Uneven top edge on mouldings

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Framer Ken

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Jun 26, 2002
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Southampton. England
I have a Euro underpinner and on some mouldings the top face of the mouldings are not flush and I have to manually adjust them to make them flush.
Sometimes I have noticed that this occurs on frames which are constructed from different lengths of moulding and I have put it down to differing rebates.
Generally the manual adjustment of the framing to ensure the top faces are flush is not a problem only rather annoying. But on some mouldings which require stacking of the wedges, then the joint is too firm to be able to move.
Any tips ???
 
I hate to say it, Ken, but this is one case where a mitre vise with glue and nails (or a detail biscuit joiner for bigger profiles) is probably superior to an underpinner. I have never discovered a way to compensate for the problem you mentioned with my Cassesse 830.
 
1. Glue & Nail.
2. Glue, Dry, then V-nail.
3. V-nail, quickly turn over, pad, hammer flush.
4. Paper shim, v-nail.

Option 1 is the safest. We can't v-nail everything. Of course we find out afterwards.
 
Hi Ken,

When you adjust the top face of your frame moulding, does the back side show any unevenness? In other words, when the face is flush, is the back of the frame also flush or is it offset slightly from one leg to the other?

I use a Euro 9009 and have for over 12 years and, if I am understanding your problem correctly, the only time that I find this offset in the face of the moulding is when I use a piece of moulding that has been stored in the shop along with a piece of fresh moulding. Sometimes the moulding cutter heads will be of a slightly different profile and cause this to happen. Example: one batch of moulding is shaped on a moulding shaper with brand spankin' new cutting heads, another batch of moulding is shaped on one that has a used set of cutter heads that have worn down or lost their new edge and are cutting a bit different.

I find that, as a rule when this happens, the pressure of the v-nail being pressed up into the wood of both legs will most often push the "short" profile up against the pressure pad and match it to the other leg profile.

Some moulding manufacturers are more careful about their quality control also and this problem doesn't rear up as often.

Framerguy
 
Obtain a deck of cards that are no longer usable for games. Adjust the thickness of the moulding with individual cards. We have had the same problem if the individual pieces are cut from different sticks of moulding; there seems to be a variation in thickness. We also use a Euro but I believe that the problem would be present with any brand??????

If you try and adjust the problem using a large hammer, you may damage the top of the moulding; I have done it in some cases though.

Jack Cee
 
I've always just put a good cotton shop rag folded several times under the clamp when V-nailing those goofy profiles. Never seem to have any problems once I started doing it.
 
Yep a thin piece of paper or card under the thinner profile tends to work out fine.My cassesse has a rubber stopper type of thing so I usually try to spread the load on it by placing a vulcanised rubber flat plate on top of the moulding.This usually works out fine.The problems with moulding tend to happen when you try to join different batches or left or right hand moulding.Usally the packet will let you know whether you are joining left hand or right hand moulding.its usually on a fraction out but enough to make it a bad join.playing cards is a good idea actually.I,ll try keeping an old deck around.
 
Originally posted by Ron_Eggers:
I hate to say it, Ken, but this is one case where a mitre vise with glue and nails (or a detail biscuit joiner for bigger profiles) is probably superior to an underpinner. I have never discovered a way to compensate for the problem you mentioned with my Cassesse 830.
Click to expand...
Ron,
I might have a solution for you to try. I have been using this method for donkeys years and it works very well.

Go to your local tool shop and buy yourself a set of metal "feeler gauges" that are used by engineers and mechanics to set gaps. There are heaps of leaves in a set of varying thicknesses and you only need 4 or 5 different ones, so you need to separate the set into individual leaves.

Use a leaf of an appropriate thickness under the thinner piece of moulding. (after some practise you will be able to judge the right size).This piece of metal leaf needs to be placed under the moulding close to the corner, but just away from where the vee nails emerge, otherwise they will chop through the leaf. This occassionally happens if you are not careful.

I find that many mouldings have varying thicknesses in different lengths and some are different at each end of one length.

I don't know if "feeler gauges" have a different name over there in 'The Land of The Dollar Bill', but I'm sure you will work it out!
 
Cards, paper, feeler gauges, all good options. We use paper as there is a plentiful supply of scrap for us and it will not jam the machine if it gets in the way.
 
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