Logan mat cutter question

[D. Bryant]

My personal choice is the Fletcher line of 2000 cutters which are excellent. Sometimes it is worth the extra money to buy top of the line and pro rate the expense over many years. Just a thought.

I agree completely, the Fletchers are excellent and a joy to use.

Don Bryant

[Vaughn]

Vaughn,

I would strongly disagree, especially with the 301 model. 8 ply is virtually impossible to cut straight with this model. I have no experience with the other Logans.

Don Bryant

You may be correct about the 300 series. I just looked at a 300 series...I think I could cut a perfect 8-ply window with it after some practice. But since it a "push" design, it could be difficult to get perfect corners. In general I would recommend the 700 series...which is pulled towards oneself.

My experience is with the 700 series and I have cut many many 8-ply windows (mostly 8x10 holes in 16x20 boards) with perfect corners, and with very rarely a mis-cut. My method is to start the cut early with two or three passes just past the start mark, then plunge the blade in all the way at the start mark and do a single pass to the finish mark. Starting this way keeps the blade from flexing.

Vaughn

[Drew Wiley]

I have an older Logan more expensive than what they make nowadays. It has been
heavily used and is still reliable. If I was buying something equivalent new, it would
be a Fletcher. I wouldn't dream of cutting 8-ply ragboard on either of these. Maybe if
my fingers were a lot younger I could suceed at it. I'm seriously considering buying a
pneumatic cutter from either Fletcher or Speedmat.

[SaveBears]

I have a heck of a time with the 301 and 8 ply, it can be done, but you will not get clean corners, It works good with the 4 ply, which is what I cut normally.

[Wilbur Wong]

As a little follow up, I have cut 4 ply mats for over 40 years with a hand held Dexter "bug". When I decided to start cutting 8 ply, I knew that a Dexter would be challenged to cut that deep. I was loaned a Logan 301, and decided that it also would not be much of an advantage in cutting action and predictability. That's when I bought my 650 which works very accurately in my hand.

I would not call it foolproof if you do not pay close attention to your actions, but it is capable of cutting mats accurately enough for me - the largest inaccuracies I have gotten over many mats for 24 x 30 has been well less than 1/32 inch difference from corner to corner. I would want a higher level machine if I were to be cutting a lot of volume, but for my needs, this machine fits my price point nicely.

[Vaughn]

Wilber, I used a Dexter for years, also. After getting a Logan hand unit, I used the Dexter to cut board down to size, since the blade can be set to cut vertically.

I bought the Logan cutter hand-unit new for about $40. It was just the cutter and a scribe for marking the mats (a very handy device!). I used a straight edge and clamps for years to hold the matboard. A workable system that I cut thousands of mats with over the past 25 years. (It is how I earned beer money in college and the years after.) I have retired the original unit recently, though I still use the scribe on it regularly.

I have only been cutting 8-ply for the past few years, but the 700 series Logan (same as my old beast) I use now does a good job.

Vaughn