The Framers Forum

I am a full-time painter. I have recently begun doing my own framing.
I am currently cutting, glueing and clamping St Ives mouldings with a width of 78mm.

Time is money, so I want to invest in an underpinner to speed the framing up.
I am thinking about buying an Alfamacchine Minigraf 4.

Firstly, is this a wise choice?
Secondly, what price should I expect to pay for one that is about 5 years old and in good condition?

Finally, I expect there will be a learning curve as I have never used an underpinner.
Is this a good machine to use and start out on for a novice or should I pass?

Alfamacchine make a great range of underpinners so don't be concerned about there robustness or reliability, my only concern would be the fact you are primarily using 78mm wide moulding and the Minigraf 4 (depending on build date) is limited to either 2 or 3 different wedge positions and you may require 4.

Two other models which may be better suited to your requirements are the Minigraf 44 or the Cassese Cs299mxl as these do not suffer from this limitation.

If you have the opportunity to try before buying then take samples of your specific moulding so you can see the results before parting with any money.

Mark

I would have thought that the Cassese CS88 would be the perfect machine to start on. It will give you some adjustments, it's affordable, there's one on ebay atm for about £200!Foot operated is great if you're using prefinished softwoods.
Isn't the Alfa4 programmable? For volume?
If you want a demo, I have a Cassese one. You're welcome to drop in if you're down this way. (near Cardigan)

Thank you Justintime and Mark for your replies, the advice, the recommendations and the offer of help. Much appreciated!

I have seen some pictures of the 4 which seem to suggest it can be automated.

I'm The owner of a 3 position minigraf 4 its a wonderfull machine,
but your not limited to 3 positions you can place wedges anywhere you want
took me all of 5mins to do this video so dont expect any finess

https://youtu.be/YDRT9444K4s

Really helpful video Ricky. Thank you.
What kind of secondhand price with a Bambi compressor should I expect to pay?