The Framers Forum

Good morning! We’re considering buying a vertical mount/glass cutter and will welcome your comments and advice as to the best machines that won’t break the bank! Thank you

Really there are 2 realistic options if you are buying new

The Fletcher 3100
Keencut Excalibur 5000

Both are fantastic machines, and will last for many years. The Fletcher is a bit cheaper, but I you have to manually swap the cutter blocks for different materials, whereas the Keencut has the different cutters attached, and you swivel the head to select.

If you are buying second-hand, either machine will serve you well, and parts are readily available. Older versions of both are also available and will still be working for years to come, but are not necessarily supported for spares, so some ingenuity needed to keep them going.

I strongly believe that for a small/medium framer, a wall mounted cutter will be the best productivity improvement for the money that you can get.

I originally had a secondhand Keencut 4000 and this served me very well. Eventually Keencut stopped supplying the glass cutting wheels for it, but a company in southampton was and is still supplying the glass cutting wheels, but in the meantime I bought a secondhand Ftetcher Terry 3100. Secondhand Keencut 4000 cutters are built like tanks and pretty much go on for ever and they are not expensive to buy secondhand. I now have a reconditioned Fletcher Terry 3100, which I got from Framers Equipment and the Fletcher Terry machine is my prefered machine.

A secondhand Fletcher Terry 3100 will likely cost you more that a secondhand Keencut 4000, but the Fletcher Terry 3100 is quite a sought after machine and has a lot going for it. Framers Equipment delivery and installed mine, which was extremely helpful, but obviously you pay for, but it was well worth having it done. A secondhand Keencut 4000 is likely to be the most cost effective possibility, which is easily obtainable, provided it is in good working order, but it is no longer supported by Keencut for spare parts. Fortunately, their are easy bodge solutions to just about anything likely to go wrong.

Having said all that the Fletcher Terry 3100 is an awesome machine and I have never met anyone who ever regretted buying one. If you can pick up a Secondhand Fletcher Terry 4000 at a worthwhile, it's probably the best machine which you can get and will last you forever!

I have the Fletcher 3100. Great machine. I'm sure the Keencut is equally good and it's British made. If you have t buy secondhand then I would check for wear on the machine and advise not getting anything older than one generation.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply - your advice is much appreciated!

There's one of Keencut's bigish boys going free (ok, so you have to be a social media type) https://www.keencut.com/keencut-operation-jubilee/

Steeltrak'll handle all your glass, backing boards and what nots.

Bonus feature is that the composite cutting wheels make for a very nice rolled over finish on even the thickest of mount boards.
At regular prices, they're not inexpensive, but it does add another machine to put in the second hand item's search list.