Hi and welcome to the FF
iorek wrote:...trying to figure out what equipment is up to the job is proving to be the difficult part.
Maybe tell the forum a bit more about yourself and what it is you want to do? Are you wanting to set up as a professional framer or are you maybe an artist wanting to frame your own work for sale?
The trouble with buying a kit is that you get what someone else thinks is the best combination of equipment to use, even if you buy the equipment from a closing business you are buying a kit. It's possible the kit may suit you perfectly but the best kit will be the one you put together yourself.
My advice would be to first and foremost attend a training course, preferably one that is over two days. Courses are often advertised on the forum or you could have a look on the
Fine Art Trade Guild website or ask directly on here. The best way to get what you want from the forum is to start a new thread with a specific question such as; training courses in Scotland or what underpinners does everyone use, that sort of thing.
Have a look on the
LION website and order one of their catalogues (real paper version) they make great bedtime reading
As for the kit in your link, there are only two items I would consider purchasing... the Toyo glass cutter and the Alfa underpinner.
FYI this is my kit:
Morso guillotine, foot operated
Cassese CS88 underpinner, foot operated
Keencut Ultimat Gold manual mount cutter, 48 inch
Toyo glass cutter and Resin L Square, sloping bench covered with carpet tiles
Various Fletcher hand point drivers
Have a look in the workshop of most framers and you will see a green Morso guillotine somewhere! A new foot operated one will set you back the best part of £2k but it would be a very good investment. But a second hand Morso (mine was) will be just as good as a new one and maybe invest in a new set of blades. Morsos come up on here every now and then and also on ebay. The ones on ebay can be in a bit of a sorry state.
Mark Thornton, a forum member, sometimes has refurbished ones on his website.
This one on ebay looks good? Looks like there is a
finger guard missing but you can pick up a pair from Mark Thornton's website.
Cassese underpinners are very popular with most framers as are the Alfa range. Don't think they make the CS88 anymore but again should be ok secondhand. I think the new Cassese foot operated underpinner is the CS1? Foot operated is ok if you mainly want to use soft woods such as obeche, pine and tulipwood. A lot of factory finished moulding is made of obeche and also pine. If you want to use hard woods like oak, you may want to think about a pneumatic air operated underpinner... ask other forum members for info on these machines.
The two main players in mount cutters are Keencut and Fletcher. Get a 48 incher so you can cut a full sheet of board. If you can, buy new, but good condition second hand ones do come up every now and then. Both mount cutters can do straight cuts as well as bevels so you can cut your back board on them with ease, especially the fluted boards. Solid back boards (Kraft covered grey board) are more dense and require a couple of passes with the blade. Both will do 10mm foamboard no problem.
Vertical wall mounted sheet cutters are very popular with framers for cutting glass and all your sheet materials but they aren't cheap. I cut all my sheet material on my Ultimat Gold except of course my glass. I made a sloping bench big enough to take a full sheet of glass which is 48 x 36 inches. The slope on the bench makes it easier to reach to make a score on a full sheet. I use a Toyo glass cutter and
one of these L squares.
I find the Fletcher hand point drivers more than adequate for my needs but if you intend to make many frames a day you may want to consider an air operated point driver, again you will need to ask other forum members for advice on these. I should have said, a point driver is the tool you use to fix everything in your frame.
Just to say again, get yourself on a training course and then consider which equipment is best for you.
Good luck