[pure-silver] Re: Mat cutting on the cheap

If you have the space and money then a keencut or one of the other big mount 
cutters would be great but for occasional and cheap mat cutting I use a Logan 
4000 hand cutter.

This model is good because it comes with a cut marking arm. Providing your mat 
board is cut square on the outside then marking for the cutout is siimplicity 
itself. Adjust the sliding marking arm and lock at desired length. Then just 
slide it down the outside edge of mount board to draw lines.
A self healing mat and proper mat cutting ruler which has a rubber grip 
underneath is all the extra kit that is needed .

What you need to know is that mat cutting requires sharp blades(replace often, 
they are cheap) which should always be set to the correct depth. i.e. so that 
they just make a clean incision in the self healing mat(or cutting mat). Any 
deeper and hooking will occur regardless of whether you use an expansive or 
cheap cutter. Too shallow and the point just scuffs the cutting mat and can 
leave an uneven cut in your board. 2 ply mat cuts easily. 4 ply mat requires 
care and thicker mat can be a problem on any machine. Some solid plate type mat 
boards are very difficult to cut without hooking.

I now make deep bevel mounts using 5mm foam board with a 2ply overmat. Its 
simple to do and looks good but does require a little time and effort. 

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