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Chop Service Ordering Guide

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Ordering moulding on our Chop Service instead of cutting it yourself means you can offer your customers more choice, work more efficiently and won’t waste money on offcuts.

• Your customers can choose from the entire LION range without holding anything in stock. Chop Service orders placed before 12:00 are despatched same day.

• Let our Chop Service operators measure and cut your frames on our brand-new, super-accurate digital double mitre saws, leaving you free to focus on your business and get more done.

• With Chop Service you only pay for what you need, there’s no guesswork, no wastage to allow for, and it saves space in your workshop. We recycle any offcuts we can’t use so nothing goes to landfill.

Ordering a frame on Chop Service is simple - just enter the part number of the moulding and the size in mm. If you don’t want us to add our standard 2mm tolerance just check the box.

To read more FAQs on Chop Service click here.

Chop Service Terminology

There are two key terms to understand when it comes to ordering moulding on our Chop Service:

Glass Size

This is the inner measurement you give us when ordering. It’s the dimensions of the piece of acrylic/glass that will eventually drop into the frame. This will be smaller than the outside dimensions of the finished frame.

Fitting Tolerance

To allow a little wriggle room for the glass, mount and backing board, we automatically add 2mm Fitting Tolerance to the Glass Size you give us. This allows 1mm all round between glazing and frame. If for some reason you don’t want us to add fitting tolerance, just check the box for ‘Do not add 2mm fitting tolerance’.

Note - we DO NOT add Fitting Tolerance to L Style Profiles, Slips, Spacers or M430 Panel Tray Aluminium Profile.

We can’t vary the amount of tolerance we add - if you want more or less than 2mm select ‘Do not add fitting tolerance’
and then add your preferred tolerance to the glass size.

Standard Frames

• We cut to the inside edge of the rebate.
• Calculate the Glass Size of the finished frame by working out the size of the artwork plus any window mount.

Tray Frames / L Style

• These profiles are designed to make a Tray Frame for a stretched canvas. We cut to the inside edge.
• Calculate or measure the dimensions of the stretched canvas.
• Most framers add a ‘Shadow Gap’ between the canvas and the frame as it looks better than the frame being tight to the canvas.
• A 10mm shadow gap is most popular - so add 20mm to each dimension of your canvas.
• We do not add Fitting Tolerance to L Style Profiles.

Two Way Ls

• These stepped profiles can be used to make tray frames for different depths of canvas. The stepped shape automatically creates a shadow gap.
• When you order online you’ll see you can choose whether you want us to cut to face A (short side round the canvas) or face B (long side round the canvas).

Stacked Frames

• If you want to stack two mouldings to make one frame.
1. Inner Frame: Order the Glass Size.
2. Outer Frame: Order Glass Size + 2 x (Width - Rebate).
• We recommend you choose to add Fitting Tolerance to both inner and outer frame.
• For the rebate size check your chevron. If you don’t have a chevron you can work on the basis he rebate is 6 - 7mm*.
• We cannot cut frames to the outside size.

Stretcher Bars in Lengths

• We cut to the back edge of the profile.
• Order the finished size of the canvas you are stretching.

Spacers

• We cut to the back edge of the profile.
• We don’t add Fitting Tolerance to spacers as they should fit snugly into the outer frame.
• If you have chosen to add Fitting Tolerance to the outer frame you will also need to manually add 2mm to the spacer.

Slips

• We cut to the back edge of the profile.
• We don’t add Fitting Tolerance to slips as they should fit snugly into the outer frame.
• If you have chosen to add Fitting Tolerance to the outer frame you will also need to manually add 2mm to the slip.

St Ives

• We cut to the inside edge of the rebate.

Standard Aluminium Frames

• We cut to the inside edge of the profile.
• Calculate the Glass Size of the finished frame by working out the size of the artwork plus any window mount.

Aluminium Frame Hardware
• Make sure you’ve ordered your aluminium frame hardware, either as a single frame
kit from the Chop Service page or separately in bulk.
• If any side of the frame is over 1000mm we recommend choosing 9772 Aluminium
Frame Hardware Large.

M430 Aluminium Tray Frames

• We cut to the inside edge of the profile.
• Add a shadow gap of up to 15mm to the size of the panel you’re framing.
• No Fitting Tolerance is added to this profile.

Sub Frames

• We cut to the back edge of the profile.
• Subtract 2 x your desired overhang from the size of the panel you’re mounting. The overhang is usually around 25mm all round.

Sub Frame Hardware
• Sub Frame is square cut, and joined with moulding plastic push in corners.
Select a hardware kit from the Chop Service page.