PushMaster™ Picture Frame Joiner Kit

I am an artist who wanted a cheaper alternative for framing personal work enhancing show-value of artwork. I paint on wood panels and canvas on stretcher bars, so I often build floater-style frames out of poplar for my artwork. I have used this tool on oak, and while it is not quite as consistent on hard woods (nails sometimes bend halfway in), I still highly recommend it. I still have no idea why it is so expensive, but it is definitely highly durable and much cheaper than buying a quality frame joiner. It's built like a tank. And the fact that it can also be used to insert two different types of nails into the back of the frame to hold your artwork and backing is awesome. But unless you have 100lb. hands, I would highly recommend buying a rubber mallet to go with it. For those who are interested, here are my steps to framing:1) Join your pieces together using thin coats of wood glue on both pieces2) Hold pieces together until sticky and then leave for 10-20 minutes, checking tightness every few minutes (you can use a 90 degree clamp to make this step easier. I do this to help keep the pieces aligned when pushing the nail in, because when it's in, the pieces and nail are there to stay. It also greatly strengthens the joint once dry, because you can't glue it after the nails are in. This may seem like a pain in the butt, but I worked in an art supply store for a year once, and would help with the framing from time to time, and this is also what the head framer did to ensure the best results before putting in a professional joiner)3) Put the frame face down on a hard, flat surface (tile, linoleum, concrete, marble countertop, etc.) with a soft cloth or towel underneath to prevent dents or scratches.4) Put a nail sharp side down on your Pushmaster (it's magnetized, which is awesome)5) Line up the nail with your joint, push down until the nail meets the wood, and then hit the top of the Pushmaster with the rubber mallet.6) If the nail didn't insert all of the way, put the Pushmaster back on top of it and hit it again.7) Insert 3-4 nails, evenly spaced, in each joint. More if your frame is wider than 2-3 inches.

This tool performs as advertised, but I'm surprised nobody else has come in to offer a bit of well needed competition to the Pushmaster people. For a simple hand-operated tool, it's just too expensive, but it's the only worthy alternative I could find to drive v-nails by hand. Unlike another reviewer's feelings, if you need to build finicky frames in small quantities, and you agree to the price before clicking BUY, I feel this is still a worthy purchase.Follow up: the tool also does a nice job driving flexipoints. I've tested a few backing nails and that works satisfactorily as well.

Pushmaster Picture Frame Joiner KitThis is worth $19.99 NOT $104 it seems well made... BUT WAY TOO expensive...as in IT costs too muchI feel like I got mugged

Nice

I found it to be too hard to use by hand. I couldn't push the staples all the way in on soft pine and I was pushing so hard that the pieces moved out of alignment. Maybe there is a trick to it, but I was disappointed. I wish I hadn't spent the money. They do have an additional machine with a lever so you can have, well, more leverage to push the staple in, but I'm not in a hurry to spend more money if I don't know if it will work. I may look for an electric or pneumatic option.

Works well driving braces and points! Not much else to say because it's a simple tool that is functional. Worth buying to have on hand when you randomly get asked to make picture frames.

Excellent for hand crafting of frames of all sizes.

Great little tool. Much better than the larger contraptions designed to punch in v-nails into frames.