Mountboard Cutter for amateur

[lucyH]

Total newbie to this, and I hope this is not too much of a "dumbing down" question.

I'm a just-graduated artist and so far have bought frames/mountboards to sell some of my artwork. In the short term, I still intend to buy frames but I want to cut the mountboards myself - hence I need a cutter.

I'm aware that going for a cheap cutter is a false economy but I do have a limited budget. I can afford to go up to £30 and would be grateful if anybody can recommend one that gives good consistent results and is not too difficult to use.

My artwork is fairly small with typical openings of less than 20cm (ie, about 25 to 35cm frames). I'm only producing about two or three pieces a weeks so it won't get a great deal of use.

Is it possible to get a good manual cutter for £30 or do I have to set my sights (and budget) higher. Any advice on getting good results would also be very much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

[Timh]

I've seen a couple of Logan hand held mountcutters from about £18 ex vat

not bad to use when you get used to them but getting a decent mountcutter would be a better route or even have a chat with your local framer. he will have the right gear for the job
If you are doing smaller pictures, a bad cut mount will be very noticeable

good luck though and all the best in your venture

What sort of artwork are you doing?

[Kwik Picture Framing]

Go on ebay there cheap mount cutters on there. That will get you going.

[An Old Master]

You'll need to realistically spend 150 plus to get anything that will produce acceptable results. 50 quid on a mount cutter would be 50 quid wasted, in my opinion.

[Roboframer]

I had a maped mountcutter in 1994 or so and that was £60 odd then (the straight edge that came with it I've still got, two in fact, they're great)

[janwilsonart]

Hi. I frame my own artwork too, as well as a lot of my students work. I had a Logan but found the results could be a bit hit and miss. A lot of wastage and frustration. I now have a Keencut which is brilliant. Worth spending the extra if you want good, consistent results.

[lucyH]

Thanks for all the replies.

I suspected that I may need to stretch my budget. Looking around a bit more, Logan seem to be a good make. I'd rather get one with a sturdy base (rather than what I would describe as a "ruler and cutter" solution. I've seen these ones (2 and 3 times my initial budget!):

Logan 250 Hobby and Craft Cutter
Logan 301-1 Compact Classic Mount Cutter

Anybody with experience of these? Does anybody know of any similar (and possibly) cheaper ones?

[IFGL]

I have used a logan compact and it was very good.

[Pro-Am]

Back in the 80's when I was a photographer all I used was a hand held cutter and steel ruler and got by just fine. Like you I only had to do a few jobs a week. All it takes is a steady hand and a large flat surface to work on.

[iamzero]

I have a Logan 301-1 with added straight cutter that is for sale but I would want more than £30 for it as it is boxed and hardly used. Great piece of kit though.