help me put Morso back together

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AdamK

AdamK

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Hi All

Someone sold me an old Morso for $50, and I figured I'd pick it up to step up my framing hobby. I pretty much took it apart and de-rusted it as the rust was pretty heavy and I wanted it to look "pretty". I thought I did a good job documenting what I was doing so I could put it back together, but I am an idiot. I am pretty much done except for the pictures of the parts below. Can anyone post a photo of how the molding holder is supposed to fit on the base piece as far as the proper angle? i see there is a groove, but it does not seem to fit.

Than you
IMG_0927.jpeg
IMG_0926.jpeg
 
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Awesome, this is exactly what is was looking for. Thank you!
 
Hi all, So i finally attached the rebate but now they are not adjusting up or down, any suggestions? Attaching an image and also a link to video , link here .
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IMG_0954.jpeg
 
It looks to be stuck at the top of its travel range.
Remove the moulding (that's not how it is supposed to sit on the bed anyway), loosen the knurled knob about 1/2" and then gently tap on the top of the threaded rod with a hammer.
 
hmm. I tried that and no luck; perhaps I'll spray it with some lubricant to see if it loosens it up. Is this part critical?
 
Without the rebate/rabbet support, the downward force of the knives could split off the lip of the moulding.
The alternate is to use only mouldings with flat faces and cut them face down.

Try some penetrating oil, and see if that doesn't help.

Did you leave them assembled when you cleaned them up? If paint residue got in there, that could act as an adhesive, so maybe soak them in a sealed jar of acetone or lacquer thinner.
 
You also seem to be missing the knurled lock-nut.
 
wpfay said:
Without the rebate/rabbet support, the downward force of the knives could split off the lip of the moulding.
The alternate is to use only mouldings with flat faces and cut them face down.

Try some penetrating oil, and see if that doesn't help.

Did you leave them assembled when you cleaned them up? If paint residue got in there, that could act as an adhesive, so maybe soak them in a sealed jar of acetone or lacquer thinner.
Click to expand...
Ok I'll try the penetrating oil when I get home. I left the rebate support assembled but had it sit in an Evaporust (brand of de-ruster) bath for a few hours, so that in theory should have losened some things up.


I prefer flat frames, so good to know this should not be too much of a problem, but would like the option of using other frames if possible.

yes, noticed locking nut is not there, was hoping to find a bolt to lock down as needed.
 
Adam, it looks to me like you just have the rabbet supports in their raised position, used for taller mouldings. If everything is clean and free-moving, as you turn the knurled knob so that it rides up the vertical screw shaft, the rabbet support should lower. At its lowest point it would be resting on the bed of the chopper. When loading the moulding to be cut, the finished back of the moulding will face you, and the unfinished inside faces away from you. Then you adjust the rabbet supports, starting with them in a low position, and turning the knobs to raise them until they just contact the underside of the frame lip, but not too snugly, and certainly not so much that they lift the moulding from resting firmly on the chopper bed. Hope that makes sense.
:cool: Rick
 
Rick Granick said:
Adam, it looks to me like you just have the rabbet supports in their raised position, used for taller mouldings. If everything is clean and free-moving, as you turn the knurled knob so that it rides up the vertical screw shaft, the rabbet support should lower. At its lowest point it would be resting on the bed of the chopper. When loading the moulding to be cut, the finished back of the moulding will face you, and the unfinished inside faces away from you. Then you adjust the rabbet supports, starting with them in a low position, and turning the knobs to raise them until they just contact the underside of the frame lip, but not too snugly, and certainly not so much that they lift the moulding from resting firmly on the chopper bed. Hope that makes sense.
:cool: Rick
Click to expand...
Thanks Rick, I am not at the machine now but at work to inspect more. But my problem is that it appears stuck in the raised position and no twisting of the knurled knob is moving it (I attached a video of this). I am going to try some penetrating oil when I get home.
 
wpfay said:
Without the rebate/rabbet support, the downward force of the knives could split off the lip of the moulding.
The alternate is to use only mouldings with flat faces and cut them face down.

Try some penetrating oil, and see if that doesn't help.

Did you leave them assembled when you cleaned them up? If paint residue got in there, that could act as an adhesive, so maybe soak them in a sealed jar of acetone or lacquer thinner.
Click to expand...
Thank you, it looks like the penetrating oil and tapping down the rod worked, see attached video. Now I just need to manually push it down.

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Do you think the top lock nut will allow me to push the rebate down?



Edit: I just found this video below and the rebates look to be similar to my machine. Perhaps these models did not have lock nuts? The serial number on my machine suggests the machine was from 1969

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cvm said:
You also seem to be missing the knurled lock-nut.
Click to expand...
We never use the locknut (I had forgotten there was such a thing). We find (at least for our hardwoods) that you really need to loosen and then re-snug the rebate/rabbet support on every cutting stroke.
 
Rick Granick said:
... adjust the rabbet supports, starting with them in a low position, and turning the knobs to raise them until they just contact the underside of the frame lip, but not too snugly, and certainly not so much that they lift the moulding from resting firmly on the chopper bed.
Click to expand...
Yes. We find the best way to adjust is to gently press the knives down so that they are holding the moulding firmly against the base, then snug the supports up against the lip. Like the rest of the operation of a Morso, it's a simple process, but maybe more art than science to do it well.
 
David Waldmann said:
Yes. We find the best way to adjust is to gently press the knives down so that they are holding the moulding firmly against the base, then snug the supports up against the lip. Like the rest of the operation of a Morso, it's a simple process, but maybe more art than science to do it well.
Click to expand...
Not to Frankenthread this, but I know you truly understand the nature and use of this tool, and your statement reminded me of this lovely song by Dougie Maclean (often called the "James Taylor of Scotland").
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:cool: Rick
 
Thanks all for helping me with this. Now on to my next problem: see the attached image
Screenshot 2024-05-04 at 11.37.53 AM.png

  1. I am not cutting through fully, assuming I need to adjust the Cam on the underside of the machine?
  2. When chopping, the blades are pulling the molding up on the return to starting position; I am thinking this may be to dull blades (see number 3), but do you have any other suggestions ?
  3. Is it time to get these blades sharpened, the cuts do not seem as smooth and polished as I expected?
 
1. You may need to adjust the horizontal travel of the cutting head. The blades should not rub or actually contact the bed of the machine, but you should barely be able to get a sheet of ordinary printer paper between them.
2. Before letting up on the pedal, pull the head away slightly, using the knob on the front of the machine. This will avoid binding as you describe.
3. Yes. Keeping the blades sharp and properly aligned with solve a multitude of problems. I recommend sending them to Tech Mark for sharpening.
:cool: Rick
 
Rick Granick said:
Not to Frankenthread this, but I know you truly understand the nature and use of this tool, and your statement reminded me of this lovely song by Dougie Maclean (often called the "James Taylor of Scotland").
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:cool: Rick
Click to expand...

Wow, awesome and applicable!
 
AdamK said:
Thanks all for helping me with this. Now on to my next problem: see the attached image
View attachment 48863
  1. I am not cutting through fully, assuming I need to adjust the Cam on the underside of the machine?
  2. When chopping, the blades are pulling the molding up on the return to starting position; I am thinking this may be to dull blades (see number 3), but do you have any other suggestions ?
  3. Is it time to get these blades sharpened, the cuts do not seem as smooth and polished as I expected?
Click to expand...
There are two obvious problems and a possible third.

Yes, you need to adjust the cam to bring the blades further into the fence. As Rick said, you want them as close as you can get without touching. If you have and know how to use a feeler gauge, 0.001" would be ideal, but up to 0.003" would be OK. FYI a piece of "copy" paper is generally about 0.003".

Your bottom knives are too loose. You should adjust them with the (top) knives roughly halfway down, and the bottom knives should be hard against the upper knives. This gives you the "scissor" effect that will eliminate the bottom fuzz.

It's possible the (top) knives are not sharp, but even the sharpest ones will give results as seen if the bottom knives are not adjusted tight enough.
 
Update: I got the knives sharpened and did some test cuts. I am getting some frayed edges (see image) is this a technique issue or do I need to continue making adjustments to the machine?



IMG_1495.jpeg
 
My bet would be that the bottom knives are not properly adjusted. They should be as tight to the top knives as possible. You can do this by locking the head roughly halfway down, then loosen the 3 allen screws that hold the bottom knives in location* and press that bottom knife snugly against the top knife. Repeat for other side.

*You may want to take the screws completely out and clean the bottom/mating surface, as well as the oversize counterbore where the screw head sits to ensure maximum possible movement.
 
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