Mount Cutting Equipment

[kully]

Thanks for advice everyone.

I popped in to the local Framers this lunchtime, they had an old device which was neither Fletcher or Keencut. Anyway, we had a chat and the bloke said pretty much what you say tlitody & dap - Fletcher and Keencut &c. would be overkill for my 10-15 mounts a month.

So, I'm back to the Logan. I'll post up when I try it out.

 

[bob338]

Thanks for the post Ronald, could you quantify Fletcher's superiority over Logan?

I can. I've been a picture framer for 22 years and from my experience I know that Fletcher are the best mat cutters out there. I have never been in a frame shop that even had a Logan in it. They're for hobbyists and they cannot cut the same quality mats that a professional cutter can.

You can probably find a used Fletcher 2100 on Craigslist or in the classifieds on www.thegrumble.com. C+H make a nice one too, but the Fletcher 2200 is almost perfect. C+H do however make the best blades, I prefer the 1200SE's.
Avoid the Phaedra mat cutter since the company has gone belly up and you can't get parts for them anymore...

bob

 

[Steve M.]

I have always cut them by hand. Use a straight edge to lay down a pencil line and breathe out gently when you're making a cut. Seriously. I use the box cutters you get at the Dollar Store w/ all the extra blades. It takes some practice to learn how to make the cuts at the right angle, and it helps to warm up a bit on a piece of scrap mat board first. Until you get the hang of it, you'll have plenty of that around. Sounds crazy I know, but I get as much satisfaction from a successful hand cut mat board as I do from the whole photograph.

 

[jan normandale]

Kully here's my 2¢...
- Logan cutter
- better still a Logan cutter with a rail
- a metal edge T square
- Olfa style cutter
- acid free mat for high end print framing
- regular mats for cheap presentation at events like street fairs, with a note the mat is not acid free

When you're ready to put up a few hundred mats you can go full tilt pro like some posters have suggested. Meantime you'll find out if you want to be invested in that way after doing a few hundred mats. The suggestion of using a blade is legit but the people who do this are artists in their own right. One mistake in a cut or a dull blade and the mat is 'toast' and you have to start over. Logan is more than adequate to see if you like this. Mind you if you're in the high end disposable income bracket shoot for the moon. Good luck!

 

[kully]

The Logan 750 is ordered.

Breathing out and cutting freestyle would probably result in an inadvertant self castration & I have no intention of having the throughput of a frame workshop 🙂

Once it arrives I'll post the experience.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I have always cut them by hand. Use a straight edge to lay down a pencil line and breathe out gently when you're making a cut. Seriously. I use the box cutters you get at the Dollar Store w/ all the extra blades. It takes some practice to learn how to make the cuts at the right angle, and it helps to warm up a bit on a piece of scrap mat board first. Until you get the hang of it, you'll have plenty of that around. Sounds crazy I know, but I get as much satisfaction from a successful hand cut mat board as I do from the whole photograph.

With good mat board costing $14 or so a sheet, I can't think of a dumber thing to do than try to cut a mat by hand with a box cutter. A good mat cutter is $300 or so and pays for itself fast. Its less than the cost of a lens.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The Logan 750 is ordered.

Breathing out and cutting freestyle would probably result in an inadvertant self castration & I have no intention of having the throughput of a frame workshop 🙂

Once it arrives I'll post the experience.

You'll like it. The Fletcher cutters are built stronger and are designed for comfort with large scale use, but they cost a couple thousand dollars new, so for occasional use, I think the Logan is the best choice. Even for me selling prints professionally, the Logan is fine because I sell relatively few framed or matted prints. most people buy unmatted prints so they can have them framed the way they want. I'd probably try to get a fancier cutter if I cut mats more often.

 

[jan normandale]

the number of times I've needed a good mat are easily exceeded by the times I just wanted to show how a mat works with a photograph for 'selling presentation' purposes. I tell people to get a pro to do the framing and ask for 'acid free mats or artist or museum quality' Then they have the option. I do frame and mat but not too much anymore. People prefer to choose their own mats and frankly I find it a "loss leader".

I have friends who do shadow boxes and eliptical curves freehand but they are in another league and have done it for over 15 yrs. Skills I don't have!

OT am I the only one wondering at the cost of framing and matting these days? I sold a print 20" x 20" for $100 and the purchaser had it framed / matted for $275.00. It was black extruded metal frame with a single mat. I was surprised.

 

[bob338]

OT am I the only one wondering at the cost of framing and matting these days? I sold a print 20" x 20" for $100 and the purchaser had it framed / matted for $275.00. It was black extruded metal frame with a single mat. I was surprised.

Assuming they bought an average moulding that was about $15/foot, that price is just about right.

20x20 print with a 3" mat = 26x26.

$150 10 feet of moulding
54 conservation mat
43 conservation clear glass
35 labor
$282 total

Bob

 

[tlitody]

most people buy a painting or photgraphic print for decoration of their house. So they must like the image but the presentation is just as important to them and they know what it costs to get a really high quality frame made. You only have to ask in any framing shop. The cost of your work should reflect that. Don't sell sell yourself cheap.

 

[tlitody]

Assuming they bought an average moulding that was about $15/foot, that price is just about right.

20x20 print with a 3" mat = 26x26.

$150 10 feet of moulding
54 conservation mat
43 conservation clear glass
35 labor
$282 total

Bob

You can buy precut and mitred aluminium mouldings for a lot less than $150 for 10 feet. Starting at $30 for slim mouldings and rising. $150 is very highend pricing.

 

[tlitody]

The Logan 750 is ordered.

Breathing out and cutting freestyle would probably result in an inadvertant self castration & I have no intention of having the throughput of a frame workshop 🙂

Once it arrives I'll post the experience.

Should be perfect for your needs. A bit more than the 450 but it has the squaring arm for cutting down full size board which makes life easier.