Advice on chopping oak

[Apertura Photography]

Hi, I wonder if anyone could give any tips on cutting hard woods - something I don't often have customers ask for until recently. I'm having problems getting a accurate join. I'm using morso F to cut 137200000 ARQ Barefaced Oak Moulding. Am sure the morso is set up correctly as I have no problems with softer woods and have cut really small test peaces of soft wood that join perfectly. Cut looks fine but when it comes to join, the front face join has gaps in it (back of the join looks perfect). I have checked the rebate supports are correct and am trying to hold the wood as firmly as possible when cutting.......driving me mad! Not sure if anyone can really help without seeing it but thought I'd ask incase there is some obvious method that I am missing. Any advice welcome, many thanks in advance.

Pete

[Tyto]

Hi Pete

I had exactly the same poroblem a while back and following advice on this forum I adjusted the left fence on the morso. I moved it towards me very slightly and that solved the problem, luckily I still get good joints on soft wood without moving it back to its original position. If that fails I'm sure other more experienced framers on here will be able to give more advice than me. Good luck

Peter

[Graysalchemy]

If the face is open and the back of the cut is flat, then the blades are not at 90 deg to the moulding and since the blades are fixed then the moulding is tipping when it is cut, because of the resistance of the wood. How sharp are your blades? and how many bites are you taking to cut the wood?

[Apertura Photography]

If the face is open and the back of the cut is flat, then the blades are not at 90 deg to the moulding and since the blades are fixed then the moulding is tipping when it is cut, because of the resistance of the wood. How sharp are your blades? and how many bites are you taking to cut the wood?

Thanks for the advice.... blades are new within the year and not a huge volume gone through them; they seem sharp enough. maybe 5 cuts...perhaps I need a lot more smaller cuts and check the rebate again to prevent any tipping?

[Apertura Photography]

FYI, I'm using a CS89, hard wood wedges (7s) with one at the very start of the join (inside edge), one 3/4 of the way along and one in the middle of those two.

Many thanks Richard for the advice.

Pete

[Graysalchemy]

You say your blades are new within the year 2012 or 2011? if they are getting on for 12 months old then they need sharpening. Oak blunts blades in a flash. You need to keep you blades as sharp as possible. Your wedge positions seem fine. I would say it is because there is slight depression of the moulding when it cuts.

[prospero]

Assuming the gap is even along the mitre.....

A bit extra pressure on the top when pinning. Use a harder pressure pad if you have one.

If there is the slightest 'give' as the wedge penetrates, then the bottoms of the two halves will lift and splay out the top of the join. This isn't a prob with softer woods, but you are using a lot more force with oak.

[Apertura Photography]

You say your blades are new within the year 2012 or 2011? if they are getting on for 12 months old then they need sharpening. Oak blunts blades in a flash. You need to keep you blades as sharp as possible. Your wedge positions seem fine. I would say it is because there is slight depression of the moulding when it cuts.

The blades went on late spring 2011 - have a new set so will work out how to put those on! I am using a hard pad. Thanks for all the feedback. Will take note of all of them and try to put all points into practice; will feed back how I get on.

Cheers,

Pete

[Graysalchemy]

Make sure when you have them sharpened that you send them to a reputable company who is used to sharpening morso blades and that they are hollow ground. Lion and mainline do a sharpening service.

[Apertura Photography]

Make sure when you have them sharpened that you send them to a reputable company who is used to sharpening morso blades and that they are hollow ground. Lion and mainline do a sharpening service.

will do....many thanks

[Jonny2morsos]

I use this moulding without problems and take lots of small cuts with the Morso especially the final on and join on a CS88 with two 10mm hardwood wedges. I lower the pad (black one) until it almost touches the moulding before inserting the wedges.

Having tried a CS89 I actually prefer the CS88 as you get more "feel" when firing a wedge. The action of the pnuematic model is very abrupt in my opinion.

Beware of lengths with a slight twist in on this moulding.

When getting blades sharpened I feel it is worth the extra cost of using the experts as Alastair suggests.

[Apertura Photography]

It worked! Changed the blades, small cuts, black pad very low to moulding before the join....thanks for the advice everyone. http://www.aperturaphotography.com/wp-c ... s_9076.jpg