Morso blades

[Blueskies]

I've got a question for those of you who own a guillotine chopper.

How often do you have your blades sharpened and how much does this set you back? In my area it's as much as $40 for the pair.

After 7 years of my Morso I'm considering a double mitre saw. Anyone have any preference and am I safe buying a used one? I'm keeping the Morso, but there are some mouldings that don't respond well to the chopper. And some of those oak mouldings.....I'm going to need knee replacement surgery soon!

Thanks,

Don

[Framing Goddess]

We have ours sharpened anywhere from every two to four weeks and it costs us about $12.00 per pair and they pick up and deliver as well.
Forty dollars!!!! Wow! You would do well to look into another sharpener service. These babies are easy to ship almost anywhere. Let me know if I can supply you with a name and address.
And don't forget to make sure that they are sharpened in what is known as a "hollow grind."
-Edie

[Blueskies]

I used to ship them to my Dad and he'd sharpen them on a very nice surface grinder at his work.

While not the hollow grind that Morso recommends, these babies would cut you if they came in the lightest contact with your skin. And the edge lasted 2-3 months

But alas, all good things must come to and end and Pop retired and I'm on my last set of sharp blades.

Don

[John Richards]

We use our chopper a lot and we sharpen every two to three weeks, more often if it's had some oak or ash put through it. It costs us $14.00 a pair. You're usually safe buying a used chop saw, although the older ones have some questionable safety guards. If you're looking at new machines, check out CTD. American made, cost effective, easy parts supply. Great quality.

John

[DGBuck]

We have both a chopper and a Pistorius double mitre saw. Although the Pistorius is a wonderfully made machine, I prefer to use the chopper whenever possible (even on hardwoods, but we have a low volume shop). I like the quietness, the cleanliness (no dust) and the low waste factor. I think a lot of people overlook this last factor. With a typical double mitre saw you will lose 2.5 inches of moulding per frame! If you're cutting five frames a day, it's like throwing over ONE FOOT of moulding in the trash EVERY DAY!!! Now you do have to balance this with the time saved in using a double mitre saw, maybe this is a more important factor for you, but if you're using a lot of expensive moulding... you'll throw away over $800.00 of moulding a YEAR!!!

Now, CTD does make a double mitre saw, the D20, that has independantly operated heads that will reduce this waste factor. I think this saw is an excellent value, and, it has a very large cutting capacity (generally, double mitre saws have very limited cutting capacity). It is slower, however, than the more traditional dual cut type.

That being said, and you still want a fast, two cut at a time, beautiful cutting double mitre saw... I have a NEVER USED, FULLY EQUIPPED (for wood), PISTORIUS EMN-12 for sale! I got it as part of an equipment lot in an auction recently and don't need two double mitre saws. This saw has never been cut on and would cost over $6000.00 today. Email me if you're interested.

By the way, my chopper blades cost $17.50 to be sharpened, picked up, and delivered.

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Duane Buck, CPF
The Frame Shop & Gallery
San Ramon, CA

[Mel]

Hollow-ground sharpening by Tech Mark (the Morso people) costs about $25 per pair.

[FASTFRAME of La Jolla]

Hi there...Have a Morso with 3 sets of blades...for sale...2 yrs old. Recently leased a double mitre saw, with vac system and 220Volt install. Pay around $195/mo for three years and then it's ours. Total package with electrical was in neighborhood of $4700.00. Saw makes much better cuts no matter how sharp blades are. We also match corners on all our frames, and the saw is much easier for that. Great for fillets also. Lastly, it will cut 7" side by 3" tall mouldings, which we a fair amount of work with. Saw is a Prisma Maxi and came from Pan Fastener, Vac system is a delta and came from an ecommerce mail order house on the east coast. Financing came from an Arizona company. Call if you want any further details...or want to buy the chopper. Michael Jones 858-546-0506.

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Michael & Lesley Jones