Wood
One of the joys of working with wood is the variety of materials you get with a natural product. Each timber has its own character; grain, figure, density, strength, and ability to take stain or polish well. All these qualities must be understood in order to get the very best out of each piece of timber, and to allow it to enrich the art it is framing.
We regularly work with woods such as Ash, American Walnut, Maple, Oak, Poplar and Steamed Beech for our frames. Woods with more intricate figures like Sapele, Cherry, Indian Rosewood are also used. Many other hardwoods and exotic woods are also available to order.
Bespoke Mouldings
Wood is milled to create bespoke profiles for your artwork. Proportions of the frame, structure, strength and depth of the artwork being mounted inside; all these elements are carfully taken into consideration with each job.
When referring to the different aspects of the moulding we speak of the face, depth, rebate & sight edge, as seen to the left.
Things to consider
For box frames, face widths start from 13mm.
For wooden tray frames, face widths usually start from 12mm
Wood Species
Ash
The grain of ash wood is open and distinctive, and this figure remains clearly visible once either handstain or spray finish is applied. A very hard wood with high density.
American Walnut
American walnut has a fine grain and texture. Colour can vary in each length from dark brown for the heartwood, to a light, greyish white for the sapwood. This means careful selection is essential to get a consistency for your frame.
Maple
Maple is a close-grain, very hard, fine-textured, tough and strong wood. The sapwood is very light in colour, and the grain is often quite uniform and beautiful. It works really well with a natural wax finish, or a subtle light stain.
Oak
Oak wood is very dense, has great strength and hardness. It also has very attractive grain markings, particularly when quatersawn. English oak has a heritage all of its own, and has been a backbone to the British furniture-making industry.
Poplar
Classed as a hardwood, its absorption allows good anchorage for paint, making it perfect for spray finishes. It's creamy white-coloured wood can be left unfinished, however strong brown or grey streaks often run through the grain.
Steamed Beech
Uniform in colour and texture, Steamed Beech is close-grained and wear resistant. It takes a wide range of finishes and sands to a high polish. While plain beech is white, when steamed it naturally takes on more pink and pale brown tones.