Point Drivers - Your Favorite?

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

OK,

Since Jodie Prymke has now discovered that it was some defective points that caused her concern with her Green Fletcher Flexipoint Drive (http://thegrumble.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004459), I thought it might be interesting/educational to find what type of fitting tools we all tend to use and or prefer......

[ 02-25-2003, 07:00 PM: Message edited by: John Ranes II, CPF, GCF ]

[Lance E]

Hard call, depending on the frame type, Ready Made or Custom. I chose Custom...

[B. Newman]

Interesting story behind my very first point driver - that old Fletcher diamond point driver. Joe and I got married in July 1975, and for our first Christmas, he got me that point driver. Now, is that some man or what?! :D

Betty

[MarkG1]

Betty,

That is sweet! If my wife only felt the same way you do, about point drivers.

Hey, as long as you get "diamonds" for Christmas.

[Jodie Prymke]

I like the way John Ranes II has put my name in bold!
Thanks for this,
Jodie

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

Do you use..... http://www.unitedmfrs.com/images/shop/2262.jpg or http://www.unitedmfrs.com/images/shop/3852.jpg or http://www.unitedmfrs.com/images/shop/4287.jpg or http://www.unitedmfrs.com/images/shop/4744.jpg or...........

[ 03-18-2003, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: John Ranes II, CPF, GCF ]

[B. Newman]

I dunno John. A picture is worth a thousand words for sure, (which most of us have nooooo problem expounding) but I'm not sure point drivers have the "glamour" to bring it out! :rolleyes:

Betty

[Peter Bowe]

Our shop has 11 of the 12 fitting tools listed in the poll (plus 4 not listed) but we use the pneumatic tools 99% of the time. I think carpal tunnel syndrome would have taken me down about 20,000 pictures ago if not for compressed air.

Peter Bowe
Saline Picture Frame Co.

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

Originally posted by Peter Bowe:
Our shop has 11 of the 12 fitting tools listed in the poll (plus 4 not listed)...Peter, I tried to include as many as possible. I'm curious as to the four I missed....do they sort of fit into one of the groups, or are they really unique?

John

[ 03-18-2003, 05:15 PM: Message edited by: John Ranes II, CPF, GCF ]

[Dermot]

John

Are you including hammers!!!!

;)

Regds

Dermot

[Peter Bowe]

John,

[I'm curious as to the four I missed....do they sort of fit into one of the groups, or are they really unique?]

3 of them fit into your groups;
Fletcher #1 diamond point driver (circa 1968)
Red Devil #2 diamond point driver (circa 1950?)
Senco narrow crown stapler

the fourth is a face frame drilling jig for angled screw holes which we use to install stacked frames & large strainers.

I found this to be an interesting question. When I did a cost/benefit analysis for purchasing a CMC I talked to an engineer friend who said "process improvements are almost always a good investment". This phrase has become a watchword for me as I monitor the way we operate our shop. We fit almost 7000 pictures last year. Saving a small amount of time - say 15 seconds - per picture adds up to almost 30 hours of staff time over a years time. 30 hours & possibly avoiding a repetitive motion disorder make considering fitting tools time well spent.


Peter Bowe
Saline Picture Frame Co.

[Hannu Nystrom]

Originally posted by John Ranes:
I tried to include as many as possible.John

I'm disappointed. You should be a specialist but you forgot Elettrograf. That's the Ferrari of point drivers...well, at least it's made in Italy. Fletcher seems to dominate. How did you get to vote so many times? I thought this is one man/woman, one vote deal smile.gif

Hannu

[jframe]

It's been many years since I have looked at pneumatic fitting tools. What is eveyone's current favorite and which ones are the lightest in weight? Do any of them use several sizes of points/staples?

[Rick Granick]

Call me old-fashioned, but I can't believe that usage of the #5 point driver is so low. I love the diamond points. It is so useful that they can be bent down to grip into the backing when needed. I just bought a new driver to replace one of my aging oldies. My one complaint about that model: why can't they make the trigger levers out of something better than painted pot metal? I hate when they break in your hand. Their longevity is as unpredictable as that of halogen track-light bulbs. Some last quite a while, and others "burn-out" fairly young.
I do like the multimaster system. It comes in quite handy when you need more surface area at the point-to-backing contact area. Of course the neatest trick is using the hole in the point with screws. A great innovation.

:cool: Rick

[B. Newman]

I noticed, far too late to edit my post, that my first gun was a Red Devil point driver. That thing is heavy as a rock! I started out using one of those brad things like the first picture.

I also have one like the second picture. I actually used it yesterday. I use it when I don't want to "jar" the frame, or when I just want to pull the points in gently. (When I have to remove framer's points to, uh, "go fishin" I just put the points in a pimento jar, and I've got all the loose points I'll ever need!)

Man, I love old tools!

Betty

[Framar]

Betty, your remarks about the old point driver made me clean up my old Red Devil (which is marked "patent pending") driver. I washed the gunk of over 50 years from the wooden heel, and gazed fondly at the bent nail holding the thingamabob in place. I inherited this from Kramer the Framer and it took me years to get it working just right, but for some jobs there is no better fastener.

It kicks like a mule, though, and I remember the first couple of weeks at the fitting table back in '69, when my hands were so swollen that my palms looked like pillows.

I like the F-18 for its nonbending nails, but a minor annoyance is that I couldn't repair it when the spring broke. I ordered new parts and then just couldn't make them go in. Had to send it out for repair.

The Fletcher flexi-driver which rounds out my trio of fitting guns, is better for some woods than others, but I do love the easy action and no recoil.

I will be buried with that Red Devil, though, and when I made my miniature frame shop (The Framaree) I carved a teensy (3/4") replica and used a bent paperclip for the gizmo. I painted it red and then distressed the heck out of it.

And while we're on the subject, one of the first toys, er, tools that I bought for my shop 20 years ago was a BRAND NEW point driver, which was made out of aluminum and painted green. This broke in half after a few weeks, so I went back to cast iron. Sometimes ya just can't beat cast iron!

[DB]

I noticed that several of those who voted use the yellow point driver as a backup. I bought it to fit some canvases, but the points are too short. Given the allowance of a typical frame, I find that the screw hole falls short of the ideal placement for a screw...usually it's partly in the gap of the allowance. We're back to using offset clips for most canvas fitting jobs.

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

Originally posted by DB:
..........Given the allowance of a typical frame, I find that the screw hole falls short of the ideal placement for a screw...usually it's partly in the gap of the allowance.......Diane,

I've heard this from a few framers at trade shows, and I agree that the points could be a bit longer to "reach" across the gap. In our own shop, however, we've found that we can fudge* these out a bit and still not weaken the hold. This allows us to get the screw into more of the frame moulding.

*(pull the canvas towards one side - Shoot Multipoints into canvas - Drill & Screw - Then snug the canvas towards the opposite side of the frame and add the Multipoint on that side.)

John

[ 03-27-2003, 01:27 PM: Message edited by: John Ranes II, CPF, GCF ]

[DB]

Thanks for the tip, John. We'll give it a 'shot'! (sorry, I HAD to say it!)

[Framing Goddess]

I love my Senco pneumatic staplers.
We use 1/4" staples for stretching canvasses and 1/2" staples for standard fitting.
I'd rather fight than switch.
Those other fitters have WAY too much kick to them and are too hard on the hands.

edie the prissyaboutmymitts goddess

[Jana]

I agree with Edie. That's what we use.

[ 03-29-2003, 09:18 PM: Message edited by: Jana ]