Framing equipment

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Woodypk
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Framing equipment

Post by Woodypk »

Hi guys,

This is my first thread after my "Hello!" in the introductions section so as a beginner in my framing journey, I'd like to start from the top... Equipment.

OK... not the VERY top, but somewhere in that region...

As I mentioned in my introductory post, I believe it's important to start asking the relevant questions right at the beginning, so I know where I'm heading with regards to gaining knowledge of a particular subject.

I'd like to know what equipment you would say is crucial to your framing activities and what you would consider - in your opinion - the "gold standard" of equipment in that particular category.

Before we get into it, I'd just like to share that I've been interested in framing now for a while, but I'd mostly been learning "on the job" and only come across this forum very recently. I'm very much an amateur/beginner/novice framer, but somewhat of an intermediate (albeit hobbyist) woodworker/Joiner. I make all of my mouldings from scratch from rough sawn hardwood lumber and so I'm probably starting from step or two behind those who buy in their mouldings. So up the this point, my machinery/equipment will differ to others.

I use a 96Tooth Freud saw blade in my table saw on a home made jig which has a sliding stop block and a scale (made from an aluminium ruler) to cut my mitres.

I use a home made jig on my table saw to cut my spline recesses which I use a FTG (flat tooth ground) blade of 3,4 or 5mm depending on what aesthetics I'm going for.

I use my table saw for acrylic glazing or a cheap wheel blade glass cutter for the glass.

And I cut my mounts with a Logan mount cutter with a Logan sliding ruler thing.

What I'd really like to know is what equipment you'd write next to the following. All in your own opinion of course.

Gold being professional standard, something that you'd be happy to spend the rest of your framing career using.
Silver being intermediate, something that you could "get by" in your framing career using.
Bronze being what you would be able to get your framing career started with.

Please feel free to copy and paste this in your reply if you'd like, adding the type of equipment you'd put in each category. Also, feel free to add any categories I might have missed due to my inexperience.


Mitre cutting
Gold -
Silver -
Bronze -

Underpinning
Gold -
Silver -
Bronze -

Mount cutting
Gold -
Silver -
Bronze -

Glass cutting
Gold -
Silver -
Bronze -

Cheers,
Tom
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prospero
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Re: Framing equipment

Post by prospero »

It sounds as if you have got your stall set out. :P

If you are using your own mouldings made in-house then the table saw rig should serve you well. If you want to dally
with factory finished mouldings then you might struggle to get perfect corners and might want to look around for a decent
Morso guillotine.

One thing that would benefit you is to ditch the Logan mountcutter for a better system. A Keencut is probably the most popular.

Underpinner? Well a Cassesse CS88 would be a good buy if you can find a good used one. (I use one btw and it's a nice piece of kit)
This model has been replaced in the Cassesse range, but I hear tell that the newer model is not as well made. :roll:

All in all, upgrading to more professional gear will allow you to work quicker and maybe get better results. 8)
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
Woodypk
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Interests: Woodwork, Framing, DIY

Re: Framing equipment

Post by Woodypk »

At this current time, It's a system that sort of works, but I find myself having to find lots of work-arounds which takes time.

I'm trying to stay away from pinning my mitered pieces together and sticking with the splines and glue. I personally prefer to do it this way, I know it takes much more time but I enjoy doing this as it lets the woodworker in me come out a little bit more.

Also, I believe right now, my limitations are my mitering system - the table saw jig is not the quickest and easiest to use and also the cutting of the mounts.

I'm hoping to acquire a Morso in the very near future to help with cutting the mitres after I've made the mouldings which as an added benefit will save me from making more dust and noise than I need to make.

And my second biggest issue is the "faffyness" of cutting my mounts at this moment in time. I definitely need to upgrade in this area.

So, I have a couple of questions come from your reply, if you dont mind, prospero...

1) How do I know if I'm looking at a good morso example or not? I'm an engineer by trade so I'm more than happy to strip, service, replace and rebuild if necessary, but would be better if I could get a good one from the go.

2) Are there different types of morso machine? I know the model F is the manual one, but I've noticed some come with an aluminium measuring scale and some with a steel one which looks like a lesser version of the aluminium one.

3) what model of Mountcutter would you recommend? I imagine keencut do many models. Is there one that I should aim to be getting hold of??

Cheers,
Tom
Justintime
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Re: Framing equipment

Post by Justintime »

HI Tom,
Here's what I use.
Morso F guillotine.
Cassese 486 and CS88 and Hoffmann MU2 dovetail router
Fletcher 2200 and Keencut Ultimat Futura mountcutters
Fletcher panel cutter for glass, acrylic, mount and backing boards
My Fletcher 2200 mountcutter is for sale. If you're interested let me know. I've only moved to the Keencut because it has some accessories that I needed to speed up reverse bevels and multi window mounts. The Fletcher is an equally good machine in my opinion
Justin.
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
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prospero
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Re: Framing equipment

Post by prospero »

Morsos are really solid machines and go on for years and years. It's really hard to wear them out. Even if they look
a bit scruffy they will work fine. Mine is 36 years old and is very scruffy but it works fine. The main thing is to make
sure the blades are tip-top. They need to be hollow-ground at a precise angle. Don't be tempted to do it yourself.
As for the scales, there have been various versions over the years but they are all a basic vernier that adds on X2 the width
of the back of the moulding. An engineer should be able to figure it out. :lol:

There have been lots of tweaks to the basic Keencut mountcutter over the years. A new latest model is a fair chunk of cash
but there should be lots of used ones about for a fraction of the price. They need to be carefully squared/calibrated but you
shouldn't have too much trouble doing that.

Keep an eye on the Sales section. :roll:

** One way to spot a Morso that has had a hard life is the pivots on the pedal. If the holes are oval is had a lot of use.
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
Woodypk
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon 14 Dec, 2020 2:59 pm
Location: Lincolnshire
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Interests: Woodwork, Framing, DIY

Re: Framing equipment

Post by Woodypk »

Thanks for the replies.

And thanks Justin, I checked the advert out. It looks like an impressive piece of kit. I definitely think that I'd like my next purchase to be a Morso. Once I've sorted that out, It will be onto looking for a proper mount cutter.

I'll be sure to check out the sales section, and if you hear of any going in the meantime, please keep me in mind :lol:

Cheers,
Tom
Justintime
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Re: Framing equipment

Post by Justintime »

Hey Tom,
girlfromkent has just advertised an older keencut mountcutter for £300. It's probably a good place to start on a budget.
Justin
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
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