Perfectly cut mat corners

[Rozmataz]

How perfect do you expect your mat corners to be?

I have had ongoing problems with my mat cutter with overcuts... constantly adjusting and seem to be okay for a while... I hate doing less than perfect work on this.. wondering what other's expectations are for this...

And any suggestions for correct adjustments. It is a Logan 48"...

I wish there was a technician in the field that could help me with this (and I tend to be quite mechanically inclined - but this has been frustrating)

Thanks

 

[Ron Eggers]

Roz,

I wonder if your overcut problems might have more to do with the slight variations in board thickness between brands and even within brands. Every time I cut a mat, I check - with the board under the hold-down bar - to make sure my blade is barely penetrating the slip sheet. I also removed the production stops from my Fletcher and I draw lines on the back of the mats. (Call me a reactionary.)

With regard to overcut tolerances: As a practical matter, you might have a little lattitude with some of the textured boards, but with a nice, smooth, solid rag mat, overcuts really scream at you. I'd prefer to undercut slightly and finish the cut with a hand-held blade.

 

[Hobbes03]

I make it a point to have no overcuts whatsoever, and doing so without undercuts. I use a C&H Advantage Pro mat cutter. I always check the settings before I cut a mat. I take a piece of mat waste (5x5 or larger) and set the stops at 2 1/2" and make two cuts for a 90 degree corner. I then check for overcuts or undercuts and adjust the top and/or bottom stops accordingly. I do this religously. Another thing you need to be careful of is slight differences in the thickness of some matboards. I have found that some 4-plys are slightly thicker that others, this will obviously affect the cut as well (blade depth). If you choose to do what I have explained, you need to make sure the waste you are using to accurately set your stops is the same thickness as the mat you are going to cut. I have found the extra time it takes to go through these steps makes for flawless mat cuts, and believe me customers will notice.

Hope this was helpful!

-Mike.