If you regularly frame pictures for your hobby or business, you know how troublesome cutting glass is. Let's look at the challenges to cutting glass manually. If you use a straight edged ruler, and a handheld glass cutter, you will experience some or all of the following problems:
Accuracy - It is quite difficult to hold a ruler securely so that it doesn't "slip" while cutting. Making sure that you hold the glass cutter at the exact angle throughout the cut can be difficult. As you cut larger pieces of glass, these issues become more pronounced.
Cutting Work Space - Do you have the workspace to cut glass efficiently? It takes a good deal of room to lay out the glass and operate effectively. Consider the surface that you cut on. It must be large, steady and extremely flat. If the surface isn't sufficiently flat, you will likely unintentionally break the glass when you begin to cut.
Safety - When you have to work on a large sheet of glass, you open yourself up to potential physical damage. You might slip and cut yourself. You might drop the cut off piece onto your foot and cause damage to your foot or toes. You might have the large piece resting over the edge of the work table, and your customer or workmate might walk into the corner of the glass. These accidents happen.
Time - It takes time to measure twice and cut once. If you are accurate in your measurements, you don't let the ruler slip, and you hold the glass cutter at the exact angle throughout the cut, you will expend an inordinate amount of time to accomplish this task. Inefficient activity causes waste of time, money and it is trying.
Cost - Because you cannot cut glass efficiently, you will very likely make mistakes in measurements. You will have excessive breakage. You will cut glass that is not exactly the dimensions you intend. Consequently, you will end up trying to cut off an eighth inch of glass or make small trims to the glass. This is dangerous and is fraught with failure.
Methods people use to solve these problems - Buy pre-cut glass - If you don't have large volume needs, you can order glass cut to the exact sizes you need from your glass supplier. They will cut it professionally, and it will most likely fit. The cost, of course, will be higher. You won't be able to salvage larger cut off pieces for smaller framing jobs. Finally, you will have to wait until you get delivery - wasting time and money.
Practice with the ruler and handheld glass cutter until you get very skilled - If you have the time and physical strength, you can get very good at cutting glass with the ruler and straight edge. Many framers and framing shops do this as their normal method of cutting glass. It is a viable method of cutting glass - no doubt.
If you are serious about your business, or serious about your hobby, then buy a wall-mounted glass cutter machine.
A wall-mounted glass cutter will increase your accuracy because you don't have to worry about the measuring, holding the straight edge or how you hold the glass cutter.
Cutting large pieces of glass will be just as easy as cutting small pieces.
Glass cutting machines will be safer for you to operate, too.
It will take much less time to cut glass and your breakage costs will fall.
Certain models of glass cutter machines can not only be wall-mounted, but they will have a stand that will allow you to perform this operation away from walls. (In some smaller workshops, there isn't any wall space left.)
A good quality machine designed to cut glass will probably last a lifetime. If you buy one that is intelligently designed, you will be using it for years. Each cut you make will save you time, money, and frustration.
No comments:
Post a Comment