vertical cutter wanted

[framesink]

Afternoon, and I look forward to being part of the community.


I am currently looking to finally get a vertical cutter (glass, board etc) after cutting by hand for too long.

Couple of questions

1) Are there any available for sale, i’m based near Guildford uk.

2) Is it advisable to purchase used if it’s been well maintained.

Thanks in advance

[JFeig]

Yes, for the right price, used machines can be an economical way to do the cutting. The only word of caution for other than a machine is worn beyond usage is that a used, or new for that matter has to be checked for proper alignment (squareness) of the cutting. The machines should be fully adjustable for alignment.

[Gesso&Bole]

There are essentially 2 options

Keencut (UK made)
Fletcher (US made)

Both are very durable and well made. Keencut tends to be more prevalent in the UK for obvious reasons, but I would recommend both, as they will speed up your processes, and save bench space.

They are very robust, so you should be fine with a second-hand one that has been looked after. Spare parts are readily available except for the old System 4000s, but not cheap. Have a look at Keencut.com

There's one on ebay at the moment, otherwise they come up on here from time to time
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314566197652 ... R9jc1quBYg

[framesink]

Thank you both for your reply.

I’ve found a keencut steeltrak which seems a decent price (although possibly overkill).

Has anyone used or owned the trimalco Apollo? Seems quite new so wondering thoughts?

https://www.trimalco.com/apollo-xl

[Justintime]

I have the Fletcher 3100. It's a great piece of kit. Some prefer the Keencut rotating cutting head, while I preferred the interchangeable head design of the Fletcher.
My advice, buy the best cleanest newest example you can find. As soon as you have it fixed to a wall/on a stand, you'll need to fully calibrate/square it up.

[Gesso&Bole]

I have a Steeltrak, and it is an excellent machine, and a bit more heavy-duty than the Excalibur, but not as popular amongst picture framers, as you need to insert the glass cutting adapter for cutting glass.