Fletcher mat cutter

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D

DS

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Posts
156
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Help! My 2100 mat cutter is leaving a rough cut mark about 1/8" from the finishing downward stroke. I have tighten the set screws, cleaned the rollers, replaced the bushings and have tightened the screw behind the bevel mat cartridge. I have contacted Rich at Fletcher-Terry and he has been nice enough to send me two new bushings and even a new cutter head. I still get the same rough cut mark which seems to be coming when I allow the blade to return to normal position at the end of the stroke. Has anyone else had this problem? Any solutions? Thanks for any help you may provide.
Dan
 
Dan,

I'm wondering if you are the same Dan Sikorski that Vivian Kistler forwarded an email to me this past week regarding this same issue.

My apologies for not responding sooner, but life gets busy! ;)

What you're descibing is not a "hook", the nasty gradual creeping away from the clamp as the blade is pulled forwards (towards the operator)... nor is it a "pinch", which is typically caused by the blade drifting backwards away from the operator.

You appear to be describing a small scrap that appears on the bevel at the end of the cut and it is caused by the blade when it is <u>withdrawn</u> from the mat.

This was mentioned in one of my early Mat Doctors articles in PFM - January 2004 issue. It is a phenominom that exists with almost every mat cutter brand. There exists a small bias in the design of these machines (Fletcher, C&H, Keencut for sure...so I'll assume others as well.) That is the blade is not held perfectly parallel to the clamp. Thus on the withdrawal, sometimes the blade will leave a small scuff mark on the bevel....not always, but often enough, that you'll see it from time to time.
shrug.gif


How do you get rid of it?

Well....you can't totally. </font>
  • But keeping everything tight and adjusted helps...</font>
  • Changing the blade frequently helps...</font>
  • Maintaining pressure on the handle (clamp) until the blade is released helps...</font>
  • Bringing the blade back out of the mat quickly and neatly at the end of the cut helps...</font>
  • Using standard .012 blades helps...</font>
Discovering this glitch and how it is created a few years ago, also taught me that <u>Single Edged blades are also more prone to create this glitch</u>, so if you are indeed the Dan Sikorski
 who originally wrote to Vivian Kistler, then I know you're using Single Edged blades. ;)

I hope this helps.

Regards,

John
 
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