Recommendations for Wall Mounted Glass Cutter

[Linda Gilpin]

Hello - I'm interested in getting a wall mounted glass cutter for cutting full sheets. I've got a great saw for the medium sized pieces, but struggle when I'm starting with a full sheet. Can anyone recommend a good brand, and features I should look for in this cutter? I've found a couple of used Fletcher cutters, but don't know what to think about them. Any websites you'd recommend? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

[Brad Walker]

What advantage would a wall mounted cutter give you over a tabletop mounted strip cutter?

[Morganica]

I can think of a few advantages, the best being space-saving. In my studios, every available horizontal surface is taken and then some. If I could set a cutter up vertically, like the big panel cutters you see at the lumberyard, I'd be able to cut full sheets quickly without eating up precious tablespace.

It might also make it a little easier for us vertically challenged folk to position and cut for streaky patterns. When you have to streeeeeetch horizontally across a big sheet of glass to cut it, it's a little harder to see the whole sheet. And if you could put padded rollers or some such on the bottom supports, the way they do with big glass panel trucks, it'd make maneuvering those giant 6mm sheets of Tekta a bit easier, too.

Hmmmm. Maybe I need me one of these things!

[Stephen Richard]

Most picture framing suppliers sell these, as they are the most common means of cutting glass for the covering of pictures. They normally have a breaking device incorporated for use after scoring.

[GuyKass]

Linda-

I've only known one person who had one, and she/they hated it. (In fact it is now sitting on the floor, in the corner, of my shop.)

She owns a "make your own glass studio" and it didn't work for them at all.

I am sure she would be more than happy to talk to you, she is very intelligent and nice.

Her name is Stacey at 973-656-0800. Her website is: umakeglass.com.

You can drop my name, we are good friends.

Guy

[Brad Walker]

I can think of a few advantages, the best being space-saving. In my studios, every available horizontal surface is taken and then some. If I could set a cutter up vertically, like the big panel cutters you see at the lumberyard, I'd be able to cut full sheets quickly without eating up precious tablespace.)

I'm not sure that the advantage of saving space is offset by the difficulty of using the unit. I have had two people who own wall-mounted cutters ask me to help them replace it with a table mounted system. The reason is that if you're cutting very large pieces of glass (especially thick pieces of glass), it's really awkward to lift the piece up and control it after you've cut. The wall-mounted systems are usually best for thin picture frame glass, not thicker (3mm or 6mm or even more) glass. With a table mounted system, you can slide the glass into place, score, then break and slide off again. It's also a bit awkward, but not as bad as trying to lift the glass even higher off the floor to get it onto a wall mounted system. It's also easier to stretch across a sheet of glass when it's laying flat that when you have to stand on tiptoes to reach the top.

The best compromise I've seen is someone who mounted the table top cutter on a piece of plywood that was hinged so it could be folded back out of the way when not in use.

[JestersBaubles]

I can think of a few advantages, the best being space-saving. In my studios, every available horizontal surface is taken and then some. If I could set a cutter up vertically, like the big panel cutters you see at the lumberyard, I'd be able to cut full sheets quickly without eating up precious tablespace.

The only thing that keeps my workspace relatively tidy is that i have to clean it up to cut large sheets.

Dana W.

[Bert Weiss]

Gravity is critical to cutting glass. I often cut big sheets of glass vertical in the case. These sheets are 48" x 130" x 10mm. If I score directly over one of the pads supporting the glass, it can work fine. If I score between support pads, the score will run off at some point. I can guarantee you that cutting vertically is really tricky. The best scenario would be to have the glass to the left of the cutter sitting higher than the glass being cut off. Gravity would then help the sheet to fall off.

I learned the hard way that when cutting glass horizontally, the same factors apply. You can not separate a sheet of glass on a score, if the shape of the bench, supporting the glass, is concave.

John Groth in Hillsboro OR can custom make a really good, pro grade, cutter.

Helios Glass sells plans to make a cutter.

[Brad Walker]

John Groth in Hillsboro OR can custom make a really good, pro grade, cutter.

Helios Glass sells plans to make a cutter.

At Warm Glass Studio we also sell a table top cutter that's a step up from the Helios plans but doesn't have as many bells and whistles as John Groth's. Kind of a middle ground between the two. In two and three foot sizes: http://www.warmglass.org/servlet/the-13 ... h-3/Detail

(Thinking about it, it wouldn't take much to adapt any of these design to be wall-mounted, but I'm sure that's the best option.)