The Framers Forum

If anyone can help I would be very grateful. I’ve been asked to source this frame, it’s a tray frame and measures 3cm wide and 3.5cm deep and was originally a plain wood. I’ve looked on Lion, Rose & Hollis, Wessex and Jarson Juhl but can’t see anything right. It seems to have a small amount of grain visible.
Thank you very much in advance

Looks like maybe Lion L1996... maybe not wide enough tho

Hi thanks, yes sadly not wide enough, only 1.2cm and I need 3cm. Pretty much right depth at 3.3 cm.

The grain sounds like Obeche and I'm wondering if they've reversed a moulding and inserted an mdf tray at the base?
Looks like maybe you could cut down a R+H A344?

What Justin is saying is a pretty much standard solution. I have not bought a tray moulding for more years that I care to remember. That's probably the same situation here. I find it really helpful to do this. I can nearly always find sometimes in stock that will do the job and with various tools like a bandsaw and table saw, if it's not exactly the size I need, I can often make the adjustment. I often save a bit of money too.

Looks like a standard moulding with a base added, you can see th erebate in one of the photos.

It could be something like this with a base board fixed into the second rebate: https://mainlinemouldings.com/index.php ... D=010-7100

I realise I stupidly have attached the wrong photos ! !! Sorry!
These are the right ones. Thanks so much for all help so far ! It’s definitely a tray frame I’m after - as the artist told me that was the case ....?

Looks a bit like Lions 30mm tray. L1883 or possible L1877

I found that another post has been added while I was typing this, but I'll throw it in just in case it's useful to someone.

The best suggestion I can come up with is Rose & Hollis A115 turned on to it's side, so that the sight edge is protruding at the rear of the frame and that a suitable fillet, spacer, or MDF section is fitted into the rebate to form the back of the tray. The width of the rebate on this moulding is of the order of 10mm and anyone who actually wants to and has a suitable workshop saw can easily trim another piece of obeche moulding to that size to make a nice flush result at the rear of the frame, if that is considered important.

It often seems an impossible task to match what some artists are looking for regarding tray frames and quite often these artists have seen particular frames where well know artists like to use an unobtainable frame, which is easily recognised as their own signature frame. I'm based in Devon, which is the next county to Cornwall, where you find art oriented towns like St Ives and Newlyn, where you find lots of artist who are persuing such ideas. I get asked to match such frames by certain of my customers, who regularly buy art from Cornwall.

It appears that there is a worthwhile cost advantage in not buying the picture and frame from Cornwall, but if they have already bought a painting with a frame, to get a copy made elsewhere. I would not say that I get a massive level of work doing this, but if you have already got the equipment to undertake doing this, it's not a big deal and there's no reason to turn the work away. As an off shoot from doing such work, I often end up making something to use my left overs and I seem to do quite well selling ready made frames which look different to the usual "run of the mill".

Needless to say, that ready made frames are a different market and being based in a small town, which is not as busy as it once was, these are price to be tempting value for money. Getting the price right is not that easy. Customers who are looking for something special are easily put off, if they think the price is too low, just as easily as thinking the price is too expensive. Even after many years, I would not say that I have completely got this figured out just right.

There is a certain amount of trial and error in getting this right and even when a customer buys a particular frame, you don't know how much adjusting the price, had to do with somebody deciding to buy that frame. Frames that have been hanging around too long, eventually end up sitting around in cardboard boxes and some customers, who are in the know come in for a rummage through these boxes and sometimes it results in a sale. These customers often like to haggle and often will buy quite a few frames to get a good discount.

This is obviously not something worth copying for businesses in good locations, but in a less busy situation like mine it helps to some extent and also the fact that I am known for producing copies of less common frames, does not do me any harm either. All of this together with my hand finished framing and making up other items to order, suits me quite well, considering that I still need to earn a living after having had a stroke. I can certainly recommend doing things which are a little out of the ordinary to anyone, who might benefit to adding an extra string to their bow.

Thanks very much for all the help and wisdom! Geospectrum I think you’ve cracked it, it looks like Lion L1883. Will ask for a sample to show. So pleased to have found it!