How to use a utility knife to cut picture frame boards

Utility knives or Stanley knives are the most dangerous tools you will use when you are framing photographs. More people get cut with one of these types of knives than with a saw or when cutting glass or many other things. When using a detachable knife or a Stanley-type knife, be very careful and make sure you maintain a sharp edge.

Always keep a very sharp blade point because then you can be sure that you will cut the board much better than when it is dull.

NOTE: Dull knives tend to slip and do a lot of damage, they will still cut your fingers but they won’t cut the board as well.

The other thing about a craft knife is that it is sharp on the bottom. Even though it has a bit of a point on the tip, which is a sharp point, it’s actually the bottom of the knife that does the work when cutting. If you have the knife at a steep angle when you’re cutting, then you’re not presenting much of that sharp blade, so you’ll really want to set the knife at a flatter angle and that way it’s easier to cut through the board.

You need to have a scrap piece of board, a cutout to lay on the table you are working on, and lay the board on top when cutting. That way, when you’re cutting this board, you won’t cut into your table and protect the board you’re working on.

NOTE: It is important that everything is kept clean in the picture frame. If it’s dirty, you’ll end up with a bad job, so keep everything clean.

Now the ruler you should use usually has a rubber backing and a beveled edge with the measurements. I always like to think of having 2 sides to them. They have a measuring side that we use to measure things and they have a thick trailing edge. The thick trailing edge is the side we use for cutting. It’s not just because the ruler is thicker on the back edge and can prevent slipping that you should use it for cutting. It’s because if you cut off the measuring side of your ruler, your ruler will gradually curve from where you’ve been cutting all along. Over the years, if you want your rulers to last, cut off the trailing edge where it doesn’t matter if it wears down and keep the measuring side for measuring only.

Put the back of the ruler on the line you want to cut and put it on the side of the board where it covers the piece you want to keep because if you have covered the piece you want to keep and if you happen to go off the line, it will cut the debris of the board and not the good piece of board you want to keep. Lock your knife in place and then make sure your ruler is exactly on the line. Make sure you hold the ruler firmly.

The amount of pressure you need to use to cut the outside size of the mat board is minimal. Remember that you don’t have to cut the board all at once, but when you apply gentle pressure, you minimize the risk of slipping or cutting yourself. All you need to do is hold the ruler and go over the line over and over again. Every time you cut, remember to keep the knife slow to use as much of the cutting surface as possible. It may take a few passes to cut all the way through.

Be careful when cutting with a craft or utility knife because it is easy to cut yourself when used incorrectly or casually.