Framing Tools

What Do You Mean By Framing Tools?

‘And now for the very last topic we will discuss today, Framing Tools.’ “Exactly what do you mean by framing tools? What in the world are you talking about?” The instructor chuckled softly as she said ‘What I’m talking about are the items that you would use in or to finish off your picture frame. Some examples of these are: sandpaper (to smooth out the rough edges of your wood moulding pieces), a miter saw (used to cut your moulding pieces), mat cutter (to cut the matting to the sizes you need), framer’s points, a point driver and framing glues.

“Would you mind explaining some of these things to us? I’ve only heard of 3 of those things: the sandpaper, the glue and adhesives and the miter saw; but not the other things.”
‘I’m happy to explain these things to everyone. As it seems that everyone is familiar with the sandpaper, glue and the miter saw; then we’ll start there and work our way through the remaining three items on our list (framer’s points, point driver and the mat cutter). Sandpaper is the 1st thing that we’re going to talk about as part of our framing tools discussion. I’m not sure how much you know about sandpaper, so I’ll be very basic. Sandpaper comes in a variety of grit measurements, this tells you how rough or smooth the sandpaper is. Grit measurements range from 60 grit – this is Coarse- all the way up to 600 grit – which is Super Fine.

The Miter Saw is used to cut the frame moulding pieces to the length you need them to be. The advantage you have with a miter saw is that you can set it to the exact angle that you need to use to cut your frame pieces. You can also use a hand-held saw for this too, though the miter saw is quicker. Just don’t ask me why it’s called a miter saw; I haven’t got the slightest idea. Now, after you’ve cut your frame pieces; you’ll need to join them together and that’s where the Framing Glue comes into our discussion of framing tools. Let’s say that you’re making a wood frame, you’ll need to have Wood Glue on hand to glue those frame pieces together after you’ve cut and sanded them to secure them together. The directions for use will be in the back of the bottle or jar. There isn’t enough time to discuss all of the types of Framing Glue and Adhesives that are available, but I’ve brought brochures that have more information for you to read.

From here we will move onto the Framer’s Points. These are small pieces that are either hard plastic or metal that are available in either flexible or rigid styles. Framer’s Points are long & narrow with a rounded point on one end. Their purpose is to hold your Backing Board, which we already discussed, in place. A Point Driver is the hand-held tool that you need to use to put the Framer’s Points in place where you need them to be along your frame. The Point Driver is used the same way as a staple or nail gun is used.
And, last but not least, in our discussion of framing tools is the Mat Cutter. This is a tool that has a small razor-like blade that cuts through matting board. There are round and oval Mat Cutters out there too. There are both small hand-held personal and larger, professional Mat Cutters. There are also Laser Mat Cutters, though these are for professional use.