cutter as far as I'm concerned. With 5 minutes of practice, it's very easy to score and snap the glass.

As for frames, here it gets a little complicated as the equipment gets more expensive. If you are going to use aluminum, I would personally order the moulding in the appropriate size. Wood frames are another story, here in Wi there are several companies that chop/cut frames and join them if ordered that way. In terms of cutting frames, most framing operations that I know use mitre saws. Choppers tend to be used on smaller sized mouldings. I have cut hundreds of frames with a miter saw without any problem. The key is to have a sharp blade and a good measurement/clamping system. To effectively join wood frames a good under pinner is the way to go if you are going to join lots of frames. If you are only going to join a few frames a week, some would say to just use a clamping system with a small wood drill and nails.

Mounting of photographs is a subject that has many different opinions. I personally used and still use 3M's PMA. Having used it now for going on 20 years, it has never failed me. It doesn't require any special tools/equipment. While PMA is acid free, it's use isn't really up to pure museum standards. That being said, I have yet to see any adverse effects in pieces that are going on 20 years old.

These are a few of my opinions on the way I work. The savings on doing it yourself can be substantial depending on how much work you want to do yourself. Good luck. Jim

[Ed Richards]

Unless you enjoy the craft work, another question is whether you could spend the time it will take to frame - which includes the time to get the materials, take care of them, etc. - doing something else that will earn you the net income, that you like more. Taking more pictures, doing more post-production, going to more shows (if that one way you sell). If you cannot use the time to make as much money doing something that will more directly advance your photography, then framing may make sense. As an occasional woodworker, I can testify that these are mechnical skills that need practice to stay at top condition. (Every project I do has a little error I would probably not have made if I were doing woodwork all the time.) You should very seriously consider buying precut materials. You do not need screw up many frames to wash out the savings on bulk moudlings.