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Have taken the Home Mat Board Cutting Plunge

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Nicole McGrade said:
Thought I might add a couple more questions (I'm good at that :smile: )
Today I had to go to the gallery to get 2 prints mounted on white mat board (50cm x 40cm = $25 AUD each)
1) Cutting your own - does it make financial sense in the long run? (How longer run?)
2) How much room would you need?
Thanks to all.
Kind regards,
Nicole
Click to expand...
Whether it makes financial sense sort of depends on your volume. I met a pro photographer this weekend who used to cut her own mats, but due to the volume of her work, it's just too time consuming for her. She found a place that cuts all her mats and gives her a good price. I'd say if you are doing it for yourself, or your volume is low, cutting things yourself does save time & gives you a sense of satisfaction.
As to how much room...most matboard is around 32"x40" (~81cm x 101cm) and that is close to the max size you might see. You can set up the mat cutter on a kitchen table then store it under your bed or in a closet when you are not using it. So not really much room at all.

There are many sites with some good info on matting & framing. Here's a couple:

Dead Link Removed
http://www.logangraphic.com/

HTH!!
Jeanette
 
Nicole, at $25 each you'd soon pay for your matt cutter. I pay about $16-$17 for a full board (32x40") and you can cut 4 matts (note that 40x50 is different to 16x20" so check your frames 1st). My Logan cutter cost about $40-$50 I think but I got a thing called an 'adapt-a-rule' at the same time. It's a ruler with a channel that the cutter runs along, which I think worth the price (was quite dear, and you need the matching cutter). You can use a straight edge but the channel stops you wandering away from the edge. This things aluminium so it's best not to use it to cut pieces of board up as you'll damage it, go to SuperCheap Auto if you have one nearby and buy a steel rule, about 1m long. You also need a self-healing matt, and you can buy them cheap at the Reject Shop (well we can hear in Melb) to ensure you don't cut into your table/benchtop. Use a nother bit of matt board as a cover over the self healing mat to make cutting easier (blade goes thru the matt board easier than the mat).

The best thing about it is you can do weird sizes, and whenever you want them.
 
Carol said:
A very useful link for me. It solves the one little problem that I kept having. Many thanks.
Click to expand...
I went a long time with my blade depth set wrong. That link was better than any of the instructions that came with the thing. Very helpful.
 
You and me both Neal. I kept getting a little curve in the corners. I even told myself I liked it, to stop it from driving me nuts. I shall now adjust the blade depth and hopefully get one right. Why couldn't they put that on the packaging? Thanks again.
 
Carol said:
I even told myself I liked it, to stop it from driving me nuts.
Click to expand...
My usual solution to most photographic problems :smile:
 
Sean-

I have the same model as you have. It works fine as long as your blade is sharp (see countless posts above advising keeping lots of blades on hand) and you use a backing board (again, see above). I've made it a habit to check that my setup is square before every session; so far it's stayed dead-square, but it never hurts to check.

Nicole-

You will save money. As to room: I use mine on my living room floor. I don't know what the minimum space needed is, but I do know that I like having extra room around me to move the boards around as I bring them in and as I finish them. The more room, the better. (Besides, it's a good excuse to get down on the floor to play with the cat!)
 
To keep the cutter from moving around on a smooth surface such as a table top or floor, buy a "router mat" from the Home Depot (or similar). Porter Cable sells one fairly cheaply and it serves as a "no-slip" rubber mat under the cutter.

cheers
 
Okay Sean,

You've had the cutter for a few months now, so I have some questions for you (I'm about to go down the same route ....).

  1. Where did you get the cutter from? Was it a local source from the southern hemisphere or did you get it from the US?
  2. How much was it? (and what was the shipping cost?)
  3. Have you had any problems with it?
  4. Have you ever changed the blade on it? :wink:

Cheers,
 
Graeme Hird said:
Okay Sean,

  1. Where did you get the cutter from? Was it a local source from the southern hemisphere or did you get it from the US?
  2. How much was it? (and what was the shipping cost?)

    Cheers,
Click to expand...


  1. Graeme

    I wondered about this too........a few years back I tried to buy one on US ebay but couldn't get it shipped due to size. Well actually USPS wouldn't ship it but Fed Ex would but their price was more than the cost of the mat cutter.

    Exchange rates were different back then and it wouldn't cost as much now but wouldn't be cheap.

    In the end I hunted down a mat cutter locally, I got a used C&H 48" in good condition for much less than the local price new of the Logan. Then I picked up an almost new C&H 60" for even less. In the last year a few of these have turned up and I suspect framers are dropping them for computerised cutters.

    Clayton
 
Some more local data

Nicole Boenig-McGrade said:
Thanks Jeanette :smile: Guess I'll leave it with the gallery for now :smile:
Click to expand...
Just some extra Oz info Nicole. I bought a Logan model 1100 three weeks back for the princely sum of $40.50 here in Sydney. A full mat sheet (approx 1m x1.2m was $11.

I needed to have unusual size mats for the round 4 print exchange prints I had made and couldn't find any pre-cuts that were the right size.

Having taken the plunge, it's great fun after you figure out the corners and straight lines bit. I would never go back to have someone else cut my mats now.

My volume is all very low for non-commercial use so YMMV.

Regards
Glenn
 
See my post re prices in Syd.

Graeme Hird said:
Okay Sean,

You've had the cutter for a few months now, so I have some questions for you (I'm about to go down the same route ....).

  1. Where did you get the cutter from? Was it a local source from the southern hemisphere or did you get it from the US?
  2. How much was it? (and what was the shipping cost?)
  3. Have you had any problems with it?
  4. Have you ever changed the blade on it? :wink:

Cheers,
Click to expand...
Graeme, I replied to Nicole before I saw your post.

I bought the cheapest Logan cutter (Model 1100) at my local Sydney craft store. $40.50 with 5 spare blades. Packs of 5 spare blades were about $6. There were various models (all Logan) ranging all the way to $400 but I have to say I am VERY happy with my basic model. I already had a T-square and a metal ruler (600mm) from house renovations.

I've cut about 6 or 7 mats so far and have seen no lack of sharpness on the blade, but I note all the previous posts re blades.

Mat sheets in all clours were $11. approx 1m x 1.2m.

If you want me to purchase here and send to you, PM me.

hth.
Glenn
 
Hi Glen,

The model I'm after in particular is the Logan Framers Edge 650 (seen here). Did you see that one at the craft store? Perhaps you could give me their number and I'll ask them if they can get them.

I think I'll need to mat at least 10 prints a week, so I want it to be as painless as possible.

Cheers,
 
If it's any help Graeme I bought a smaller Logan cutter from Eckersley's art & craft shop in Melbourne. They have a shop in Adelaide too and several in the eastern states. They also sell matt board etc. They had a loyalty system so when you spent $500 with them you got a $50 gift voucher. Not sure if it's still available though. Could be handy if you're buying a lot of stuff. Their website is listed as www.eckersleys.com.au but I haven't checked it out. Cheers.
 
After a long search this morning I found this resource from Mitchem in Victoria: http://www.frameco.com.au (and their framing systems are here.)

They sell just about everything I could ever need for framing, and their base board mat cutter (MatMaster) is excellent value for money at AUD$450. It's a semi-professional mat cutting system which looks much more robust than the Logan system. It looks like I'll get a complete framing system for around AUD$1200.

I'm going to continue researching it over the next few days, but it is a promising resource.

Cheers,
 
Graeme Hird said:
After a long search this morning I found this resource from Mitchem in Victoria: http://www.frameco.com.au (and their framing systems are here.)

They sell just about everything I could ever need for framing, and their base board mat cutter (MatMaster) is excellent value for money at AUD$450. It's a semi-professional mat cutting system which looks much more robust than the Logan system. It looks like I'll get a complete framing system for around AUD$1200.

I'm going to continue researching it over the next few days, but it is a promising resource.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

Graeme

I frame all my own work and average about 20 sales a week. I'd suggest you do as I did and buy used professional framing equipment. You'd be surprised at how much of this gear is on the market as framing businesses constantly turnover. The pro gear will last a life time of heavy use and is much faster and results are repeatable every time.

While the home hobby gear is fine for low volume, think of the future and factor in increasing sales over time. When I do large group shots I can have 100+ frames to do at a time, hobby gear would get destroyed doing this as speed and quality are important.

Clayton
 
All good points Clayton. I wish I could afford the time and finances to get a fully professional system - used or new. However, in the location of my business it is near impossible for me to seek out used equipment (there are only two framers within 500km of Kalgoorlie. They are not upgrading.)

I'll look into it, but I'm not holding my breath for the framers near here to upgrade. Maybe the Perth newspapers will be more cooperative.
 
Baxter Bradford said:
Surely a profitable sideline opportunity beckons, should you decide to set up shop for your own prints.............
Click to expand...
Not really - there are not enough people within 500km to buy frames either ..... and I've got better things to do than become a picture framer.
(When the time is right, I'll hire a person to frame my work - we may use the spare capacity of that person to frame other people's work.)

Cheers,
 
Graeme Hird said:
Okay Sean,

You've had the cutter for a few months now, so I have some questions for you (I'm about to go down the same route ....).

  1. Where did you get the cutter from? Was it a local source from the southern hemisphere or did you get it from the US?
  2. How much was it? (and what was the shipping cost?)
  3. Have you had any problems with it?
  4. Have you ever changed the blade on it? :wink:

Cheers,
Click to expand...

[*]Where did you get the cutter from? Was it a local source from the southern hemisphere or did you get it from the US?

I got it new off of ebay, far cheaper than retail chains

[*]How much was it? (and what was the shipping cost?)

I'll try to find it and PM you, shipping was a killer..

[*]Have you had any problems with it?

I've been to busy printing so haven't used it yet, I plan to get a big stack of prints then break it in :smile:

It looks like a complicated machine, but it came with an instructional video and I think after I see that it won't be so bad..
 
Graeme Hird said:
Hi Glen,

The model I'm after in particular is the Logan Framers Edge 650 (seen here). Did you see that one at the craft store? Perhaps you could give me their number and I'll ask them if they can get them.
Click to expand...

Not sure if that model was there. Here's their url.
http://www.northshoreart.com.au/

Good luck with whatever option you go with.

Glenn
 
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