Circle cutter

[muffinski]

Going to need a hand held circle cutter which will be used a lot. I am wondering if there is any significant difference between the Logan and the Fletcher as there is not much in the price. I have an oval 6 but am limited with the size of mount board I can use on it and often will have to go to the hand held option.

[prospero]

How big a circle do you want to cut? You can stretch the capabilities of the Oval6 by taking off the clamping arms and taping the board down. Using a slightly oversize board and trimming margins afterwards. The clamps are pretty much useless in my exp. I always tape boards in place.

Getting someone with a CMC to cut them could be a wise move.

[muffinski]

Not much larger than 12" or so , but board might be a2 size

[prospero]

The Oval6 will cope with A2 easily. As long as you have the BIG table. I've done 33x23 ovals on mine.

[muffinski]

How do you secure a mount board larger than the actual turntable?

[Steve N]

I see you are in Gloucestershire, I'm in Bath, with a cmc, you are quite welcome to bring your own mountboard to me and I'll cut it for you anytime you like, just give me a ring first.

[Not your average framer]

Before I bought my Oval 6, I made some enquiries to a well known framing supplier about the Fletcher and the Logan hand held cutters. I was told by this supplier that they sold more of the Logan than of the Fletcher.

The Logan used to cost more than the Fletcher and the blades for the Logan were also significantly more expensive. Both are do the same job equally well in terms of performance, but I understand that the Logan is of an all metal construction, while the Fletcher uses some moulded plastic parts.

If you buy the logan, you will need to buy Logan blades and these are not particularly cheap to buy, where as the Fletcher can be used with either the Fletcher blades, or the Dexter 3 blades. The Dexter 3 blades were a much lower price at the time and probably still are cheaper, although I would check the current price if the blade prices are an important consideration.

There was a larger table available for cutting larger mounts on the Oval 6 and perhaps this is still available.

[prospero]

The usable cutting area for the Oval 6 big table is 800x640mm. If you let the board encroach over the cutting scales around the edge you can fit a board bigger than this on. You could even go bigger if you tack the board to the table with a few dabs of AT tape.

I don't think the Oval 6 is made anymore, but someone must have a big table they don't want somewhere.

Or you could just get a big sheet of 6mm glass (with smoothed edges) and stick it on top of the small table.

[Not your average framer]

I've seen the Logan cutter and it comes in a fairly small box. So will a hand held cutter cut a bigger oval, than the Oval 6?

I would be surprised if it will, as I had always assumed that a hand held cutter can not match the Oval 6 for size of oval which can be cut. Does anyone know this for sure?

BTW, the size of the differential between the two axis dimensions for a hand held cutter is limited to about 2 inches (50mm). Larger ovals usually require a greater difference than this!

[Roboframer]

It's 3" on the Fletcher - I think I still have one - and know I have the Fletcher oval/circle glass cutter, which I use in preference to the oval 6 whenever I can. I only kept my oval 6 (which I never got on with at all) after getting a CMC so I could cut oval glass that the Fletcher glass cutter can't - i.e. too large/small or offset more than 3".

[Roboframer]

I do still have one - can't find any blades, do you want it?

[muffinski]

Thanks for all your response folks.
Prospero -I will try and keep an eye out for the big table you spoke about, I like the glass table idea though.
Appriciate the offer Steven N, if in the area will be sure to pop in.
NYAF -Some really useful information, think I need to have a play around with the oval six, however, its limited in the corner where the long arm is attached to the base as to how big the mount can be because the mount will eventually hit hit and not complete a full cut. I dont need a big circle, its just on some occassions I will need to cut a circle next to a square cut. Most of the tine its going to be tricky to use such along retangle mount board on the oval and I guess thats where the hand held comes into play.
Roboframer if that offer is still on the table I would like to take it please.

[Not your average framer]

its just on some occassions I will need to cut a circle next to a square cut

Ah, now I understand! I had not realised what you are wanting to do and I would say that a hand held cutter is an excellent way of doing what you want to do. This has even got me thinking about some new possibilities. I might even consider getting a hand held cutter to do something similar. I'm often looking for new things which may draw more people into my shop and this could be it.

Another possiblity is the Fletcher 1100 oval mount cutter which has the mechanism mounted above the mount. This means that do don't need to rotate the mountboard at all, but a handheld cutter would work out cheaper.

If you only need to do this occasionally, then the cost of the blades could be less significant to you and if the cost difference between the Fletcher and the Logan is not an issue, then I would tend to choose the Logan, because all the parts are made of metal, making it virtually unbreakable and so it should last you a lifetime.

[muffinski]

Can anyone who owns a Logan hand held oval/circle cutter confirm that the 3 stage mechanism clicks into place? Having watched the promotional video (many times) it seems that you push the lever until in clicks to the relevant stage 1, 2 and 3. The reason I ask this is that the Fletcher hand held mech is something you have to guess at and I am wondering if this is partly why I get inconsistent results. There is a scale on the side but there is still some guess work involved. I am still struggling with circles and I am considering getting the Logan, as the amount of mount board used to practise circles is getting rather expensive!

[Not your average framer]

the amount of mount board used to practise circles is getting rather expensive!

This can happen with the Oval 6 as well.