The Framers Forum

I am having problems cutting larger mounts on a Keencut Ultimat Futura that was purchased last November. When cutting further down the machine the blade doesn't go all the way through the mountboard without the blade being extended far too much which causes hooking. Smaller mounts are not giving me any problems.

I believe the problem to be a very small dip in the base of the machine more than likely caused by the surface the machine is on flexing slightly. (Inch thick plywood). What I need to know is would a metal top workbench such as thick steel or cast iron solve the problem or is there any possibility that this is a problem with the mountcutter itself? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. As would any recommendations for a good workbench to put it on.
I'm using a regular 1400 micron thick white core board and the problem is the same with different makes of board. I use genuine Keencut blades. There is nothing obvious with the machine such as play in the cutting head and its not out of square.

Thanks in advance..

I suggest trying an offcut of kitchen worktop if you're worried about flexing. That solved the issue for me.
It's worth giving Keencut a call too, they're very helpful.

The cutter depends on a good solid base. A slight dip will cause this problem. You could try adding a few shims of
card or whatever underneath and see if it's any better. Mountcutters work best when installed in a permanent position.

Check the silicone rubber cord under the cutter bar is pushed all the way home along the entire length and also put a long straight edge along it to make sure the cutter bar itself is not slightly bowed

If all seems well regarding all the tips and info so far, and it’s still happening, give keencut a call.

Keencut supply rubber bumpers to be placed evenly along the base. If using these, make sure that you have them in the right places. if some have been dislodged, then it can cause this too.

Not sure if this counts as a bodge and it's not something I've been taught to do, but as I pull the cutter with my right hand I use my left hand (finger) to hold the edge of the guide down onto the mountboard just ahead of where the blade is. i.e. I slide my left hand along just ahead of the cutter.

Do other people not do this?

Hi, you didn't mention if you bought the machine new? As Justintime mentioned it is critical that the rubber bumpers are in place, you can always add more and it has to be on a perfectly flat surface, if you speak to Keencut these are the first things they will ask you

I had a similar issue and after speaking to Andy (who was incredibly helpful btw) it turned out to be related to the one of the components & that was replaced under warranty.

I'm not sure on the exact name of the part but it's the main bit that sits on top of the mountboard during cutting, the cutting head slides on it

One test you can do is simply place a mountboard under the bar and drop the bar as if you were about to cut it. Visually check that it is sitting perfectly flush along the entire length of the mountboard. *There was a little publicised production problem for a short while which caused the bar to warp, causing it to lift away from the mount at one end only slightly but enough to cause the problem you describe, hence the importance of contacting the Keencut UK engineer. If this is shown to be the cause, they will send out a replacement bar straight away.