Frame over three metres long

[ChrisG]

I have a request for a quote to frame three 90cm x 90cm canvas' on strechers horizontally in the same frame. This is gong to make the final assembly about three metres long! I think that this is beyond me. 3 metre lengths of moulding once mitred are probably going to be too short and then there's backing board and acrylic to think about and just handling the thing.

Anybody had experience of something this long?

[Roboframer]

If the canvasses are to be fitted tightly together you'd have 30cm left to play with on a 3m length and if it's a plain wood that you finish yourself you could probably use pretty much every millimetre of it.

Failing that you could make the long sides in two goes, wouldn't have to be 50/50 either. They could be cut at 90 degrees and joined very tightly with pocket hole screws or to a bracing frame and if a plain wood is used, the joins could be sanded/finished over. Or a pre-finished moulding with a repeat pattern running at 90 degrees could be used by cutting through one of those 'repeats' and finished over to match once joined.

As for the backing board, wouldn't have to be one piece either.

Here's a company that could cut the acrylic for you http://sheetplastics.co.uk/cut_to_size

Once you've worked out what you should be charging, double it!

[Abacus]

Good advice from robo as ever, only thing I would add is that if you do join the long sides then I'd use a mitred join rather than a butt join as they are easier to disguise/line up.

[Jonny2morsos]

I have had a few enquiries recently for oversized items

One customer did tell me I was the only person they contacted who was even prepared to consider their job!

[philipsheldon]

Morning All

Ashworth & Thompson have a limited number of pine profiles that are 3.3m long. These may be of interest to framers. Should anyone like samples of these mouldings, please let me know.

Happy to help.

Thanks.

Phil.

[prospero]

You may be able to get away with a 3m length, but check with the supplier that they have 3m lengths in stock.

If you are going to glaze then you will probably have to extend the back. So if you have to make a butt join, you could arrange things so that the extender bridges the join. Glue it all up well and the join should stay joined.

It would be easier to conceal the join if you hand-finished the frame.

Don't underestimate the amount of space you need to comfortably manoeuvre a frame this size.

[Graysalchemy]

You may also have problems butting the frames up together as they may not be square especially if the artist had anything to do with making them

[Abacus]

Don't underestimate the amount of space you need to comfortably manoeuvre a frame this size.

Good point! Can you get a 3m frame into your underpinner?

[ChrisG]

I'm sure that I wouldn't beable to pin something of this size together and even if I could would it be strong enough given the leverage that 3m of moulding would exert. I'm thinking biscuit jointing maybe - but now we are into the realms of cabinet making rather than framing.

[prospero]

When you get to a project on this scale you can't really rely on the usual joining methods. The sheer bulk of the frame will tend to act against it. You can pin the corners as long as you have enough room, but even with very careful handling there is a risk that the corners will give.

Can't really make any detailed suggestions without knowing the moulding, but whatever it is I would definitely use a subframe and fix the canvases to that. Then engineer the frame to fit around that. Even with plexi glazing the whole thing is going to be a fair old weight.

[JamesC]

We have made 2.4m frames with mounts, and 6m canvases. There is nearly always a way.

I'd agree with the need to charge a premium, though up to now we generally haven't - more thought of it as valuable learning but I thought the 6m canvas would take an hour or two.

In the end I had to visit the client's barn twice so 4 hours easily. I offered them our upstairs for painting but they were worried about temperature variation up there - apparently an old stone farm barn is more temperate! I think it was cheaper or easier maybe. Its a local pilot set up with the council called an "art farm" where several artists use the redundant outbuildings for modest rents.

3m frame - I would go for a deeper than the canvas frame, to make bracing it easier if needed - hanging with anchor/mirror plates will help in this regard too. Canvases are not heavy and I would check if the client really needs acrylic - it would have to be very expensive/thick/heavy not to show flex at that size. Maybe if the canvases are delicate they can be varnished - ideally matt varnished at that sort of size so no glare. Some mouldings are 3.05m in general, but make sure the supplier does not send you a "short" length as they often do and charge you a bit less. A bit presumptuous but they do it. You may also be lucky to get a completely straight length so bear that in mind that you may need to order quite a bit more moulding.

We also framed a triptych but at a smaller size - about 2m. That was on artboard though not quite canvas. We butted them up to vertical spacers to neaten it a little. With canvases it may be hard not to get gaps between them unless you build in some spacers/fillets/liners or whatever you want to call them. Quite often the stretchers have a bit of a bend to them I find especially at big sizes.

You may love this challenge and it pay well, or you may just find it easier to send them to a joiner or something. It's best to try and keep the customer though!

You might suggest just framing them seperately! Then nobody needs to hire a truck to move them.