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frame joining problems

Posted: Thu 13 Sep, 2018 8:28 am
by LadyMc
I have had no problems joining frame until I tried a new moulding which is very big compared to what I usually do.

When it comes to putting it together the last corner had a massive gap and couldnt possibly be pinned. In case I had got the cutting wrong I asked someone else to cut another frame and he got it closer than I did on the last corner but the gaps were still too big to fill.

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Thu 13 Sep, 2018 10:20 am
by prospero
Where about is the gap?

I'm guessing it's on the inside. :lol:

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Thu 13 Sep, 2018 10:47 am
by LadyMc
Yes it is , the frame has an inner silver part and 3 corners are fine its just the last corner won't fit .

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Thu 13 Sep, 2018 12:58 pm
by prospero
It isn't just the one corner that is at fault. If the angles are off the error will compound itself x4 on the final
corner. The others fit fine because the other ends are free to move. The wider the moulding the bigger the gap.

Sounds like a job for the Left Fence Tweak. :D

Slacken the left fence and move it very slightly toward you. I'm talking gnat's eyebrow movements.
Best to check it on a piece of flat, wide timber to save moulding. Cut 4 equal short bits and check them 'dry'.
If the angles are good - carry on. If they are still gappy but better, give another tweak and test again. If you
get a gap on the outside you have tweaked too far.

** It could be that the wood is the problem. Pine can have really coarse rings that throw the blade off-track. The
only answer to that is a saw. :|

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Thu 13 Sep, 2018 3:36 pm
by LadyMc
Is there any reason why with a smaller frame it cuts fine and everything fits okay?

Just worried if I move the left fence then the other files will also be out

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Thu 13 Sep, 2018 5:20 pm
by prospero
Could be the grain of the wood. Also on smaller mouldings you may still be getting a slight gap but you don't
notice it because there is less divergence in the angle. A really small moulding will have a bit of 'give' which
would allow any gap to be closed when joining. The idea situation is to have the last corner faces just a tiny
amount apart when the other three are joined, that way closing the gap gives the other three corners a little
squeeze. If using multple v-nail positions I like to do the outermost ones first and then work inwards. That way
if there is an off-kilter angle the error is spread amongst all the corners.

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Sat 15 Sep, 2018 8:17 am
by Not your average framer
The gap on the last corner is four times larger than the error on each corner, so a relatively small error adds up and can look much bigger on a wider moulding.

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Tue 18 Sep, 2018 9:29 pm
by LadyMc
Still having trouble getting the morso set. Gone through quite a bit of wood.

Is there anyone who services or sets them up in the northwest?

Re: frame joining problems

Posted: Wed 19 Sep, 2018 12:30 am
by prospero
It has to be said that not all mouldings are Morso-friendly and that one looks like one. The coarse-grained wood can
deflect the blades and also blunt then very quickly. The Morso is a good machine, but it does have it's limitations. No amount
of servicing and tweaking is going to improve matters.

My advice is, if you must use that moulding, see if it available on a chop service or maybe see if someone nearby can saw it for you.
In the meantime, change the blades and send the present set for regrinding.

Sorry for the lame answer, but that's my take on it. :roll: