How to cut matboard

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Framar

Framar

WOW Framer
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
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Loc
Buffalo, New York, USA/Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
This is gonna sound really stupid - but -

When you have a nice expensive piece of say, suede or linen ragboard, and you have to cut a mat that is 16x20 - how do you cut it?

Do you cut it in half, 20" out of the 40" side so you can end up with 4 pieces 16x20 - one for now, three for later?

Or do you cut the 16" out of the 40" giving you a larger piece for the next job (you'll have one piece 12x16 and one piece 24x32)?

I wrestle with this every time - and it doesn't bother me so much if it is just rag or alphamat, or even foam core - but, OH! I agonize over the expensive boards.

How do you approach this problem???
 
Frugal to the core

cut the 16" out of the 40" giving you a larger piece for the next job (you'll have one piece 12x16 and one piece 24x32)?
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This is how I do it. I always cut in order to leave the biggest piece.
 
same thing - biggest piece
 
16 out of the 40... then whack the 12x16 down to an 11x14 and stick in the $1 box.

But then you already know me... whack the 16x20 out of scrap and wrap with scrap fabric ... and make more money.

Ordering a $28 board to make $44 just doesn't make much sense to us.

but ordering $8 of fabric, using up some scrap ragboard or flawboard, and $10 of labor makes a whole lot more sense.

I know you weren't sleeping through my class... and when I was going over the priceing... your lips weren't moving and Edie was paying attention too....

This kind of structure is basic in Bob Carter's class also. :D

But you knew all this.. it was just a very good excuse to start a half full/half empty kind of thread.... Mar, you are so sly. :icon19:
 
The fantastic thing about a CMC is that it doesn't matter if you cut a sheet into four 16 x 20's because the blanks don't have to be square!

Talk about savings! Saves both time and money!
 
Here's my dilemna, if I cut 16" off hoping to have a 24 by 32 "scrap" then I inevitably scuff the mat and render it useless and have to cut a second 16 by 20 blank out of it. AND if I cut a 20" piece and get 2 16s then I cut the first one correctly and don't need to use the 2nd piece!

So whatever I do I always resign myself to the fact that my scrap won't work!
 
Do it both ways, this way you will be right at least half the time.
 
Bob Doyle said:
Here's my dilemna, if I cut 16" off hoping to have a 24 by 32 "scrap" then I inevitably scuff the mat and render it useless and have to cut a second 16 by 20 blank out of it. AND if I cut a 20" piece and get 2 16s then I cut the first one correctly and don't need to use the 2nd piece!
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That happens to me all the time, Bob. Then I keep second guessing myself the next time I go to size a mat. I'm sure it must be one of Murphy's Laws for the picture framing world.:faintthud:
 
Baer, I used to work for a gallery where I would make foamcore mats and then wrap them with fabric,but never matboard,I guess I need to take your class,how do you do it?
 
I did the foamboard mats because they liked the deep bevel,I guess my question is why hassle with wrapping instead of buying a linen or fabric matboard. Is it cost or custom style?
 
Baer Charlton said:
Bob, Karen, the beauty of it all is: any of the scrap is easily wrapped in fabric. :D
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You are so right, Baer. And now that I'm getting the hang of wrapping mats in fabric, I'll be able to use up those scuffed ones. :)
 
kevaura said:
Baer, I used to work for a gallery where I would make foamcore mats and then wrap them with fabric,but never matboard,I guess I need to take your class,how do you do it?
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kevaura, we would love to have you attend the class in Nashville on Nov 12th. That's the closest I will be to you this year.

I used to wrap foam core... untill I found Gatorboard.... nice firm surface, hard crisp edge, well defined break points, same deep bevel... especially the 1/2" thick.

The reason for deep bevels are onerous, as are the need for 4ply or 8ply mats. The reason to wrap, is not to hide what kind of matboard you are using.. It is to use the enhanced depth of color saturation and texture that can only be obtained with real fiber that is made from woven threads. Or "fulled", or "chase" layed as in the case of Northern Lights which look and act more like specialty paper, but is extremely maluable if misted.

You might ask some of my students.. but I personally believe that I teach how to lay the fabric as only aobut 30% of the class.. the rest is Why lay fabric, and or Why sell fabric. And somewhere as you are successfully featuring fabric in your shop.. your customers will tell you why you should never stop working magic with fabric.

As a Rep for Frank's Fabric I have been told numerous times by framers... "I never get a call for fabric".. what they mean is that no one has ever come in and insisted that they wanted a fabric mat.

I let them have their beliefs, I will never change them.. but I also know that every last one of us deal with the same statement from our customers or potential customers, day in and day out: they drop the picture on the design table and ask "What do you think?".

I, and my very successful framers [ones that are wrapping 20%+ of their orders] "Think Fabric".

Texture first, weave and material second, color last. A crude rough linen purple grape, is not the same "color" as a smooth cotton Cascade purple grape... even if they came out of the same dye vat and reflect the same PSA number.

Get squared away with the texture, which is the emotional trigger... then wrap it up with the material, and finally find the right color... and always show the mat and picture by holding them up... the color and texture will change when you go from the "laying flat" to "hanging on the verticle wall".

Sorry to frankenthread with such didacticism.. but I'm mentally primed in the "teach" mode as I get up at 5AM to drive 3 hrs to Bend, OR to play with fabric..... I mean.. umm errrr Seriously Teach a Class. ;)
 
Thanks Baer, It sounds like I'm out of the loop on fabric mats. If I can swing it,I'll check out your class.Nashville is not far at all.just through mountain roads and past the George Dickel and Jack Daniels distilleries. hmmm. I smell road trip.
 
I'm not familiar with George Dickel, but I'm sure he's a fine Suthun Gentleman.

Teacher is not beyond being bribed with samples of local flavor ;)

So if you are a wee bit late because you had to stop off and visit and ailing friend...;):beer:
 
kevaura said:
just through mountain roads and past the George Dickel and Jack Daniels distilleries. hmmm. I smell road trip.
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Kevaura I'd use any excuse I could think of too to go to the J.D. Distillery. Love that place. Just kidding, Baer. You reallyl need to take that tour if you're going to be in Tenn.

No, I don't drink it, I just like the distillery.
 
Jo, my wifes family is from all back in them woods. Her great uncle was from a small place called Jonesbro, TN. It was about 20 miles to the big (35,000) city of Johnson City, TN... but there wasn't anyone in Johnson City that didn't know Lawrence Broyles and the story of his old white horse he road to go court Vina, untill her daddy said "Vina, if you don't hurry up and marry that boy, he's gonna kill that horse riding it over here every night." [about 2 miles each way].

So you see, there is still family back thetaway.. and not this trip, but were a fixin' ta go visiten' har reel soon lik.;)

Might have to go talk to mister Dickle myself. Along with lookin up Betty.
 
Centre cut

Cut it out of the centre - then you can always cut any other size matte from it - at least

Just kidding

or am I?
 
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Always leave the biggest and seemingly most usable shape possible. Even if all I end up using is another 16x20 out of that 24x32. The second mat is still all $$$$$$ as cost was covered. Would I like to get better yeild? Of course, but I don't know about the rest of you, but everytime I look at that scrap mat bin, I can't help but think, "Boy, would I be thrilled to sell each of those at the price of a 16x20 mat." WOW would that flow alot of cash right to the bottom line......
 
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