Pricing fillets

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piper

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Aug 4, 2007
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We've been doing alot of fillets for a while now and I think we're not charging enough for this. It is much more time consuming for cutting, joining (I prefer joining them), attaching to mat, and adding foamcore to mat.

Do you have a formula or a certain way of pricing for the extra labor?
 
I have a category called "fillet fit" that goes with every fillet ordered. It covers extra labor and materials like affc filler strips, lineco tape, etc. It's about $30. for a moderate size frame.
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
For us, fillets are priced pretty much the same as our wood mouldings.

MouldingMarkup.jpg


Most fillets fall around the median price for our mouldings, so we think that it is fair.

We use a FilletMaster so there is not any trim and fit, trim and fit, ad nauseam until we get it right. It may take a wee bit more time than chopping a moulding but not a whole lot.

IMO, the time it takes to dry fit, glue and tape the fillet into the mat is offset by the time is takes to stain and V-Nail the standard wood moulding.

We do, however, charge about 15% more for a reverse bevel in the mat, so that helps to eat up any lost time having been consumed by cutting the fillet.
 
We do it almost exactly the same as Bill, and price it as we would a moulding. If it's stacked with the frame, it goes in LifeSaver's MOULDING #2 field. If it's down with mats, it gets entered in one of the MATS fields.

Mike
 
Mm-mm... I think it takes considerably more time to properly fit and join a fillet, adhere it to the mat, assemble panels to support the mat around the fillet and place barrier tape over the back of the fillet than it does to cut and join a frame.

I generally charge the same margin of mark-up for fillets as I do for moulding but am more with Rick on this that I charge anywhere from $ 20 and up for a fillet fit depending on the size of the piece.
 
Charging $20, $30 or more sounds about right to me. I was adding the labor charge plus 1/2. I just wanted to get an idea of what others do. Fillets are very time consuming but they look great and the customers always love them.

Thanks for your input.
 
I charge the standard markup that have for my moulding, then I add a 1/4 hour labor to the job. If the fillet sit up past the mat then they get charged for the spacers. I don't want to over price them to much so I can sell them but I do need to pay for the extra time and materials.
 
Have you ever done a time study on fillets. We did back in the late 70's and found that if we charged our regular shop hourly rate plus a reasonable markup on the material - we could'nt sell them at that price. Why do something if it's not profitable? Yeah, they look pretty good sometimes but still not worth the trouble IMHO Now here's some other thoughts:
Matboard expands and contracts with changes in humidity, right?
Fillet material doesn't. (Maybe a teeey bit across the width). So it looks good going out the door but what is it gonna look like if the humidity changes? I've seen some terrible examples of this in SF where we have swings in humidity (as well as humility).
And what about the proximity of the wood fillet to the art? Barrier paper, 2 ply, 4 ply and even 8 ply are not barriers against acid migration. If you believe they are you would be wrong.

And how do (did) manufacturers test their alu tape? I'm not saying or even suggesting that it may or may not be a barrier, I would just like to know HOW it was tested, wouldn't you? That would be interesting. Remember that some of the manufacturers selling alu tape are also selling linen hinging tape for hinging heavier pieces. ( The picture is on the box right next to the buzzword "Archival". Ask any conservator what they think about linen hinge tape and alu tape (they make good money trying to remove this stuff. Especially the pressure sensitive adhesive types).
 
Interesting, but I wouldn't throw out my fillets just yet.

I do use them more often, but a lot of times to line the frame, not so much the mat.
As for pricing them; I charge double fitting charge and if I anticipate more time needed, I might add that. But, the more you do them, the faster they go in.

Also, I do have time enough....
 
We charge

We charge the standard markup for the fillet based on it's cost. We then charge for the spacers in the mat. The fillet (Gluing) takes slightly more time then the frame Glue & Underpinner ). But we charge for spacers in the mat we have two different types spaces with and with out fillet. This is the time & materials charge for the fillet. We also if the print or original is of value (monetary or sentimental ) have a inner mat that the fillet touches along with the barrier tape.
 
About £20 / 30 dollars for a medium size frame, but I was doing relatively few and never really got the hang of it. Enter stage left my Fillet Master, as accurate and reliable as, well, a machine. I know if your doing a lot over years you can probably whack them up by eye but if you're not that fortunate why struggle. It was paying me well before 10 frames completed. I've been doing a fair bit of object mounting recently and a fillet round the aperture oozes quality.
 
The Fillet Master makes a perfect fit for my frames. It's so simple and cost effective my output and eagerness to offer fillets causes me to try and establish the best way of fitting them to and within the mat - can anyone help please?
 
The Fillet Master works exactly the same way for fitting fillets into mats. In fact, that's all I've ever used it for. Just be sure the little plastic stop is calibrated properly.
:cool: Rick
 
The Vicar said:
The Fillet Master makes a perfect fit for my frames. It's so simple and cost effective my output and eagerness to offer fillets causes me to try and establish the best way of fitting them to and within the mat - can anyone help please?
Click to expand...

On this FilletMaster page is a link to download the manual. Somewhere else on the site is a demonstration video in Windows Media Format (.wmv).
 
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