DIY Framing

| Getting Started | Joining |

| Mountboard Cutting | Materials | Assembly |

Getting Started

Framing is a popular hobby for many of us who like working with our hands. It is rewarding artistically, a good frame can make a poor picture look like a masterpiece and today there is such a wide range of materials on offer to the DIY framer. Often it starts off by buying a print we like or being asked to do something with someone's tapestry and it often ends up as a paying hobby. Many of our professional customers have started off in just this way. Framing is not an expensive business to get in to and you can improve your equipment as you grow.

In our DIY section you will find all of the equipment you require to get started and in our Supplies section you will be able to choose the mount boards and other materials that you need. You can buy from the company that professional framers buy from even though you will only want small amounts to begin with and of course when you buy in bulk quantities you get the best prices. The most common way of learning to make frames is by enrolling in an evening school at your local adult college but there are also professional week long courses run by various training companies.

Most professional framers now take the GCF, 'Guild Commended Framer', test organised by the Fine Art Trade Guild and you will see the 'GCF' sign in their windows. However first we have to walk and this page will show you how.

Mitre Trimmer W105

If you are a beginner using a handsaw and mitre box then this is the way to achieve a professional finish. Our W105 Mitre Trimmer has been a favourite of many craftsmen for many years. It is used to give accurate angles and a very good finish.

Joining

The technical term for joining the 4 pieces of wood together is 'underpinning', or if you are in America 'Vee nailing', which means inserting a 'V' shaped piece of steel called a 'wedge' into the corner of a frame from underneath. Not so long ago the amateur could only hammer fine nails into the sides of the corner to hold the pieces of moulding together but now you can use the same wedges that the professional do.

We offer 2 brand new kits for joining the moulding together and both are unbeatable in their functioning and price:

Picture Framing Kit No.1

Designed for the beginner who does not want to spend much, this kit has 2 main elements; our 'Vee' Nailer and our FC2000 Frame Clamp. The 'Vee' Nailer is a handtool which looks like a scewdriver but it has a spring loaded magnetic pin which holds the wedge in position whilst it is being pushed into the corner of the frame. The FC2000 Frame Clamp is designed to hold each corner together whilst the wedges are being inserted. It's design includes 2 unique features; two adjusting screws in one side enable you to get the tightest joint even when the mitring or the moulding is not 100% and a quick action screw so that you can adjust it from a small size to a large size in a second.

A selection of wedges and hardware are included with the Kit

Picture Framing Kit No.2

This Kit is a little more sophisticated than the No.1 Kit. It uses the FC2000 Frame Clamp but instead of the 'Vee' Nailer, we include our HP2000 Handpinner. This uses a levered action to push the wedges smoothly into soft or hardwood frames. Because of the accuracy of this unit, it is possible to insert one wedge on top of another which is useful when joining larger mouldings. It is well built, saves a great deal of time and has a very good price tag. Again we include a selection of wedges and hardware

W102 Frame Clamp

We have sold this Frame Clamp for many years and again it has a lot of uses, not just for picture frames. It has 4 aluminium legs with adjustable jaws and an adjusting screw for clamping the 4 corners together whilst the glue sets. Some framers will strengthen the corners of the frame whilst it is in the clamp by hammering fine panel pins into each corner. This used to be called 'side pinning' and was the professional way until underpiners came on the scene.

W103 Frame Clamp

Ideal for multi-angled frames, round frames and oval frames of up to 4 metes in circumference. The corner pieces are used to securely clamp 4, 6 & 8 sided frames for gluing or pinning. Round or oval frames need only to be clamped using the strap. The strap is then tensioned with the large handle at the front. For best results the frame clamp should be attached to a table or workbench. Supplied with 4 metre strap, tensioning device, 7 corner clamps and bench clamp.

Vee Nails

Hardware Kit

Mount board cutting

The mount is the coloured card, which is placed in front of the artwork and has a window cut out of it so as to show off the artwork. There are hundreds of mount boards available and these you will find under Supplies - Mountboard.

Some people are skilled enough to use a craft knife and a ruler but most of us need a little more help.

Teamsystem Mount Board Cutter

This simple to use extruded ruler has a 'gripper' built into it to prevent the mount board from slipping and it also has a built in guide rail for the cutting head. A 45 degree cutting head is supplied as standard to enable you to cut bevelled edges. A 90 degree cutting head is available as an optional extra but this is not essential as a bevelled edge is quite acceptable on the outside edge of the mount which is hidden by the moulding rebate. Item Price TS24 24" Team System (600mm) £32.50 TS40 40" Team System (1000mm) £47.00 C&SB100 Team System blades per 100 £14.75

Logan Compact Mount Board Cutter

The choice of many semi professional framers. The Compact may not be sophisticated but it is good enough to earn a living on and the price means that it is affordable to any serious DIY framer. We know of one framer who makes 1000's of Mounts on his Compact! A very good instruction manual comes with the Compact but basically you draw the borders you want on the reverse side of the Mount Board with a pencil and then cut to these lines. Once you've used it you'll wonder how you managed without it. Item Price COMPACT Logan Compact £92.50 C&SB100 Logan Compact blades per 100 £14.75

Materials

For Mount Boards, Backing Boards, Hardware, Plastic Glazing, Brown Paper Tape, infact for all of the consumable items you will need just click onto the heading 'Framing Supplies'. You can buy just a little or a lot to suit your needs and don't forget to look at the Accessories for such things as glass cleaner and wipes.

Assembly

When you assemble your artwork, glazing, frame and backing board together, you will find it essential to work on a clean surface and, if possible, in a clean atmosphere.

T220 Tab gun

You will need a Tab gun for holding everything together. After you have made sure everything is clean and put it together, use the tab gun to fire flat pieces of thin metal called 'tabs' into the rebate of the frame, to hold everything in place. The T220 uses tabs whick are bendable, allowing you to easily change the artwork or clean the glass without replacing the tabs. Item Price T220 manual tab gun £17.01 T4 Bendable Tabs £4.25 pack of 2500

After assembling and fixing with the Duetto, seal the back of the frame with Brown Paper Tape, fit the hanging hardware normally screw eyes or 'D' rings and Picture Frame Cord , fix the hook to the wall with the Wall Pins and then sit down, admire your work and relax!

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