Joining skinny, tall and floater frames.

[Justintime]

Someone was asking about this the other day.
Theres a talk on it online tonight, useful for anyone with a Hoffmann.

[Not your average framer]

I had not previously consider this, but on reflection this makes quite good sense. If you investigate this, there are a reasonable number of skinny, deep frames available in oak, in the Rose and Hollis catalogue and if you are able to join the mitred corners using the Hoffman dovetail keys, dovetail jointsare very strong and when the Hoffman router is able to cut fairly deep dovetails in the deeper moulding, so it sounds like a very good solution.

It's also a fairly foolproof method of joining frames, so not much to go wrong!

[baughen]

Was this recorded (I missed the original posting)?

[Justintime]

Yes, it's available on Youtube.
There wasn't a huge amount of substance to it. More about marketing the MU3 than "how to".
I have been using the W0 router bit and keys for a few years. Almost anything that I wouldn't even attempt on an underpinner is possible with that.

[Not your average framer]

'm not sure that if a bought a Hoffman router, if I would use it enough to justify the cost of the machine. I've already got an underpinner and that is much more quick and easy to use. Having said that, if you used the Hoffman router all the time, then you could manage without an underpinner at all, if the extra cost of buying the Hoffman dovetail keys.

It's a nice piece of kit, but when I stop and think about it, they are plenty of nice pieces of kit that I would probably buy first, if I was spending that amount of money. It also does not solve any problems, that I can't solve by using traditional cabinet, or furniture making techniques. I guess a lot of people would rather buy a biscuit joiner, which costs a lot less and is probably able to be used in situations, where the Hoffman router would not be usable. I would not be hurrying to buy one of these any time soon!

[Not your average framer]

I've been having a bit of a think about all this and I'm not sure that Hoffman is not trying to sell us a solution to a problem, which most of use don't actually need a solution for. If most of us are mainly using standard factory produced mouldings, most of these join together without and particular problems and those of us who produce frame which require materials other than standard factory produced items already are using traditional craftmanship solutions to solve these problems.

How many skinny tall standard factory produced framed are even available which can't be joined using normal techniques. I can't think of any! I've never needed to resort to any particularly unusual techniques to join floater frames. Is this some marketing people trying to convince us that we need a solution for a problem that most of us don't have? I produce all sorts of unusual stacked moulding frames and I manage just fine with just an underpinner, or sometimes some well concealed pins.

So who is it that so desperately needs one of these machines and can't manage with out one? I think that there's no denying that these machines are great for joining hard wood frames and are also great for sending frames by post in broken down form, so the anyone with a hammer can knock in the dovetail keys and assemble them after receiving them in the post. I'm not aware that there was any serious problem, with joining skinny deep frames, or floater frames. Have I missed something?

[Not your average framer]

I don't normally buy proper one piece floater frame mouldings and have not bought them for yeas, but I produes them for a normal rectangular mounding standing on it side with a piece of flat strip wood pinned and glued into the back of the frame. I got a good selection of pneumatic nailguns, staple guns and a headless pinner, so it does not take much time and it's seriously solid as well.

[Justintime]

I'll take the bait...
" I'm not sure that Hoffman is not trying to sell us a solution to a problem..."
So just to clarify, are you sure or not and are they trying or not trying?
Some examples of what I use it for:
-All Oak and Ash barewood mouldings
-specifically Rose and Hollis A195, A353, SW3850, A140, A320, Lions 2873, anything with a sweeping back like Lions L2737, the list goes on and on...
The whole reason I bought one was that I could not guarantee a high enough standard of join with Oak and Ash barewood which I have always sold a lot of. No foot operated underpinner that I tried was up to the job.
I could have gone down the vice, pin and fill route but was more excited to buy a third hand Hoffmann. I'm now using it more than ever and my now pneumatic underpinner less and less!!

[Not your average framer]

Hi Justin'

I see that you agree with my earlier point about the Hoffman taking over from the underpinner. I rarely have any serious difficulties joining hardwoods, but there are some profiles that I tend to avoid. I'm quite a big fan of producing stacked mouldings and this also includes hardwood mouldings, it is often very helpful to have a skinnier mounting on the outer edge of a stacked moulding hardwood frame to keep the corners nice and tight.

Over the years, I have bought, repaired and re-sold quite a bit of secondhand smaller furniture items and little cabinets to pay the bills and I'm not much troubled when it comes to fixing mnor problems and generally take things like this in my stride. If I had not taken up picture framing, I won't probably still be doing it still and having to get everything ready for the last day to get items into the auctions, for the last day that they would allow things to come in for the next auction.

My wife hated it and it caused a lot of stress and arguments at the time.