Source for Engravable Wooden Frames

[Glenn Miller 1805]

I have been buying Alder Frames from JDS but many of them have scratches under the finish. I have had to sand the finish off and refinish them. Has anyone else had this problem with JDS Alder frames? What is a good source for laser engravable frames.

[John Frazee]

Discount Trophy/Marco has them. They look the same and the prices are lower I think. Their number is 1 800 229 6592. They have 22 locations. They have lots of plaques, pens, pen cases etc. I recently bought some glass plaques that stand up. They are (round) six inches in diameter for less than $5 each. The frames you actually had asked about, they carry 5 different sizes.

[Mike Null]

Glenn

JDS is a preferred supplier to the engraving industry because of their generous return policy. If these are unsatisfactory give them a call.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I just opened two new cases of 8x10 and 5x7 Alder Frames from JDS. 10 out of 12 8x10's were scratched below the finish and 9 out of 24 5x7's were scratched below the surface. Two of them had mis-matched scratch filler under the finish.

I've been dealing with scratches in the JDS Alder Frames for over one year now. While JDS has exchanged the frames, the last few times they have indicated that they feel the frames are acceptable and have hinted that they were not going to exchange any more frames without a fee.

This has been quite frustrating as the JDS Alder Frames used to be very nice two years ago and I rarely found any scratches or filler. Now I waste a lot of time sorting through the frames looking for a good one, or looking for a frame that has a scratch in the same spot that I will be engraving over. Then add on all the time spent flagging the scratches to ensure JDS sees them, and shipping them back to JDS only to receive more scratched frames as replacements.

It's a shame to see this happen as JDS can be a good supplier to work with. The 8x10's are the worst, followed by the 5x7's and about 1-2 frames per case are scratched in the two smaller sizes.

Has anyone used the Discount Trophy/Marco frames and do these have the same problem with scratches under the finish?

[Joe Pelonio]

if there's one near you, there are several sizes available at IKEA that are individually wrapped in plastic, painted or unfinished, $2-3.

[Mitchell Andrus]

It's not likely that they actually make these in house. If they stop carrying them, you'll get them somewhere else. SO.... go somewhere else now. Just be sure to ask if they are from the same supplier.

[John Frazee]

Well I felt that I may have said something wrong by mentioning another supplier. I am fairly new on this forum and didn't know if maybe JDS was a sponsor or not after my last post and read the reply.

I have not used many of the frames from either company to notice the problems described here. I have recently added them to my offerings. The frames from Discount/Marco have a paper visible through the glass that has their name on it. I guess they could still be made by the same manufacturer though. Made in China I think.

I have been in the awards business for more than ten years and have found that most companies do have a good return policy. I don't know what "generous" would mean but try Discount. If you are not satisfied, they will take them back.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

It's been a long time since I've been in Ikea, but if I recall correct, their frames had a much "cheaper" look to them then the JDS frames. I'll have to plan a trip to them after the holidays are over.

JDS receives their frames from Thailand. They are wrapped in tissue, then a bubble wrap pouch, and then a cardboard box and two more outer boxes for shipping. Lots of care in protecting them.... too bad they are scratched so bad before the finish is put on them!

I found the frames on DT's site and they look to be the same simple, but nice style. I plan to order a few and see how they look.

Thank you for the responses.