Chop Service FAQs

We cut the frame to the ‘glass size’. We can’t work out your frame size for you. If you’re not an experienced framer, have a look at our ‘New to Framing’ section for information on where to find training.

Glass size is the size of the piece of glass that will sit in the rebate of your frame. This will also be the size of your mounted artwork. All sizes are in mm. We cut the frame to 'glass size' on the Chop Service.

We add 2mm fitting tolerance to the size you give us. If you don’t want us to do this, just check the box for ‘Do not add 2mm tolerance’.

Measure the artwork's width and height to the closest mm. Enter the glass size with these measurements.

For example:

If the artwork size is 175mm  x 134mm 
The glass size measurement will be = 175mm x 134mm

When measuring the art, be aware that 5mm either side will be covered by the rebate lip of the moulding.

The most common and popular style of framed art, The mount creates a border for the art and enhances the overall framed piece.

Step 1: Measure your artworks width and height to the closest mm, be precise.

Step 2: Subtract about 5mm from each width and height measurement, this is your “aperture dimensions”.

Step 3: Decide how big your mount border will be, remember that 5mm of each side will be hidden by the rebate lip of the moulding.

Step 4: Add up the measurements together to get the glass size.

For example:
Artwork size: 175mm  x 134mm
Subtract 5mm for aperture dimensions: 170mm x 129mm
Mount board border dimensions: 40mm + 40mm 
Glass Size measurement will be = 250mm x 209mm

Give us the internal measurements of the tray frame you want to make. This would be the size of the canvas plus any shadow gap you want to create between the canvas and the frame.

Step 1: Measure the medium to be framed. E.g. canvas or board.

Step 2: Decide on how much air you would like around the canvas. 10mm is standard for each side of the canvas.

(Air refers to the gap between the moulding and the canvas).

Step 3: Add up the measurements to get your glass size

For example:
Canvas Measurement: 250mm x 210mm
Air/Gap: 10mm both sides
Glass size measurement will be  = 270mm x 230mm

No, we don’t offer a frame joining service. To join the four pieces into a frame, you will need an underpinner to insert v-nails. You can’t just bang them in with a hammer! Some hand-operated underpinners will also require a band clamp or vice to hold the pieces together while you insert the v-nails.

If you’ll be joining the frame with a hand-operated underpinner, avoid harder woods such as oak and ash, and also more ornate / shaped mouldings – you’ll need commercial framing equipment to work with these.

No, we don’t cut glass and backing board to size. You can order 1200mm x 800mm sheets of styrene glazing and backing board on our Mixed Sheet Despatch service and cut them to size.

No, we don’t sell glass as we can’t despatch it with our carriers. You can order sheets of 1200mm x 800mm styrene glazing on our Mixed Sheet Despatch service, or try a local glass supplier.

The chop price includes a labour element for cutting the frame, and also the wastage.

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