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Okay this might start something.
I'm looking to buy a wall mounted sheet Material cutter, but I thought I would ask every one here what their views are on the best one's.
I know that every one has their own views as to what is the best.
But thought it might be good to get different views on the one's available.
I've been looking at the Keencut Excalibur 5000, I've got an Ultimat Gold mountcutter which I find very good.
I use a Keencut System 4000 which is O.K. and where I used to work they had an excalliber 5000 which was also O.K., but they switched to a Fletcher Terry 3001 which everyone thought was the best, as the clamping system worked better and it was almost no maintenance at all.
This was in a very busy workshop where everything got hammered all day long, so almost no maintenance was really something.
Having said that the Keencut has plenty of good points and stands on it's own legs, whereas the Fletcher has to be fitted directly onto a wall and does not touch the floor, which is more fuss to set up. The Fletcher also cost more to buy. Both the Fletcher and the Keencut are excellent machines and give good service.
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
We have had the Excalibur 5000 now for nearly 4 years. Most impressed with it
I have just changed the glass cutting wheel/head. The beast gets a lot of usage and I have not had any problems at all with any of the working parts.
I for one would certainly have another one.
I echo Kevs comments. If you are down this way then pop in and have a look/play.
Hi
Thanks for the offer you guys, but unfortunately I'm tied up with a lot of work so won't get the chance. Would fancy a trip to Cornwall
lovely part of the Country.
Used to use a System 4000 when I was employed
( far away look of regular hours and weekends off mmmmm......... ) until my work colleague trash it, bit heavy handed
I'll look into the Fletcher machine.
Thanks for the feed back it's good to hear from people that actually use them
And now here are the good points...
Having the Fletcher screwed to the wall suits me. The Keencut standing on the floor would not. Also if you have two stops (one for the short measurement and on for the long) they can be as close as 28mm from each other where as (I think) the Keencut is 75mm. And the same stops are used on the left and the right arms. It has never let me down and the only parts that need changing are the blades (the rotary cutter goes on forever). The clamp is thinner than the clamp on the Keencut.
Over all the Fletcher is by far the sexier of the two machines and worth the extra one or two hundred quid.
All of the washers on the Fletcher are ethically sourced from a fair trade factory in Peru and the aluminium is recycled from old NASA spacecrafts. Each machine is hand built by skilled engineers who have undergone 34 years training and each one takes 4 years to build in a sterile environment.
Carlsberg don’t make upright board cutters but if they did it would be a Fletcher.
I love my Fletcher 3100!!!
(The only down side I can see is that it only comes with one stop. But you can buy more… you will need two stops to be able to work faster)
(Please note. Some of the above might not be 100% true)
I also have a Fletcher 3100 and really love working with it. If you get one, be sure to leave enough space to the left to allow a full sheet of glass to be placed on it. I have to push stored moulding out of the way.
Just to add a bit of balance to this one sided set of recommendations, I've been using the Excalibur 5000 for over a year and a half with no probs. The reason I chose it over anything else was the rotating toolhead - As I work on my own, and do each frame glass/mountboard/backing as I go, I didn't want to be faffing about changing toolheads. If I was doing work in batches, I would have chosen the Fletcher.
Hi Spit,
I have just opened my own business, even though I've been framing for 2o years and I've just got a Excalibur 5000, I just wonder if you had any problems with the couterbalance for the top cutting head, mine runs up and down the right hand leg, or should I say it should run but it's realy tight and sticks at the top of the leg, do you have any advice ?
Steve n
Steve CEO GCF (020) Believed in Time Travel since 2035
My System 4000 had no balance weight when I bought it, unfortunately that's one of the spares no longer available from Keencut. To be honest what I've never had I don't particularly miss. I've since then been led to understand that some framers deliberately remove the balance weight, because they prefer the machine without it. I'm not aware of why this should be, but it does not make a great deal of difference in the usability of my machine.
Also regarding the Fletcher 3100, the interchangable tool post are not only really quick to change, but have the added advange that you don't have to periodically adjust the slack in the rotating toolhead on the Excalibur or System 4000, as wear occurs. Where I used to work, the Fletcher 3100 was supplied and installed by Peter Stanwick from framers equipment and he fitted a small plastic storage bin onto the horizonal arm of the machine to store the other two tool posts when not in use. As far as I know, during all the time I was there, we never lost or mislaid any of the tool posts. If anyone is worried about losing the interchangable toolposts, then worry no more and fit a suitable plastic storage bin!
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
The blue plastic ‘storage bin’ type box is standard equipment that comes with the Fletcher, along with a brush to clean the dust and debris off the machine.
And yes, it’s very quick to change the cutter heads, just a few seconds.
thought that this might start something, well it's been very informative.
I didn't know that the Terry had changeable heads, as I've said before I used a System 4000 and I like that the cutting tools are on the head makes for a fast change, I do relies that everybody has their own way of working but I like this,
so I'll probably get the Keencut.
I'll let you know how I get on, thats my Christmas project for this year, major move round of the workshop.
We have had a Fletcher wall mounted cutter (the 3000 I think) for over 20 years that we use primarly for glass cutting - we use a guillotine for board.
The machine has given us 20 years of almost trouble free service. We have had to replace the ptfe bushes on the cutter holder (between the holder and the vertical tubes), the blade holder block need replacing and the right hand board support wore through. The only problem we have now is getting the spares as it is such an old machine - the cutter block we had to get direct from Fletcher in the States, the RH support was not available and we had to fabricate one from a bit of aluminium window frame ( I used fabricate as it sounds better than bodge!) The new support does the job perfectly. We bought a few ptfe bushes so should be Ok for a few years yet!
Overall, very pleased with the Fletcher and would certainly buy another should it not last for another 20 years, (assuming I do of course!)
I have no experience of other board cutters so I have no idea how it compares.
It's a good thing the comments about the blue box are from framers not a supplier. If one of us had written that we'd be crucified.
That box holds a lethal mix of sharp blades on heavy bits of metal. You use your fingers as a stirrer at your own risk.
You should find that each of the carriers has a hole in (I know, because many years ago I worked hard on the Fletcher people to get them to drill those holes).
Much safer to put a row of nails or screws in the wall and hang the carriers on those. That also speeds up switching and stops the tip of the blades getting damaged.
Hi
Said that I'll let everyone know how I got on with the Keencut.
Other than a major move round of the workshop. Found stuff that I'd forgotten all about, and a small mountain of rubbish later, It's up.
Thank for all the comments and info.
Can't wait to start using it.
) until my work colleague trash it, bit heavy handed 
