chopping frame with beads

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I

ice

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Joined
Apr 22, 2005
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Los Angeles
I chopped up some sticks that have beads on the inner part of the frame. the length of the chops made the decorative beads get cut (ie the cut was through the beads and not in between them). When I joined the frame, the beads in the corners don't look whole or don't line up. How do you go about chopping this kind of moulding so I don't make the same mistake next time. I can never tell where the last cut of the chopper will end up.
 
Whenever possible i try to split the bead and cross my fingers.
If you go over the cut with a matching color marker it minimizes the edge color difference. (You should do this anyway to all mouldings)

There is no way that is time and material savings that I know of that will give you matching beaded corners every time unless you go for a finished corner.

Hope this helped. Now another grumbler will hopefully come along and prove me wrong with a helpful hint and I will learn something today.

If you want to know where the chopper will end up follow the v where the blade meets the base. The blades stop where the table starts. (It makes sense in person but doesn't translate well online,sorry)

OK Baer come in with the big guns!
 
It only works if you adjust your frame size to match the bead frequency interval, and then you are reliant that the interval will be consistant from stick to stick which varies between manufacturers.

Swing a chicken over your head.

The idea of splitting a bead seems easier than cutting between them.

What you are trying to do is admirable but might well lead you to stronger drugs.
 
Even my finished corner frame suppliers can't get this one right and that's what they do for a living. Join the real world and embrace your messed up looking corners.
 
thanks - i sat there trying to figure it out and finally gave up. I guess life is not perfect...or at least mine isnt :(
 
If the beads are big enough (like the size of a green pea,) you can make it work. Usually I cut in between them and will 'shave off' a skinny cliff if the size is not adjustable.

If the beads are small, it ain't worth fussin' over.

edie justdidthreetoday goddess
 
laurel2.jpg

This thing is driving me nuts! The fillet size is exactly the same on either side, but they just won't match. Is it possible the beads aren't the same distance apart, really? I'm tempted to chop them in the top left corner so they match, but then my needlework lines won't be parallel and square (and they are at the moment). Any ideas, or am I being too fussy and just live with it?

Thanks, Jodie
 
I like to point out that frames are not wallpaper.
 
People worry too much about matching repeat patterns on the corners. When it's all put together you just don't notice - providing you tint the raw ends as prev mentioned. It's worse when you have quite chunky running patterns. I bit of shaping is generally called for, but again the overall effect is not as bad as you might think. Trying to match a repeat pattern round a corner you would have to work in multiples of the repeat - which might be a few inches. Even then it's a bit of a puzzle and doesn't always work. The repeats are not always consistent.
I think one of the reasons corner ornaments were put on ornate frames with a running pattern is to cover a multitude of sins on the corners. ;)
 
My key to retaining my sanity in this situation was that, if you do top quality framing with everything else in that workorder, your finished frame package will dazzle your client so much that they will never notice that you didn't split that little bead way over in the corner just so!! It is simply not worth the worry when all other things that can go wrong in a frame package are taken into consideration, that bead thing is out of your control and will vary from one manufacturer to another and from one batch from the same mfgr. to another!

Many other things that you could make better or match up just right ARE in your control so I would focus on those that can be controlled and let the Asians space their metric beads any way they want!! :thumbsup:
 
Thanks guys, I feel a bit better about it. I was waiting for someone to say "God, how could you possibly think of handing that thing in?" When I show it to my customer, I could always put my hand over it, right? ;)
 
Put it into a plastic bag and the reflections will mask all of your "mistakes" till they get home.:thumbsup:
 
Jodie Osborne said:
View attachment 17933

This thing is driving me nuts! The fillet size is exactly the same on either side, but they just won't match. Is it possible the beads aren't the same distance apart, really? I'm tempted to chop them in the top left corner so they match, but then my needlework lines won't be parallel and square (and they are at the moment). Any ideas, or am I being too fussy and just live with it?

Thanks, Jodie
Click to expand...

The only thing I would do differently is rotate the frame 180 degrees so that the corner that has the worst match is at the top left, not the bottom right. The eye is trained to look at the bottom right first, signatures and all. If the first thing your eye encounters is the least perfect corner it will subtly effect your perception of the whole. If the bottom right is your best corner, it'll just feel better over all even if it's exactly the same frame.

James
 
Hi James, the worst one is in the top left. The two bottom ones are pretty good, don't you think? If I rotate it 180, the worst one will be in the bottom right then....or do you think the bottom right as it is, is worse than the top left?
 
Jodie Osborne said:
Is it possible the beads aren't the same distance apart, really? I'm tempted to chop them in the top left corner so they match, but then my needlework lines won't be parallel and square (and they are at the moment). Any ideas, or am I being too fussy and just live with it?

Thanks, Jodie
Click to expand...

You already know your answer/s... yes, yes, yes and only you and your shrink/bar tender/hair dresser
can handle that answer.

The beads are cast compo... sometimes it's perfect. . . like in the designer's mind.
Even on paper. But if you two piece up and match them.... it only takes about a foot
to see that there are variations.... nothing your customers will ever notice... but
you sticking your nose 9" away and wearing those 350 cheaters.... yes.
 
God, how could you possibly think of handing that thing in!! ?

What I do is slice the offending part-beads away with a scalpel and replace them with complete beads sliced off scraps - simples ;)
 
OK then Baer, I am not gonna argue with you! If it's cool by you, it's cool by me! :)

Robo, that's an awesome idea! And yes, very simples. Thanks :)
 
Jodie Osborne said:
Hi James, the worst one is in the top left. The two bottom ones are pretty good, don't you think? If I rotate it 180, the worst one will be in the bottom right then....or do you think the bottom right as it is, is worse than the top left?
Click to expand...

Not to start a fight, but I really think that the two larger partial beads at the top left look better than the skinny lemon shaped piece at the bottom right. That's just my opinion.

James
 
OK, this is new. I think. Look down at the bottom of the page. There is a list of "Similar Threads."

Has this "Similar Threads" feature always been here? I do not see it on other threads. Why is it here? And how cool is this? :D

Speaking of beads that just have to be perfect in the corners, or when dealing with lost beads, I have been known to use, guess what - beads! Flatten the bottom, glue into place, dab with appropriate color. And walla! :party: You can also use epoxy putty to easily fill in or replace beads of all sizes.
 
Jodie Osborne said:
View attachment 17933

This thing is driving me nuts! The fillet size is exactly the same on either side, but they just won't match. Is it possible the beads aren't the same distance apart, really? I'm tempted to chop them in the top left corner so they match, but then my needlework lines won't be parallel and square (and they are at the moment). Any ideas, or am I being too fussy and just live with it?

Thanks, Jodie
Click to expand...

Jodie, that looks perfectly fine to me. I wouldn't give it another thought. What you might want to think about, though, is the wood frame being right up against the needlepoint. Did you line the rabbet with Lineco Frame Sealing Tape? Its metal layer provides a barrier against the acidic wood.
:cool: Rick
 
James, sorry, I didn't think you were trying to start a fight. I'm actually really pleased that you think the top left is acceptable. That's the one I was worried about. I can easily fix the bottom right with Robo's idea - scrape it off and add a perfect one.

I don't know what that thing on RoboBaer's arm is, but it's a terrific photo! Hot!

Rick, yes I did put metal rebate tape on the fillet. Thank you for the reminder though, I'm sure there are lots of framers out there who don't use it, or even (scarily!) understand why to.
 
Frankly, what you have already done is better than about 90% of the shops out there would do.
You can try to make the beads perfect, and that you want to is great.
The pattern in the outer frame is impossible to match up so we don't really worry about it because it's very "busy".
Using a barrier tape on the rabbet is excellent and again, not every shop would even do this so good on you for doing it.
The needlepoint is perfectly straight and centered and that is the main focus.
If it was me, I would leave it alone. It looks great.

:thumbsup:
 
Thanks Neil! I think we can have a tendancy to "fiddle"...I'm still learning to "just leave it alone", even after 17 years. Yikes!
 
Jodie Osborne said:
Thanks Neil! I think we can have a tendancy to "fiddle"...I'm still learning to "just leave it alone", even after 17 years. Yikes!
Click to expand...

I'm at 44 years framing now.
My previous boss of 14 years used to tell me to "stop niggling" with a frame if I fussed over it too much.
She was very wise.
When it's done, it's done.:thumbsup:
 
Not trying to derail things as I think Jodie has her problem pretty well worked out, but that "similar posts" has been there awhile. I really like it as it goes back into the archives and pulls out posts that are many years old for some of you who don't realize we even have an archive here on the G.

Thanks go to Bill for including that option in the forums.:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
So, OK, the Similar Posts option has been here a while. Why is it then, that it only shows up on some threads?

Could it be that it is utilizing succinctly worded thread titles? As opposed to "I have a problem" or "Can you help me?" titles. :shrug:
 
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