Morso Mitre handle stuck on 13th tooth arc

[JackPaulssen]

Hello there, I'm hoping someone out there will be able to help me out of a jamb.

I picked up a second hand morso mitre earlier in the year and had a summer of putting together my first frames, which was great. But having recently shifted the machine to clean the offcuts behind it, it suddenly doesn't work.

Essentially the lever can only make it to the 13th tooth on the tooth arc. After this, it simply won't budge. It was sometimes getting stuck altogether, although I've loostened it enough that it can travel the first 13 teeth cleanly. But after this it comes to a hard stop with a metal thud, almost as if that was the natural end of the tooth arc. However, the knife is still some distance from where it needs to be to make a clean cut of the moulding. I can record a video if this would help the explanation.

I've consulted the Morso manual to no avail, and ensured there is no offcut blocking movement. It isn't really clear what's preventing the knife block moving forward more, or why the lever can't be moved to the final 2 teeth.

Any help or suggestions would be really appreciated as I'm gutted to be able to frame some pieces of art ahead of Christmas.

Cheers,
Jack

[pramsay13]

It definitely sounds as though something is stuck somewhere.
Just have a careful good look around all the moving parts and pieces.
Start with the arm and check there is room for it to move further, then follow it to under the blade.
Then check the blade can move forward, especially as it meets the main part of the morso.
Can it move further without moulding in place as sometimes if moulding is slightly warped the bottom of it catches the bottom blades?
A video will probably help although I imagine if you just look around you will find the culprit.

[Not your average framer]

It is almost certainly due to sticky through a lack of lubrication. I've had my own Morso starting to get a ittle bit stuck and needed to lubricate it through the little hole on top of the flat cast iron surface in front of the pivoting fences. There's a small countersunk hole there, which I only realised was for lubrication when things started sticking. If I could easily not realise that this was a hole for squirting a little oil into, then I suppose that it can easily get missed by many others equally easily. Try running some thin oil down the hole and leaving it over night to free it's self.

[JackPaulssen]

Thanks for the reply pramsay13.

I've had a very good check for blockages and can't for the life of me see anythig. I've pulled the Morso out so I can get behind it, got the torch out to look in the nooks and crannies, but no luck. Between notches 1-13, the blade block moves flawlessly. Then it almost sounds like metal on metal, a sudden stop. This is all without any moulding on the table. I could cut moulding fine, up until the last cm or so, that is, the last couple notches on the tooth arc.

The only thing I can think of doing is dettaching the arm connecting the lever to the blade block, to see if the blade block would move fully forward, or whether something within the arm mechanism is stopping it. It almost sounds like the guard rail is stopping the knife block moving forward.

I'll post a video in the morning.

[JackPaulssen]

It is almost certainly due to sticky through a lack of lubrication. I've had my own Morso starting to get a ittle bit stuck and needed to lubricate it through the little hole on top of the flat cast iron surface in front of the pivoting fences. There's a small countersunk hole there, which I only realised was for lubrication when things started sticking. If I could easily not realise that this was a hole for squirting a little oil into, then I suppose that it can easily get missed by many others equally easily. Try running some thin oil down the hole and leaving it over night to free it's self.

I certainly didn't see that little hole there, admittedly mine was full of sawdust. But I clearer it out and add lubricants, will see in the morning if it's made any difference. Thanks for the suggesting!

[Not your average framer]

I've had some other thoughts.

1. If the rebate supports are closed up too near the measurement rule on the the machine, they can stop against the rule and prevent the blades from moving any further severely restrict the movement of the blades towards the fences, but you have to be attempting to cut very short lengths of moulding for this to happen.

2. I've occasionally had a rebate support set a fraction too high and the rebate support does not slide freely as the blade are advanced and the rebate supports get stuck against the moulding and won't slide back and sideways, permitting further advancement of the blades.

3. The channels in which the rebate supports slide can get a little bit sticky and a bit of a clean out and some light lubrication to allow the rebate support to move back freely, while taking repeated cuts.

[JKX]

If all was well before you moved it, maybe something has moved or twisted and a moving part under the table is banging into the body. Grab each side of the table and twist, see what play there is, try moving the lever at the same time.

Get underneath it and check all bolts holding table to body are tight. Check the linkage, it should look like this (ignore the instructions - but they’re great should you ever need to move your blades back or forward a touch).

The lever may have pivoted forwards; the ratchet itself may have moved.

[JackPaulssen]

Thanks for the additional suggestions everyone.

@Not your average framer - Good ideas. I've given the rebate supports a good clean, lubricated the track, tried different positions, etc, with no difference. I'd think it'd be clear the metal-on-metal noise was coming from them if they were causing the stoppage.

@JKX - thanks for the sugguestions. The machine having twisted and something being out of place feels more likely. I've tried repositioning it a few times without any luck. There was a fair amount of give. But having tried the lever at the same time, it's exactly the same.

" The lever may have pivoted forwards; the ratchet itself may have moved."

I'm not too mechanically inclined (if that wasn't already obvious), so I'm not sure what this means or how I'd check?

I've added a video just to show the sight/sound of moving the lever - not the most exciting video, but hopefully it's helpful ->

[JKX]

The ratchet is the strip of teeth but I can't see how it could be that; the lever is the bit you move, it's held on with two bolts, if one is loose maybe it could pivot - the furthest one actually does look loose - doesn't look tight to the housing like the other one does.

Also the pivot point, the securing nut moves but not each time. I don't remember if it's supposed to move, I doubt it but if it should move then it should be every time, not intermittently.

The thud is hollow, something is hitting the body work, you should be able to eyeball it.

[vintage frames]

Here's my contribution -

The cutting block holding the blades, slides on the two rails shown in this photo.

Check there's no wood chips or other stuck inside either of those channels.

[Justintime]

Are you bottom knives flush with the deck? They're not catching on the fences are they? Looking at my Morso, that's all I can see that could be catching? If so, take them off clean them and the morso body and reseat them??

[theframer]

It looks like the nut on the number 1 in the diagram jkx posted is loose have a look at that

[theframer]

Should of said you may have to adjust slightly the washer/nut above the bolt you have to watch the blades as it pushes them in and out from the small gap between the fences at the front of the morso do not go to close in or you will cut away at the fences

[pramsay13]

Have a look here, double check nothing is sitting here stopping the blades moving forward.

I assume you don't have the chute thing as it doesn't look it from your video but double check this rod can move freely back and forward.

Check the metal tube isn't hitting the bolt as again that would stop the blades moving forward.

[JackPaulssen]

So mystery solved. Firstly, massive thank you to everyone for chipping in ideas. Having bought the Morso off ebay for £150 and made just a handful of frames, I'd have been tempted to give up were it not for everyone's suggestions. Getting it fixed has really made my day.

I feel rather silly at the ultimate cause of the issue, but essentially it was one loose bolt. This one:



I decided to remove the blades and rebate supports to see if it made a difference. Only then did the bright shine of worn metal of the bolt catch my eye, it was immediately obvious this was the cause. Literally a quick tighten and the whole thing runs fine again. The bolt must have gradually become loose from having moved the Morso in the car, then again in the garage, and the knife block was catching it. Exactly what a number of you suggested was the likely cause, but tricky to identify.

Thanks again!

[JKX]

(I wrote this just before the previous post but I’ll post it anyway as it’s a useful video)


Here’s a good video, you can fast forward to the relevant parts but have a look at about 10 minutes in where the table is fitted to the stand. Check those 4 bolts are tight, if so then I think you may have twisted the body so it’s not at right angles to the table.

There’s not many moving parts and one of them is hitting something - just follow the sound.

[Justintime]

It's fair to say that you got yourself a bargain and I hope you have many years of happiness together! As painful and frustrating as it is, for some of us problem solving issues like this is the best way to get to know tools.

[JackPaulssen]

That's a great video JKX, definitely going to bookmark it as there are a few bits of my Morso that could use some attention. Shows how it all fits together too, very useful. Thanks again for your help!

[JackPaulssen]

It's fair to say that you got yourself a bargain and I hope you have many years of happiness together! As painful and frustrating as it is, for some of us problem solving issues like this is the best way to get to know tools.

Cheers Justintime, yeah it was worth the 3 hour round trip and packing it into the Fiesta. The previous owner's father had used it for framing movie posters, they seemed happy to just get rid of it.

I'm really pleased with the Morso thus far, even for an amateur it's possible to make much nicer frames than off-the-shelf kind.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

[Ultima Thule]

It is almost certainly due to sticky through a lack of lubrication. I've had my own Morso starting to get a ittle bit stuck and needed to lubricate it through the little hole on top of the flat cast iron surface in front of the pivoting fences. There's a small countersunk hole there, which I only realised was for lubrication when things started sticking. If I could easily not realise that this was a hole for squirting a little oil into, then I suppose that it can easily get missed by many others equally easily. Try running some thin oil down the hole and leaving it over night to free it's self.

Well, every day's a schoolday... after almost forty years with my Morso I discovered the hole, clogged up with dust, and squirted some lubricant down it today, thank you. I've kept it oiled along the way but never knew about this one...