The Framers Forum

I currently use MDF to back most of my frames and which I use my old System 4000 to cut it on. However, with the glass/board cutting head never working properly since I bought it second hand, I've been thinking about switching to Art Bak and cutting it on my CMC. Anybody else doing this?

It has been a very long time since I switched from MDF to a cardboard type substitute and I have not regretted doing so. I was at one point using Art Bat, but I have ceased to use it. I Don't stock just one variety of backing board, as I prefer a bit of flexibility. I don't think that the corrogated varities of backing board are a good choice for ready made frames as customers may be thinking that their frames are be backed with cheap corrogated cardboard. Even if you explain that this is a modern backing board, they might not br pursuaded that it not some kind of cheap substitute.

However I do stock the Simons Back/0001 which is visually not the most impressive corrogated backing board, but it's useful for cutting up and gluing together for making hidden constructional bits and pieces. I using to Stock CombCore which was a double thickness 5mm thick corrogated backing board and was extremely strong and ridgid, which was ideal for when objects needed to be framed and hung from the backing board faced with mount board. My main backing boards are two fairly solid Simons boards with solid core material, one is an archival backing board and one is a similar board, but brown on both sides.

I cover my bench tops with sheets of grey board and these provide an easy to keep clean surface. When one side get grubby, the grey board can be turned over and when both sides have become grubby the grey board can be discarded, or sometimes made in to spandrels and hand finished as part of interesting frames, althought I don't do this very often.

I have been able to check the stock nimbers of the two previously mentioned Simons backing boards. The Conservation backing board is BACK/10, the inside face is white and and the outer face is a brown kraft outer surface faced both with a water resistant coating and it cuts very cleanly.

The other board is BACK/14 which is faced of both surfaces with a brown kraft surface and also cuts very cleanly.

I tried it for the first the other day. The trouble I found was that the intentional curve in the board made a corner lift as it was cutting, knocked the head, basically messing it up and requiring a reinitialisation. Like I said it was my first time/day on the cmc, so it might just be me?
Are parts not available for the 4000 any more?

The white glass cutting heads are no longer available. Mines a black one but the whole head slides all over the glass and it's impossible to cut mount board straight with it for the same reason. I've tried and tried to get the MDF to cut straight as well but it's always slightly out which is a problem on large pieces that requires trimming with a knife. It is an ex demo machine that was shoved under stairs 25 years ago by a company selling them, and then forgotten about, so I've wondered if it's been damaged at some point. And Keen Cut no longer support them because of the age.

Maybe worth a chat with a service engineer like Peter Stanlick at Framers Equipment Northampton?