Chipping Moulding

[guzzijim]

I’m not going to mention a company name, because the company involved have been without fault with their response.
Having purchased two lengths of moulding I started to cut the fairly chucky square profile only to find the gesso coat chipping badly.
Having only just enough moulding for this fairly large frame, I replaced my Morso blades with a newly sharpened pair, which still did not improve the cut.
I came cross the same problem a while back with another moulding, the distributor changed the manufacturer or specification because the replacement mouldings gesso coating was much thinner and cut perfectly.
I t must be costing some manufacturers a fortune in rejected mouldings, why don’t they do cutting tests with a Morso not Twinhead Mitre Saw before releasing to suppliers.
I’m assume Gesso is the right term for the mica like under-coating that’s applied to the wooden moulding prior to the decorative finish.

Ps. Perhaps mouldings that can only be cut with a mitre saw should be labelled so, some of us cannot afford or have space for an £8000 Double head electric mitre saw..

Thanks for the replacement ******************* Ltd.

[prospero]

Ongoing problem.

The thing is, some of this thick synthetic coating will blunt a set of newly sharpened Morso blades in a few strokes. It really needs a saw.

[guzzijim]

Ongoing problem.

The thing is, some of this thick synthetic coating will blunt a set of newly sharpened Morso blades in a few strokes. It really needs a saw.

So back to my point, they should state UNSUITABLE FOR GUILLOTINES SAW ONLY
I wonder how many on this forum have electric saws accurate enough for framing mitres.

Are there compound saws out there accurate enough or is there no choice but to use a twin blade/head model along with the cost.

[prospero]

Good point.

But suppliers just supply moulding. It's up to the framer to decide if it suits their purpose. Remember that the framing industry as a whole covers a lot of ground. The moulding you mention might have been made with contract framers in mind. Such people might have automatic double mitre saws and want it as cheap as possible. To them it might be the ideal moulding.
A good rep, that is one who has knowledge of the framing trade rather than the marketing trade, would probably try and steer you away from certain mouldings that they know are unsuitable for you. Unfortunately some only want to fill up the order book.

[Nigel Nobody]

It's already been said that this is an ongoing problem.
Some of these mouldings are even a problem with a saw. When I experience this issue, the corner samples go into the dumpster.

I think the problem is that manufacturers are competing with each other on price. Nothing else matters. If they are the cheapest they win.
Our suppliers also compete on price with other suppliers.
Framers also compete with each other on price. (not this little black duck)

In reality, framers have to take some of the blame.

The situation will not change because too many framing businesses want 'cheap' mouldings so they can win.

My advice is to reject cheap mouldings that chip badly!

[Not your average framer]

Even when you get a clean cut, some of these far easten mouldings with the thick gesso will occasionally do strange things when you try to underpin them.

Suppliers only stock this rubbish because some of us are daft enough to buy it.

The sooner we all decide not to use such mouldings, the sooner suppliers will learn to leave this junk out of their catalogue ranges.

[guzzijim]

The situation will not change because too many framing businesses want 'cheap' mouldings so they can win.

There are cheap good looking mouldings that don't chip, namely Polymer, Minerva Range is a good example.

[prospero]

Going back a few years...... Anyone remember the Lira range of mouldings imported from Czechoslovakia? (As it then was). They were very cheap and some of them looked really classy. On a par with mouldings 10x the price. Only problem was the wood. Finger-jointed pine. I've seen 10 joins in a 10ft length. Not a great drawback though. The multiple joins did stop it twisting. In some parts the wood was really coarse-grained and cutting it produced an uncomfortable loud cracking sound. There were often quite lethal splinters in it as well. Joining it was even worse. Stacked v-nails would often take a 90deg detour and emerge from the back. The wood was so strong that there was no persuading slightly gappy corners together. Good for perfecting your technique with fillers though. But on the whole it was good stuff and worth persevering with. If you did mange to get a sound frame made, it was a good strong 'un. The other sprag was this was before the fall of communism and the firm who imported it could only order once a year via the Czech embassy, so there were often long out-of-stock periods.

Anyhow....that's nothing to do with anything as such. Just a little bed-time story.

[Sibbs]

Suppliers only stock this rubbish because some of us are daft enough to buy it.

The sooner we all decide not to use such mouldings, the sooner suppliers will learn to leave this junk out of their catalogue ranges.

I wish I had read this article 3 weeks ago!! Moulding is now firewood!

[silvercleave]

As has been said on the forum before I followed the advice:

If the moulding gives trouble when cut on the Morso, remove the sample from the selection and don't sell it again

Ian

[GeoSpectrum]

Are you cutting in cold conditions? Cutting when things are warmer and the gesso is less brittle might help a bit...perhaps the makers should class it as a summer only moulding?