The Framers Forum

You sometimes know by looking at a moulding that its going to be a real pig to put together. My prize goes to a relativly new moulding stocked by Ashworth and Thompson 5800.65.20. I use A&Ts chop service for a very large proportion of my work - they give me a 110% service, and apart from this moulding i cant fault them. experience should have told me that this moulding was a non runner - hide it away from inquisitive customers as they are bound to choose it - no - up it went - last order before Christmas customer chooses it for a large limited edition print - with very complicated mount etc.
A&T couldnt chop it - it had a camber at the bottom and just wouldnt lie flat. so i had it cross cut.

the moulding arrived with enough spare for me to practice a few "tricks of the trade" - plasticine pushed into the space at back of moulding - then clamped in place on Morso. with extreme care it worked although even with plastacine pushed into the back the undercut part of the back didnt cut clean. round two - joining. same problem - wouldnt sit in my underpinner without the pressure plate pushing the mouding over the back stop - a former was made to increase the height of the back stop - it worked - the frame was succesfully joined - but a job that should have taken a couple of hours had taken all of a very long day - with a very anxious customer pressuring me to deliver.

Blunder - yes - I should have known better. Have I learnt from the experience? that moulding isnt on my selection board anymore and A&T know my opinion of it,and the person who chose it for their range. On the plus side i enjoyed the challenge and was pleased with the result - i just wont do it again on 23rd December.

Hi Mark,

Just wondering how much % wise of your work is chop? Is it just the 100mm or wider, etc.

I dont use much chop service, the odd time I would get a moulding chopped on my wholesalers saw. I prefer to build the frame's width with extra mouldings and hand finish the Obeche where necessary. (Each to our own, eh)

Is there a lot more chop service appearing in the trade in your part of the country, or is it becomming the done thing? I visit one framer regualr in Powys, Wales (going there next week, to sit in the Brecons and put my feet up, weyhey!) and 99% of her mouldings are chopped, she says NO WASTE, and swings and roundabouts, i.e. you have to charge a wee bit more for the job, but no stock to think of, so her overheads are lower, just the odd selection of Obeche. She can get her chop service orders, either over night or 48 hours.

Steven (Just curious)

Hi Steven
Apart from about 6 stock mouldings everthing else is chop - from the most basic up to the most expensive. You have to be accurate and carefull when assembling the chopped pieces. I doubt that i have more than £200 of stock lengths. My wastage on chop is zero. I pay no delivery charges and i can have a job ready for collection within 48 hours. you need a very relyable chop service - i think i have tried them all - and some were awfull. A & T are excellent, they take care in moulding selection (except forementioned) and rectify any minor problems with speed and efficiency. it is about mindset - chop is more expensive but i can offer my customers a massive range of mouldings - i know that i wont have to order more than i need - i dont have to cut around damaged or warped stock - i dont pay for what i dont use, and best of all i dont have mountains of offcuts that never get used and never match the next time you have call to get in stock of the same moulding. On the occasions when i get in lengths to match something that i cant get from my chop service i am often suprised at the cost when wastage is taken into account. i doubt my profit margins are less than average and i know that my customers pay average prices when compared to my competitors - both bottom line indicators of " are you pitching it in the right place". I still hand finish - but i no longer do my own guilding with exception of the odd slip - cheaper to buy it in and finish.

Hi Mark,

WOW! I didnt think that you would use as much % chop, but I must admit that it looks a tempting way to go and get shot of all the waste and those damn offcuts.

My wife, no doubt will talk to a few suppliers at the SFB and get it sorted.

Steven