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Keencut ACE

Posted: Tue 01 Nov, 2016 7:16 pm
by Bristolguy
Hi
I have just bought a Keencut ACE and starting out with framing. I'm struggling with the basics and wondered if anyone could help - or if there are any videos out there. I have searched youtube but cant find any for this machine.
Please reply if you're willing to help!
Many thanks

Re: Keencut ACE

Posted: Tue 01 Nov, 2016 11:00 pm
by Not your average framer
The first Keencut mountcutter that I had was a Keencut Dart, which was a cut down version of the Keencut Ace. Apart from the length of the base board, all the construction is identical. It is a very old machine and the availability of any spare part for this machine is likely to be a problem at best.

Unfortunately, it is designed to use stanley knife blades in both cutting positions. It worked quite well with the older neutral pH type mountboards, but now that most users are using White Core, or Conservation mountboards, you need to be very careful of your chioce of mountboard.

Any really dense mountboards, will soon show the machines limitations when using the stanley knife type blades and does tend to result in hooked cuts at the start of the cut. There was a manual for the machine, which I remember as being not all that helpful. As far as I can make out these machines were probably produced during the 1980's, or there abouts.

In this day and age, the Keencut Ace does not rate as a particularly great machine and is not all that easy to adjust before use. I got my Keencut Dart secondhand sometime in the 1990's and it was considered old and out dated even then. I am sorry to say this, but to be truthful, neither the Dart, or the Ace compare well against modern types of mountcutters.

Re: Keencut ACE

Posted: Wed 02 Nov, 2016 9:18 am
by Steve N
I see you are in Bristol, we are in Bath, I have a Keencut Dart hanging around here, my first mountcutter, so lots of memories, so not getting rid of, but if you want to contact me, you could come over and I will show you all the ins and outs of the wonderful world of mount cutting