While Hobby Lobby does use the Wizard it is not located at the store. .....
I started with this post because it is not true! Jeff, I don't know where you picked up that information but I managed a Hobby Lobby store in Carbondale, IL and I can personally vouch for the fact that we DID have a Wizard inhouse and we DID cut our mats either with the Wizard or with a manual 60" C&H Advantage Pro. They may have changed their corporate procedures since I left in 2005 but your statement according to my experience is false and not one to be taken as a policy of Hobby Lobby.
1st....are you serious?
2nd...I cannot believe this has continued for 72 posts.
3rd...I cannot believe I read most of them.
4th...who looks at pictures on the wall with a magnifying glass?
5th...I am now a bit more thankful that I don't deal with this anymore.
Mecianne, I agree wholeheartedly!! I started picking out posts as I went and yours was the first one that made some common sense to me. And I will replyafter touching base with all of this verbal corned beef hash!!
hmmmm....now here's a magic question no one has asked.
Did you use Bainbridge or Crescent mats? ..........
So, on the basis of
brand, now we are to condemn one brand over another and shoot all those who don't adhere to some kind of parameter that may or may not have a thing to do with this particular case?
I must say Montacute, you are one of the most educated non-framers to ever visit this site. Your willingness .................. is refreshing and the reason people have responded so civilly.
Welcome to the "G"!
Well, let me be the first to pop the "civility" bubble! I find this customer to be very picky and demanding in presenting her complaints with no reasonable evidence to back those complaints up until the very end of this thread. And that, in itself, lends me to question many of the replies that some of you have made to a complaint that most of us have faced in our careers and have dealt with on a rational basis. Instead of screaming "Perfect Cuts" and "There's no excuse" and other reasons why this framer, who may or may not be more or less talented than many of his "judges", shouldn't we all be trying to find out the facts of this specific case that the customer brings to light??? More on that later.
To let you all know, I got an e-mail back from my framer and we have a resolution.
He remained nice and said that my standards are beyond what they could accomplish with their pricing structure, since they would have to cut 5 or 6 mats to meet my standards. He felt it best if I look for another framer and he would be happy to refund the cost of mats and v-grooves--$80 plus change. This is fine with me.
........ Do you use a Wizard and do you use Bainbridge rag mats? Wish me luck!
And I have to applaud that framer for being the
most "civil" in this whole silly scenario!!! After all, it is he who is really on "trial" here and he has restrained himself from entering into this verbal food fight through so many disparaging posts and very little support from his peers who should know better than to pass judgement on him without the benefit of knowing ALL the facts nor hearing HIS side of the issue. His response would echo MY response had I been the framer and my years of experience had been called on the line in public for such petty grievances!! Whoever you are out there, I give you kudos for being the true professional in this circus!!
This has been an interesting thread to read. Welcome to the Grumble, Montacute. One thing I would add is this. If you do go to a new framer, the best way to find out what kind of v-grooves they cut, won't be to find out if they use Bainbridge or have a Wizard. It will be to have them show you one of their v-grooves. By cutting to the chase in that way, you'll save a lot of potential frustration on both sides.
It's often not so much the matboard or cutter used as it is the ability of that particular person. As shown by Prospero's posts, there are plenty of framers who could cut you a good v-groove with a more traditional style matcutter. Bainbridge mats are good, but so are Crescent, Artique and some others. Wizard is good, but so are the older style mat cutters. The fastest way to see what you're going to get is just to ask for a sample from the start. Even if you have to pay for it. And in the interest of avoiding a lot of headaches on both sides, you might want to take this one in with you and show it to them. That will allow them to see how particular you are going to be and decide if they are able and willing to take you on as a customer.
Good luck with your quest. If all else fails, try buying yourself a matcutter and learning to cut your own mats. You might find that it's something you prefer to do yourself. Most frame shops will be happy to help you choose mat colors and sell you the uncut boards.
FINALLY!! Someone with a common sense approach and an answer that shows some sensible rationale and thought process to her answer!!! Shayla, I applaud you on your down to earth assessment of this mess and your rational approach to offering some suggestions that aren't judgemental.
Now, some suggestions gleaned from my experiences as a professional framer.
- I wonder why nobody has mentioned such basic things to check as how often the mat blade has been changed???
- When was the last time that the mat cutter was checked, cleaned, and accurately calibrated?
- How are the matcutter head bushings? Are they worn, sloppy, or is there any other movement in the cutter head as it slides across the guide bar?
- Is the framer consistent with his stance and his procedure for drawing the mat cutter blade across the mat board??
- Is the framer having some personal problems that would affect his focus and attention to detail in accomplishing these V-groove cuts??
I know for a fact that, if I am not making V-groove cuts on a fairly regular basis, I get a little "off my game" so to speak, I am not as sharp on the stance, procedure and consistent movements of cutting a precise cut such as a V-groove. And one tiny little piece of that procedure that is overlooked may be the underlying fault of repetitive "mistakes" made by the framer. Also, sometimes personal problems or such things as how the economy is affecting my daily business will be enough of a mental distraction to pull my attention away from a focus on the job at hand.
Let me be perfectly clear before going on any further, I see absolutely no reason for discountingthe quality of the V-grooves cut by this framer! At least not based on the photos that were provided, they look quite within the tolerances of a
hand cut groove in a not always perfect piece of mass produced cotton based product. And that is not only with the Crescent brand but with each and every brand of matboard on the market today!
Regarding the use of CMC's, I don't claim to be an expert in how one works relative to all the others that are on the market today. But I do have some experience with the Wizard and I am aware of the Wizard's shortcomings. That isn't to say that there aren't other competitive brands out there that would do a comparative or maybe even a
better job than a Wizard or whichever brand happens to be on the chopping block at any given time. But the Wizard or any other brand, in and of itself, surely isn't the apex of the CMC world!!! If that is the case, why are all the other brands still selling??
I would expect that an experienced framer (here on this forum) would take into account the
skills of the person being confronted and not base their assumptions on the brands of materials or equipment used. I can see some bias in which brands you use, one over the other, but to make a blanket statement that only one brand is the proper matboard to use is ludicrous to say the least.
To the customer who asked the original question, you have gotten a genuine piece of hand crafted custom framing and you are belittling the fact that a small imperfection exists in the finished product? May I say that a small imperfection is one of the very few identifiable characteristics that separates the machine manufactured junk that we have to deal with on the retail market today with that of a truly handmade object that was made with a personal touch and concern for the design of that piece! If you wanted a "perfect" framing, why did you go to a person who
hand makes each and every product he produces?? I find your concerns and your argument to be rather self serving and I question whether your expectations weren't
so high that any of us on this forum could maintain a steady and consistent record of "perfect" mats and frames to suit your requirements???
All in all, I see a professional framer who has handled an otherwise demanding customer with a totally professional attitude and has offered you an alternative to pursuing a future relationship with him as far as his knowing his limitations goes. I would be very thankful, after reading all the repeating points of your vision of a "well cut" V-groove to have you visit one of
my competition and take your parameters for mat cutting to
them. I have many years of mat cutting under my belt and you have somewhat less experience than that. Yet you come off as some kind of expert that would challenge the work of a professional with no obvious discourse with him or any questions or visits or any other means of working out the problem first hand and you bring that man's work onto a public forum and ask us to be the judge and jury of his work vs. your expectations.
I don't buy the whole story at all.
Good luck to you in your search for the perfect mat.