The Framers Forum

Can I please ask for some advice

I have recently bought a Keencut Excalibur 5000 off eBay. What a great piece of kit - speeds up sheet cutting no end.

The only problem is that I find that I often crack a corner off a sheet of glass while inserting it into the cutter. I am sure this is due to ineptitude / clumsiness on my part but I wonder if it is possible to line the bottom channel with something a little softer (e.g. rubber) to give the glass a softer landing. Actual cutting is no problem at all. It's just the process of inserting the glass.

Any tips or advice gratefully received.

I have used a wall mounted glass cutter for over 25 years. They all have a hard surface for the glass to slide on. If the sliding surface were soft, it would be cut to shreds in no time.

It just takes practice, practice, practice.

Yeah, what Jerome said.

A lot of the guys here have the same problem at first, just takes practice.

I keep a clean paintbrush beside it to clear the bottom bit of any little chips or shards of glass. This seems to help, keeps the surface good and slidey.

I tried laying a strip of wood in the channel. Not a great success.

kartoffelngeist wrote:Yeah, what Jerome said.

A lot of the guys here have the same problem at first, just takes practice.

I keep a clean paintbrush beside it to clear the bottom bit of any little chips or shards of glass. This seems to help, keeps the surface good and slidey.

Glad I'm not the only one

I had the same problem but I've lined the channel with strips of styrene glazing stuck down with double sided tape and it works !
The glass does not slide as easy but its not a big deal to take the weight of the glass gently off the channel and ease it along carefully.
The styrene is showing sign of wear and tear after 2 or 3 years and as soon as things slow down in January this is up for replacement

An occasional application of silicone spray along the bottom channel will help.

breaking glass can be expensive!! when you put the glass on to the channel check that the channel on the other side of the cut is either perfectly level or a fag paper below the channel the glass is first put onto, I work by putting the glass in from the right hand side, perhaps you could try putting yours in from the opposite side, that is if you work that way, just slide it along from the other side.

I have found a simple solution.

I cut 2 strips of mountboard 14mm and 20mm wide. They fit snugly into the channels and provide the necessary soft landing for glass.

Sure they will get damaged and worn but replacements are readily available.

I've used one for about a year now, you just have to learn to be more careful putting it down.

You will get there just take it slowly, I started the same.