Double Apertures

[strokebloke]

Thought I'd have a go on the 'vertical 2100' and see if I could do a double window mount.
I've never done a window mount, with two openings, side-by-side, before.

I set the two windows out on the reverse side and marked all of the margin dimensions in the appropriate positions.
Then marked the dimensions for the top stop and the bottom stop at the mullion points.
Hunky dory so far. Just a simple measuring exercise.
So, I thought, make it a bit more complicated by putting a 'V' groove round each window.
Still OK in terms of planning & setting out.
Then I hit the problem. I couldn't set the margin rail or the top stop because the fixed rules weren't long enough.
I did solve the problem, and I'm very pleased with the result. Though it did take me an hour to do it. Not that time is important to me.
But faced with doing multiple windows on a manual mat cutter, do you just work to your setting-out lines and allow the blade to enter & exit the rear of the board 3mm over the line?
I appreciate that the answer is to buy a CMC, but ... what did you do before the days of CMC ?

[Roboframer]

It's the sort of thing that requires a video demo (and there may be one) or a very lengthy explanation - and there are some of those here if you search for them.

But regardless of type of cutter, as long as you have a margin guide and start/end of cut stops, you don't have to plot the whole apertures. With a double aperture all you have to plot is the 'bar' between the two apertures, your stops/margin guide can be set for the rest.

I'd make all the cuts going in the same direction to minimise the amount of changes to to the margin guide/stops. E.g. let's say you have a 3" border, set the margin guide/stops to 3" and cut both ends of the mount. Move the margin guide out of the way and set your cutter bar to one of the lines you have drawn, and using the stops, cut that, and then turn the board through 180 degrees and cut the other. Re-set the margin guide to 3" and, using your start of cut stop, cut down to the first marked line - which, depending on your cutter, you may have to eyeball. Then cut from the other marked line (ditto ref eyeballing) down to the end of cut stop; repeat on the other side.

[strokebloke]

Thank you John. I'll do a search through the archives.
From what you have described it seems that I did very much that. So at least I know I'm not so far away.
I enjoy the challenge of thinking/setting out/adapting where necessary

[Jonny2morsos]

I am not familiar with your mountcutter but on the Keencut Ultimat there is a start cut "thingy" which looks like this:

ufhs3[1].png (33 KiB) Viewed 4994 times

When cutting a single aperture it rests against the edge of the board (having been calibrated) when you plunge the blade in at your set measurement. So when you do a double aperture and want to cut the lower aperture you return the "thingy" to zero and plunge the blade in when the "thingy" is lined up with your pencil mark you have drawn.

End of cut is not so easy as you have to find the end point by trial and error against your drawn line but when you find it you make a pencil mark on the blade holder which lines up to the end of cut point you have found.

As Robo' says this is easier to grasp if you can see it being done.

[Roboframer]

Once you're handy with single mount multi-apertures - and not just all in a line, or even all the same size, try a double mount multi aperture. It's not that difficult.

Lightly fix the top and bottom mount together with double-sided tape and make the bottom mount ever so slightly smaller than the top mount (so's you don't have to worry about lining the two boards up perfectly)

Plot & cut the bottom mount's apertures with the top mount acting as a slip sheet - the blade will lightly score the top mount which will save you having to plot it the same PITA way as you plotted the bottom mount, all you need do is 90 degree cut a sliver of board as wide as you want for the reveal of the bottom mount - say 5mm - and use it as a rule against the score marks.

[retropic]

Jack

I looked for a YouTube video when I wanted to cut a double mat.

I think this was the one, but there are many others which you might find easier to follow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HaN8AFQnoA

As Roboframer says, much easier to follow a demo than to follow written instructions!

Good luck

[IFGL]

wow I like that little tip Robo, that would have saved me hours of plotting the second mat BCmc.

I was proud of this one, cut on my Ultimat gold.

I cut the top mat first, used tiny bits of tape to hold fall outs in, then cut my bottom mat 10 mm smaller than the top one and stuck them together. that way I could see the ends of the lines I drew for the top mount, I then used those to make sure I plotted the bottom mount correctly.
when the bottom mat is cut, the fall outs for the top mat are used as the slip mat. The whole process took 2 hours Hope this makes sense.

In any case robo's trick is better.

[GeoSpectrum]

if "The whole process took 2 hours" what did you charge for that element of the job? 2 hours labour? I'm not sure I could be competitive doing that unless I was charging 6 quid an hour....

[strokebloke]

Thank you all, sincerely.

IFGL I'm very impressed with that one - You may be justifiably proud.

Jon, thank you for the YouTube - I'll watch that, with interest, this evening.

John, thank you for the encouragement, and for the tips. Excellent

I have a lot of practicing to do