Mat Cutter Storage

[gary892]

Greetings, I have a Logan 750 framers edge mat cutter that, according to Logan, should be stored flat.

I have been storing it on top of a roiling cart for as long as I have owned it, which is several years.

I have reached a certain age (70+) and my health is declining which makes it difficult to lift the mat cutter to the top of the shelf.

The other shelves on this rolling cart are for my wife's storage so I am not able to use them.

If I store it flat on the floor in my very small work room I will need to move it when I clean and vacuum. If I stand it up then I run the risk of the mat cutter becoming warped according to Logan.

That's the back story, now my question.

If you have a Logan 750 mat cutter, What, where or how do you store it?

Thanks in advance

Gary

[Paul Ron]

sell it and get one of these n a straight edge.
https://www.dickblick.com/products/dexter-mat-cutter/

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

For the past 15 years I have moved mine back and forth from sitting on top of a shelf to having it lean up against a wall. I have never noticed any warp nor change.

[Alan9940]

I store mine in the box it came in on the floor under the large worktable where I store mats, frames, glass, and all the other paraphernalia related to mounting, matting, and framing photographs. When I need to clean under the table, I just pull it out, vacuum, then push it back under. I'm near 70 and, thankfully, I have no trouble moving it around or lifting up on to a table for use.

FWIW, I used one of those Dexter cutters that Paul references for many years before getting the Logan and, IMO, the Dexter cutter is a toy in comparison. I could be that I didn't cut enough mats with the Dexter to get the hang of it, but I find the Logan to be so much easier to use and more precise.

[grat]

I'm completely ignorant of mat cutters, but looking at it, I would think that warping would result from leaning it against something at an angle. Storing it at a true 90 degree vertical angle should be OK.

Maybe something like an L-bracket on the side of the rolling cart, with a bungie cord to keep it flat against the side? Make the base high enough to keep it off the floor, but low enough that you could comfortably tilt it into and out of the base.

[Greg Y]

FWIW, I used one of those Dexter cutters that Paul references for many years before getting the Logan and, IMO, the Dexter cutter is a toy in comparison. I could be that I didn't cut enough mats with the Dexter to get the hang of it, but I find the Logan to be so much easier to use and more precise.

At the price of 32"x40" archival mat boards, a Dexter cutter is a poor choice. Another suggestion would be to try to find a way to hang the Logan cutter on a wall for storage. I found a narrow table and have mine permanently set up in the same room as my rather monstrous Ademco drymount press.

[Drew Wiley]

Either vertical or flat storage should be fine, just not leaning. Or you could take Ron's advice, sell your tractor, and hitch up an armadillo to pull the plow instead; but that option wouldn't appeal much to me.

[Drew Wiley]

Either vertical or flat storage should be fine, just not leaning. Or you could take Ron's advice, sell your tractor, and hitch up an armadillo to pull the plow instead; but that option wouldn't appeal much to me. If it's getting cumbersome to lift, you could permanently attach it to the top surface of a fold-up work table.

[seall]

The bed could quite possibly be held flat by attaching the unit to a well made extruded aluminum ladder with say 6 rungs and using right angle brackets to hold it together, that's the type of extrusion that they are making cnc printers and routers from.

I would guess that 60x30mm or 80x40mm section should be enough to keep it flat.

It's then quite straight forward to create the extra framework to hinge onto a small frame attached to the wood or bricks in your wall so you can fold it up and out of the way either unaided or with a small pulley system.

If you have the wall space you may be able to extend the end section to provide permanent support for the protruding right angle bar to keep it accurate.

Not so cheap but a workable solution.

[John Olsen]

Standing nearly straight up for the last 30 years or so has been fine for more than a thousand mattings. The company's warning is a worst case scenario, I think. Good luck with that aging process - I'm there too.

[Renato Tonelli]

I hang mine on the wall - it is supported all around; I haven't noticed any warping issues but honestly, I use it so little of late.
I still have the Dexter - it's fine with some patience and a lot of practice but I would hesitate to go back to it.

[Drew Wiley]

I'd love a big Speedmat. They start around $3500. It would save a lot of stress on the fingers; but now that I'm retired and use a computer keyboard far less, my hands and fingers have dramatically improved, so the Logan linear cutter is still adequate for intermittent usage. I have a somewhat more expensive earlier model, but it's also built atop some kind of coated MDF board, not exactly an ideal material, but not exactly bad either, and it's never warped. I wouldn't leave one out in a damp shed.

[John Layton]

While I've stored my old C+H cutter flat for years...the comp-board base still exhibits a very slight amount of bow - but this does not affect its accuracy/usability in the least.

[Jim Jones]

The Dexter produces cuts as well as any other system, but with more skill required. Also Dexter blades are more expensive, but in my experience many years ago, they last much longer than razor blades. I eventually shifted from Dexter to a Logan 4000. It's easier to use.

[Drew Wiley]

I gave up on that Dexter within a few weeks, sixty years ago. It's fine for art students, but not for any kind of serious production. In terms of razor blade quality, you have to find domestically made ones, and tailored for the specific mat thickness you are working with; it makes a big difference.

[Luis-F-S]

Greetings, I have a Logan 750 framers edge mat cutter that, according to Logan, should be stored flat.

That's the back story, now my question.

If you have a Logan 750 mat cutter, What, where or how do you store it?

Thanks in advance

Gary

I'm not sure which mat cutter I have, but its similar to the Logan. I store it vertically in it's box and have done so for years!

[Eric Woodbury]

Probably because it has a cheap particle board support. Add a couple of lengthwise stiffeners to it so it won't ever sag and store it anywhere you want.

[A mechanical engineer should check this, but stiffness increases by approximately the cube of the thickness in the direction of force.]

[Drew Wiley]

More likely MDF, not cheap particle board. Not many mfg use old style junk particle board anymore except Ikea; fortunately, they don't make mat cutters. But if you need a "collapsible" cabinet to set your cutter on, now you know where to look.

[gary892]

Fist off, thanks to everyone for the reply's, lots of interesting life experiences.

I have used the Dexter mat cutter and I became proficient with its use(still have it). Others have already stated about the blade choice and availability. I gave up using it when my arthritis interfered with my grip on the mat cutter.

In the mid to late 70's I bought the Alto's "EZ Mat System" and struggled to make acceptable cuts. Learned my lesson on that one.


The logan mat cutter I now have is easy to use, makes straight cuts and I have become proficient at using it. It will most likely be my last mat cutter.

So after long talks with myself and my wife I will now store the mat cutter in the original box on the floor. I am currently rearranging some things to make room and to keep it out of the way.

Again Thanks to everyone for the reply's it's always nice to read others personal experiences.

Gary