why do 'they' make matcutters w/o a measure scale on the left side???

BILL WARD

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Posts
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Tampa, FL
I'm still using my manual fletcher....had an "un-normal" mat reveal so I got out my little "story-pole" piece of matboard(used to scribe various measures onto)& measured/marked the right hand distance/side of the cutter, then moved that mat-scrap to the left & moved the bottom bar to match the right side measure(everyone has done this a million time!)....
All of which got me to thinking (again) about why, if 'they' can make the scale on the right hand side work, then why oh WHY can't "they" have put a similarly accurate scale on the left side of the bar & save us all the time/trouble to make up a story-pole(which is mostly accurate), etc & put my own marks on the aluminium base plate, so we dont need to go thru that entire procedure ever again ??? ??? ??? ??? Anyone have any ideas???
 
Bill,

To be honest....you lost me???
shrug.gif


You question the existence of a scale to the left of the "bar"...by which I believe you mean the clamp. Indeed a scale does exist within the aluminum Mat Guide Slide which allows you to position the Mat Guide along the left side of the clamp. (The indicator on this scale is adjustable so that it can be precisely set to the exact cut.)

On the top of this Mat Guide is a tie down strap which has no scale (F-2100 and F-2200) The tie down is used to stablalize the Guide when cutting larger oversized mats. No scale is provided as the Mat Guide should be running parallel to the clamp and is adjusted/corrected by making changes to the Mat Guide Slide <u>and not</u> to the Mat Guide (See manual).

Please get back to me if I can help further - please elaborate if I have misunderstood your question.

Regards,

John

Consultant to The Fletcher-Terry Co.
 
I've only been framing 18 years, but I've never heard of a "story pole". Every matcutter I've used has a measuring scale to set the mat guide, which determines the width of the mat margin.

Maybe you could adapt a mat guide & measuring scale to your Fletcher machine. I thought they all came equipped with that provision.
 
A story pole is used in carpentry when you are laying out cabinets.
You mark off all of your openings and stiles and such, take it back to the shop and build your little heart out knowing it wll fit.
 
I've never heard the term "story pole" either, but it would seem like the mat-cutter equivalent of the little gague I made out of a small mat scrap that shows the exact height of one or two 7mm v-vails at one end and one or two 10mm v-nails at the other end. It gives me a quick read on how to handle any profile.
:cool: Rick
 
Originally posted by framah:
A story pole is used in carpentry when you are laying out cabinets.
You mark off all of your openings and stiles and such, take it back to the shop and build your little heart out knowing it wll fit.
Down here in Australia & most probably in Britain, that is called a "rod".
I've never heard of a "story pole" either and was in the furniture and cabinet making business for 13 years. Made a lot of "rods" in that time!
Each "rod" contained the exact sizes of every component piece of wood in the cabinet and could be used to accurately mark the sizes onto the timber.
 
Rod = pole
 
exactly!!
faintthud.gif
 
Wasn't he (Rod) part of the Smenge Brothers Band??
I love his crooner: "Who stole the Kishka?
 
Funny, but lets get back on track.

A woodworking 'story board' is marked stick or board. For instance if you know that you have 200 20 x 24 frames to make, one would take a scrap stick of wood, and take a pencil and mark the 'stick' with the 20 1/8th and 24 and 1/8th marks. The moulding could be marked and sawed and checked usint the 'stick"without having to get the tape measurer out 800 times. This is all done , of course, since there are not measuring stops or guides of anykind on the saw or chopper.


So back to mat cutting....

I think the answer is that most people find their groove (no pun intended) with mat cutting and are successful with the basic equipment. Which is not to say that innovation isn't our friend...

Shan
 
SO.......sorry to have confused everyone...... so here goes again... boiling down to essentials:
1) cutter has a scale on the near end/right side

2) cutter has NO scale on the far end/left side

3) the mat bar can & does move some 1/4" at the far end with even mild pressure(this is BEFORE using the tightening knob at that end)

4) to get an "accurate" measure/cut along the bar I must take a piece of scrap mat, mark it under the bar at the near end, move this piece to the far end and set the bar clamp where the near-end mark shows(this would be the 'story-pole' part)

5) Would have been much easier/more accurate if the manufactures had recessed/installed another distance guage on the left/far end to accomplish the same function?

I simply wondered why "they" had NOT done so? NO one should trust 40"-50" of mat guide swinging on the breeze held in place by 2 small bolts & the tightening knob on the one end(all of which will move even when all are VERY tight), & have NOTHING to measure the position on the far end of that bar.
I have previously tried an adhesive backed measureing tape---worked really well BUT was causing its own problems because of the matboard hitting the slightly raised edge of the tape--eventually causes a problem with tape residue/dirt getting onto mats. So, I am reduced to using my measure guage & putting pencil marks on the base face of the cutter(which can also do things for stark white mats!)
SIMPLY solution--put another measure guage at the far end of the mat guide then it's 'accurate' every time.
 
I can't tell you about the Fletcher but my cutter does have such a recessed guide. It has an ahesivie strip I had to apply myself when it was new. The bar also has a place for adjustments, and needs it after knocking it onto the floor a few time. ;)
 
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