cutting 12 ply

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GabbyDingo

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Jan 24, 2003
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Holyoke,MA
Hi
My boss is about to attempt to cut a 12 ply mat w/ a Fletcher mat cutter...any suggestions. We have lots of extra board but any tips would be helpful. Thanks -Michelle
 
Last you posted on the grumble you were looking for a moulding. Did you find it? and more importantly, how was your trip to LA?!

People have had good luck cut in multiple passes, meaning extending the blade bit by bit and cutting the same path twice.

Me I'd probably bull right through on one pass, but remember to keep changing the blade, keep it sharp and use a slip sheet! Expensive board to make a mistake with!

If you have extra then try both methods. Not hard once you've done it, just hard to get up the "nerve" to do it!

Good luck, and keep us informed with your progress!
 
Originally posted by MichelleDe:
Its just your standerd Fletcher table mat cutter....no cmc. Do we need special blades?
Click to expand...
.015 SE

Thicker than the 12SE you're probably using, so will tend to flex less. Be sure the blade extends through the 12 ply and well into the slip sheet (I'd probably use some Top mat(6 ply) or 8 ply as the slip sheet.
 
JPete,

I am not aware of any CMC that currently will cut 12 ply. Some cut 8ply....some cut 8ply better than others....and some don't cut 8ply at all.

Knowing this, it's amazing to me that matboard manufacturers would create a product (12 ply) that no current CMC cuts, and that cut on manual equipment it is a real PIA!
shrug.gif


MichelleDe,

I normally do the same as Bob and attack 8ply in a one pass cut on a Fletcher F-2200 manual straight line cutter. I opt for a .012 blade and have it extended only just enough to cut the material and score the slipsheet. (Thinner blade means less resistance.)

Having that said, I think I might opt for the multiple pass cuts for 12 ply, with the first score only lightly penitrating the material. I would probably cut the board in 3 passes total.

I don't really understand the necessity for a thicker slipsheet, unless you have the blade so far extended to assure variation in the pressure you apply. In that case you will have multiple problems.

Practice - Practice - Practice - Still sounds like a first thing in the morning job! ;)

John
 
I've cut plenty and multiple passes is the way to go...less likely to break the blade. When I have the option, I use my old Keeton Kutter and a Hendrixson blade. I find the SE blades pull into the cut on the thicker matting, hence the preference for standard grind blades.

12 and 16 ply mats preceded CMC's...nobody said it would be easy, that's why there is still "craft" in the business.

John, was that a whine I heard?
 
I've had good luck doing essentially that on a non-CMC mat cutter, by employing the windmill construction technique used for BevelAccents. For this job I would just cut a 6-ply TopMat with the opening a little large (by double the width of a TopMat bevel), then install strips of TopMat. Result: a 12-ply mat.
I've used this approach to combine various thicknesses and colors of bevel within one mat opening. Some very interesting results are possible.
:cool: Rick
 
The only problem with a multiple pass cut is sometimes the blade will track out of your first pass and ruin the bevel. I have done it both ways personaly with succes both ways but tend to go for the one pass method with a 1200se blade on my C+H cutter. To get a clean corner I start my cut 1/2" to 3/4" before the corner. It takes precision to hit your blade depth at the right point but I find I get less hooks in my corners this way. If you do get hooks or a woble in your bevel make emery boards from 8ply and 320 grit sand paper (240 grit if its bad) and sand out any imperfections you have in your mats. With skill and practice your mat will look perfect every time.
 
Rick,
I used that same method to convert an existing 4-ply into a 12 ply. What variability I had was easy to correct with sandpaper (actually foam padded emory boards I get from the folks at the salon next door). The original mat was cut from 4-ply Rising warm white 48x96 nad I was able to build out with strips cut from 40x60.
Brian,
Thanks for the sandpaper tip. I have found that the standard grind blades track better in the 12-16ply boards, though now that I've found the "windmill" technique, I doubt that I'll be cutting many 16-ply mats again.
 
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