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I need a little advice on what equipment I should get next and where is the best place to source it from. I have all second hand equipment (not much money, like everyone right now), and my morso needs a couple of things before it's fully serviceable alongside my alfamachine underpinner and fletcher mount cutter.
I need to find a right table/arm and scale for my morso machine. Where is the best place to get that from, to buy spare blades and wonder where the best/most reliable place is to have them sharpened?
I need a tab gun. Is it best to save up and get compressed air tools from the get go, or begin with manual? I'm guessing it's always good to have manual as a backup in case the more complicated stuff breaks, right?
I can't afford an excalibur, but they look the business! Until then I'm planning to max out my free cuts when I buy hardboard at b and q, and will take batches of frames to the glazier to have the glass cut. I'm thinking b and q will grow to hate me quickly... should I get a table saw to do the hardboard backings on until I find a good quality second hand excalibur?
Oh, and what was the best purchase you made for your workshop? Looking for ideas!
I would say, a quality 10" table saw with supports(big table or other tables of the same height as the saw table) to cut sheet goods. Sheet goods being: MDF, acrylic, and plywood as well as dimensional lumber.
Acrylic will need a special blade (negative rake) for clean chip-free cuts. The prices for this blade will start at about $60-75+. With a table saw you will be able to modify the dimensions of your rebates. There are also accessory tools for shaping raw moulding like a router (moulding head). If you need to make wood crates a saw is essential.
NOTE: I have been a woodworker since my school days.
Do you cut mount board to size on your mount cutter? If so you could use kraftboard or artbak as a backing instead of mdf. You could cut glass with a t-square and handheld glass cutter until you can afford a wall mounted cutter
Jerome has just made a very good suggestion. I too have a 10 inch table saw, not one of the top makes, but it's one of the better budget makes. It did not cost a lot, but it does a lot of very useful things. I cut rebates with it, slice up bits of timber and things like that. I would not be without it. I've bough a few accessories for it. the latest one is a dado jigs, I have not used it in anger yet, but it won't be long before I do.
A table saw just has so many uses. I think that it is well worth looking in to, but to be honest I use be band saw the most. If you are going to get a band saw it is important that you buy one, with proper blade guides that keep the blade running true at all times. Many of the cheap ones don't cut straight when you are cutting against the rip fence, which I kind of think takes away a lot of the usefulness of having a band saw.
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
The issue with table saws is the dust they create, unless you have separate working areas.
Don't use hardboard - look at the main supplier's websites for products like Artbak or Corricor or similar. Failing that use 2mm MDF or Fomecor for backing - these will all cut easily with a Stanley knife. (Take it easy, and do it in a few passes). Or on your Fletcher if you have the squaring arm.
As for glass you'll be wanting 2mm mostly, and it is very easy to cut, once you have stopped being scared of it.
What to buy next
1) a Stanley knife and a big box of sharp blades for it
2) a good cutting edge (could be used for boards and glass) - something like the Keencut safety rulers are ideal but quite expensive. Or a T Square
3) a cutting mat
4) an oil filled glass cutter, something like a Toyo
That way you'll not waste loads of time and money at B&Q.
As for your Morso, post a picture of exactly what you've got, and then someone on here can advise what you need to get the measuring sorted.
I've managed quite well for 40 years without any air tools. I have a nice compressor (2nd hand - it was the right price) but
I use it to blow my car tyres up more than anything else.
Point guns: I used a Columbus triangle gun for years. I dislike the so-called 'Framers Points'. These days I use the Fletcher Multi Points
(Yellow Gun) which are nice to use and have other uses like securing stacked frames together.
Yes, I agree with Gesso and bole. Table saws create plenty of saw dust. I set up my table saw ontside the back of my shop on a folding work mate bench and by doing this I avoid letting the dust get all around the inside of my shop. The only trouble is you can't do this when it's raining and you have to wait until you get a dry day. II am quite happy to use my band saw in the back room of my work shop as it produces much less saw dust and the saw dust only seem to settle around the band saw. I am intending to have a dust extraction system of sorts, when the inside of the shop is all sorted, but dust extraction systems don't catch everything, so I still be wanting to use the table saw and the sliding mitre saw outside. The band saw and the router are a bit easier to control the dust much better, because it's much easier to contain the dust and extract it, before it can go flying all over the place. I have some ideas how I may be better able to extract almost all of the dust from the table saw, but it needs to be proven to work really well, before I will consider having it in the workshop.
Extracting all the dust from the sliding mitre saw probably is a complete waste of time, even trying to do it. The dust just about goes everywhere and trying to contain it, in order to fully extract it is almost certainly a futile exercise. However a sliding mitre saw is a extremely useful piece of kit. It is not only very useful for cutting things to length as a chop saw, but also mine has an adjustable depth stop which is extremely useful when cutting dado and halving joints. The cutting width on my sliding mitre saw of 14 inches, which means that within that limited cutting width, it can be used to a limited degree as a substitute radial arm saw, which can be kind of useful at times as well. I don't have a lot of workshop space, but I need to have as many bits of kit already set up and ready to go to help me work at an effective rate of working, because I need to regain much of the speed of working, now limited by the effects of my stroke.
So setting up my table saw, or my sliding mitre saw outside the back of my shop, usually works best when I am working making a batch of something. Some things I am quite reluctant to do, because working smart to save time is quite a difficult thing to do, just for a one off job. If I can produce a batch then, messing around setting things up can still work to my advantage. I really like working with my band saw, but there can often be a size restriction for where a band saw is able to be used. I would very much encourage you to consider, where inexpensive budget priced power tools might have a significant effect up on making your framing activities more effective and easier. I am certainly not suggesting going to excessive extremes, but there may be the odd item that just make really solid sense and may just make life soo much easier for you, without unreasonable expense.
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
That's a good idea! I think it would be great to have something that can pull double or triple duty like that. I do have concerns about dust in a small space, but I could set up a gazebo and do some of the cutting outside...
My uncle knows a guy who reconditions old quality tools, I've asked him to look out for a good table saw I could get. Thank you, I appreciate the suggestion.
I've not started yet, gathering the tools and getting the space sorted first... and I'm certainly glad I asked this forum for advice!
For some reason, I'd always used hardboard for the backing, it may sound silly but I'm so out of the loop I didn't realise there were better alternatives!
I had also assumed getting glass delivered and dumping the offcuts etc was a hassle, but I'll happily cut glass manually. I have done in the past but struggled with a flimsy steel rule and a pen to mark it up. T-square is an excellent suggestion!
Thanks for your time in replying, I appreciate the help!
Wow! That jig looks awesome! I hadn't thought of a band saw. I like the idea of being able to do a multitude of things... I'll certainly look into it. Perhaps one I could wheel outside under an awning or gazebo of sorts, so dust isn't so much of an issue... The neighbours are going to love me while they're sipping g and ts on their porch and I'm running all the tools! Hahaha.
I have always had and designed a shop with more than one room. My first shop in the family basement (cellar) was technically one room; however, a "clean room" was made with the use of a temporary wall, plastic sheeting stapled to the floor joists of the first floor.
Yes, I'm with you on the dust... one of the reasons I thought I'd use B and Q for the backings....that and I didn't realise there are better alternatives for backing boards.
I'm pretty sure I've got the squaring arm for the fletcher, just the bloke I bought it from didn't have it attached due to space. He slid the cutter into a wee nook, and brought it out every time he needed it.
I was given an old glass cutter, but an oil filled one sounds like the business and I'd like to get a new one, just in case! I have a small cutting mat, but I should invest in one of a decent size.
Thank you for those suggestions. I'll work on getting a good photo of my morso. I appreciate the help!
Good to know a compressor isn't really a necessity! I kinda thought that, but good to have it confirmed.
I looked at the multi point gun! I'll order one soon, I like the fact it can be used to stack frames too. I'm working on a commission and they want me to source a frame for it. I'm going to paint it on an aluminium panel, so a St. Ives style frame with another stacked would look pretty good, I think, and be a great chance to try out all the new equipment I'll be ordering!
Dust is a bit of a concern for me. The garage I'll be working in has a back door and a small area where I could set up a gazebo or awning of sorts to work on things. I think that'll sort out the dust problem if I'm out there. Can't imagine the neighbours are going to be too happy... but it won't be every day I'll be doing that.
Yes, tools that can provide a good bang for buck is what I'm looking for. As others have suggested too, being able to work on more than frames is part of the fun as well.
A friend is going to give me a mitre saw in return for doing a framing job, once I'm set up that is. It's a print made by the great Turner himself, though she says it's not as valuable as I'd think...talk about jumping into the deep end!
A clean room would be ideal. Space is going to be a bit tight however. I think working outside is going to be my best option for dusty stuff until I win the lottery.
It's a small-ish garage that I'll be working in, so dust, damp and temperature fluctuations are going to be my main worries working in there. I'm considering it might be worth my time insulating it.
I'm not completely sure about the cutting mat, it's probably a personal preference thing. I use grey board as bench covering and I often use that instead of a cutting mat. I buy my grey board by the box full from Simons. When one side gets dirty, I can flip it over and the other side is still nice and clean. I also have made spacers from grey board for odds and ends that I have included in job lots to sell in local auction houses.
Unfortunately local auction houses, don't get worthwhile prices any more. Generally boot sales tend to be better than local auctions these days. I often get given old frames, which sometimes end up to one particular boot sale venue that we like. I would not say that we make very much doing them, but it is a bit of a laugh and these car boot sales are a south Devon cricket club, which also sells tea, coffee, burgers and sausages.
My wife usually keeps an eye on things while I wander around looking for things to buy and add some extra value to. A favorite trick is to pick up old canvases and prints, which are large enoudh and cheap enough to cut up and convert to tryptics and sell in the local auctions. People who regularly buy items from auction to sell on at a profit always like tryptics.
Quite seriously putting tryptics in auction and you can't go wrong, I also sell them to the odd interior designer from time to time. There's no need to frame them, it does not usually get you any more money whatsoever, but if a local interior designer buys it, you might still get a framing job out of it as well. Down here in rural Devon, everyone seems to have their own little sidelines like this. Certain times of the year can be a bit quiet for business, so people do a bit of wheeling and dealing to make up for this.
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
I've seen people use old cardboard on benches and just change it over now and then. Guess it saves cleaning the benches or cutting matt. Grey board would be good to have anyway, so I will try that, thanks for the tip.
It's interesting to hear what you say about triptych pictures! It's a good idea, I can't think of many auction rooms like that up here, though I'm sure they exist. There's one near Abernyte, might be worth a look to try that... at least it would be good practice for me!
There may be acceptable alternatine to having a table saw. Not all framers have a table saw and that is not necessarily an item that is of critical importance to running a picture framing business. I'm not so dependant on a table saw that I could not get by without one and I can easily choose an alternative strategy. If you really need to use a table saw in you workshop, then. an effective dust extraction system might be very important. Also a band saw tends to produce a lot less saw dust, than a table saw, but there are limitations to what a band saw can do compared with a table saw. Dust extractors can also be very noisy and a compromise to use something smaller and quieter, may be much more favorable, particularly when combined with other strategies.
I have a very small domestic vacuum cleaner than I am thinking of taking in to my shop to use as a dust extractor for my band saw, it has a slider control wihich controls the level of suction and also the level of noise. It's obviously not as powerful as a proper dust extractor, but maybe I can manage with that and gain the benefit of considerably less noise. A table saw can be very noisy, even without the added noise of a dust extractor, so maybe a table saw, becomes unacceptable in some premises, just because of the level of noise that is generated by the saw alone. Routers are not exactly all that quiet either, so in terms of the noise level generated, they may not be an acceptable option either. If you are only slicing up waste mouldings to produce stlps, spacers and fillets, then perhaps only a small band saw is all you need, or maybe you will decide that you don't need that either.
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
I have a nice compressor (2nd hand - it was the right price) but
