How to cut wide mouldings - 130mm

[Ken]

Hi all,

I've bought some bulk wide resin moulding 110 and 130mm wide. Most guillotines can cut up to 100mm readily but after that things appear to get more difficult, requiring saws. If the rebate supports were removed it looks like 110mm might be possible to cut on a guillotine with rebate support packers, ie a hardboard spacer bar placed in situ before cutting. This means the horizontal angle on the bottom of the knife would be cutting on the Schleicher. The Jyden blade angle goes all the way down, making the blade longer, so it may cut better if used this way.

In regards to saws, from local auctions I have acquired, and yet to arrange 3 phase power, for Alfamacchine M400 with a table width of 120mm but the blade flanges limit the cut to 100mm. The later model Alfa T400 has 130mm table but the same blade flanges. The blade flanges are already quite small considering the blades are 400mm, though it looks like the outer flange could be remade smaller. To get a 130mm cut is pretty extreme and the flanges would have to lose 40mm in diameter. Also, it means only the outside of the blades could then cut the moulding cleanly, with the salvage piece being pushed down by the blade driving flanges which are in the centre, before the blade tips cut right through to the outer side. However, it appears this solution could work on a special setup basis on a T400 only, due to the M400 bed width limit.

Builders models of sliding carriage drop skillsaws look to have a wider mitre ability, so maybe it is better to treat the wide moulding as low volume usage and cut the frames individually, mitre by mitre with a single blade saw.

Does anyone have any tricks for cutting 130mm wide resin or wood mouldings?

[prospero]

Depends how good a cut you want.

A sliding saw will probably handle the width, but the accuracy on this sort of rig isn't really up to picture frame standards. You will be lucky not to get a gap somewhere. If the moulding is ornate you can sometimes get away with lots of filling and blending. If it's not and you need a nice neat mitre join, you are going to struggle.

You might be able to do it on a smaller saw if you cut though as far as you can and then finish the cut with a hand saw. Then what you need is a mitre sander to tidy and true up the cut face. Never done it. Not sure if would work well on plastic moulding.

Which ever way, it's a long winded exercise.

[Ken]

cheers,

All cool thanks! Another friendly local framer uses a drop saw for hard gesso mouldings. Some of the models are very rigid and accurate in their angle stops now & carbide blades are amazing. I am only a bunny at this framing lark, but it seems possible one could cut the 110-130mm moulding to (just over) finished length, then cut the mitres as far through as possible, leaving 20-30mm still to cut. Then remove the guillotine fence and finish the end of the cut using the opposite blade, ie the opposite blade makes the final cut to the tip. Lining the first cut up with the anvil accurately appears possible, but if there was any movement under the cutting pressure of course the idea all turns to custard! ( I won't... mention the dangerous nature... of fence removed operation!

Having a false temporary wooden fence clamped in place to hold the job against might help, but certainly the entire fence needs removal, due the fence pivot is over the blade tips point, so it prevents this idea completing entirely.

I can hear all the naysayers chanting - "You shouldn't have bought the moulding if you can't cut it!" etc, but hey 50cents per meter for ornate 130mm moulding is not to be sneezed at....

So in summary - dock moulding, cut as far as possible, remove std fences, align first cut with opposite blade anvil (to one first cut was made on) and finish cut. I just tried this with a 130mm wide piece of cardboard. Idea seems to work well, though real moulding may be harder to hold straight while cutting this 2nd tip cut.

I have something else coming from this chap today so will ask for short piece of 130mm moulding to be added to use for trials.