Question Unwarping molding

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mona

mona

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
May 15, 2005
Posts
175
Loc
Corvallis, Oregon
Well I ordered a chop in, usually get lenght but its a rush job and the frame is only 5.75 x 7.75, wouldn't you know it every corner went together so beautifuly till the last where we've got a good 1 1/2 in to overcome to get the last sides joined. I can see the leg is warped. The customer ofcourse wants it tomorrow any ideas on straightening this sucker out oh the width is 2 1/4 in. Thanks
 
HUH?!?

5 3/4" X 7 3/4" Inches?

And it's off by 1 1/2" ???!!???

By off... do you mean "up in the air off" or "Need to push it in off"? In other words which way is the warpage?

The only way to unwarp it either way that I would know of, is to use a corner vise and force the joint together. Glue it up good and let it set overnight. Either the frame will lay flat or it will be useless. You don't have much other choice at this point other than missing your deadline.
 
I have had some success clamping the warped leg to a flat work bench with a pair of vice grip quick clamps. Then using threaded rod clamps to glue the whole frame together.
 
The leg is warped out from the frame need to push it on off, I really just want to take a hammer to it right now! I should have known something was going to happen when the joints were going together like buuttta. Thanks Mona
 
That is some warpage over a very short distance!

Seems to me the miters may be cut badly and there is also some warpage?
 
Yeah I had to cut an inch off , I think it is a little of both warp and miter. I actualy wet the legs and put it in the vice pulling them together as close as I could get let dry and I got it close enough to wet again and get them together. After it dries I will glue it and see if it stays together.
 
A wide frame in a small size has very little flexibility. The best approach probably would have been to dry fit it on a flat surface to check the miters. Then sand the miters if needed, then assemble. It's a little late for that approach now. I probably would have been on the phone trying to get my supplier to spring for an overnight-shipped replacement.
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
I would like to see a picture of this frame. Can't imagine how that width of moulding could warp that much over such a short length. Also can't imagine how the supplier didn't notice when chopping it.

In my exp, trying to straighten out a warp is nigh on impossible. You would need to soak it or put it in a steamer (either way would strip the finish)and screw it down to a hefty straight piece of timber and leave it for about three years. Even then it might not work.
 
There are some things just out of your control. I would call the customer, explain the situation, show them the frame if necessary. I would tell them that there is no way I would let a frame like this go out of my shop.

Most folks are resonable and will understand. They may be disappointed but would rather wait for a good frame. Depending on the situation, I may deduct a few bucks off the price to ease the pain....or a gift certificate or credit on their rewards card for their next framing project.

I would not spend one minute soaking, bending, prying, tweeking, sanding a frame that should never have left the supplier in the first place.

And oh, I'd be on the phone in a heartbeat to that supplier getting a replacement sent overnight on their dime!
 
The only way to "fix this" is to get another leg cut. Call and complain that they are passing off their #### to you. Have them pay for overnight shipping.

You can't unbend a warped moulding. If it doesn't re-warp in your shop it will blow apart at the customer's home.

I would say that you will be losing money on this order :) Sorry, but maybe you can still keep the customer when you show him/her the frame and how bad it is warped.



The only way to get the ends to line up nicely would entail having the bowing happen some where else, like in the middle of the leg. There is no easy, quick, pretty fix. Got to get a new frame cut. The distributor may want that one back to verify it was their fault.
 
Speaking of warpy moulding in general.....

I have had some sticks that were very bendy, but thought WTH and gone ahead and chopped and joined them and found that I got a good frame. ;) I can only think that one warpy bit counteracted another and any curly parts became indiscernible in shorter runs.
Then again I've had sticks that appear perfectly straight and I end up with a twisted frame. :cry:

I once had a piece of nice pine that had a bend in it rather than a twist. About 1/2" off in the middle of a 24" rail. Had only enough to do one frame and couldn't get any more. To save the day I drilled a lot of holes in the back to weaken it in the middle and kept flexing it until the wood cracked along the back, between the holes. Eventually I got it straight and filled the cracks with PVA and sawdust. There was still enough meat in the length to retain enough strength and from the front it looked fine.

Wouldn't work with a twist though. And probably only with softwoods.
 
This a.m. I took the little gold frame out of vises, glued it up over night. Fully expecting it to pop open but it stayed. I am replacing it, but they can put it up for the open house. In the end I had to fill about an 1/8 in gap in the bad corner. It wasn't a perfect join but a little putty will get it through. I should have taken a picture. But wetting the frame on the underside and putting in vises helped a lot. Thanks for all the imput. Mona
 
I still use putty a little but have switched to using spackling compound for wider areas like you are dealing with. It dries quickly, doesn't shrink and cleans up with water. Wax never dries and also shrinks up.

Afterwards I use artists oil paint to touch up. Touches up nicely.
 
Definitely would have gotten the supplier to overnight a replacement. The thing about warped moulding is that it IS possible to join up nice and square but the key is CUTTING it nice and square (which entails some force at the chopper fence to hold it flat and straight while chopping) then forcing it to join, glue and set overnight in a vise. (So yep, your supplier's chopping person likely noticed it...) No guarantees it will hold, but like you, I myself would have explained the situation to the customer, made it work for whatever function they needed it for, then replaced it at the earliest possible moment after. Most people will understand, and in this instance, should not reflect negatively on you because you didn't cut the frame....

One tip to try if you are going to force a frame to join up in a vise is if you have a gap on the inside or outside of the mitre, loosen the vise and put a small shim or piece of folded-up paper (I use a couple of pinner nails broken off the stick of nails for bad gaps) between the inner rabbet of the frame and one end or the other of the inner vise jaw (the one that does not move; not sure that's the right term); which end of the jaw you place it on will depend on where your gap is. Envision which way the moulding needs to bend to close the gap and put the shim where it would gap away from the jaw on the inside. In other words if the miter gap is on the inside corner of the miter, the spacer/shim (no more than 1/16" thick depending on size of gap) needs to go at the inside end next to the inner corner of the vise; if it is on the outside corner of the miter, it needs to go on the outer end of the jaw away from the corner.

This will force the miter surfaces together more effectively so they are in contact the entire width of the miter, so the glue will hold the surfaces together. BUT, a good frame in that situation is going to depend on it being held square when cutin the first place and sometimes it is just too much warp or bow. Some moulding is just too twisted or warped to make this work, and you should be entitled to a replacement.

Of course there are limitations to how much force glue and nails can hold...and like Rick states, a short frame in a wide profile has very little give to it.

And I will chime in with the rest, whoa, that's a LOT of distance OFF for such a little frame....so either bad miter angles or major bowing in one or more legs. If you sight down the legs by holding the end up to your eye level and looking down its length, you can usually see right away where the problem is.
 
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