[BKARTS] Kutrimmer

[David & Mary Jane Henley <maryjanehenley@xxxxxxx>]

I've had the Kutrimmer model 1071 for over 2 years and am very happy  
with it.  It is the largest table model.  It has a hand clamp instead  
of the foot clamp the floor models have -- easy to use, once you get  
the hang of it (and remove the cumbersome plastic guard).  My blade  
has never gotten "out of whack", but I would be able to adjust it if  
that happened.

I used a floor model at Penland this past summer for cutting Davey  
board exclusively.  It did a great job, and obviously gets lots of use  
from students.

I cut both Davey board and paper on my table model without changing  
the blade and have not had a problem yet.  I'm thinking of purchasing  
a smaller model (1038) to dedicate to paper, though, since I imagine  
the board dulls the blade faster.  (Be careful if you're looking at  
the smaller table models.  Some don't have the hand clamp, and I hear  
from a friend they don't cut as evenly (she learned the hard way)).

I think it would be a major hassle to change blades depending on what  
you're cutting.  Besides, for the price Paula quoted for a second  
blade, you could purchase a smaller model for cutting paper only.   
You'd just need to cut down parent sheets by hand first for them to  
fit the smaller cutter.

I learned another tip from one of my instructors:  Some Kutrimmer  
owners eventually purchase two blades so they always have one  
available if they send the other for sharpening (they highly recommend  
Paul at Bindery Tools (www.binderytools.com).  Apparently, however,  
you can go several years without sharpening the blade.

There is a much less expensive source than the one Paula mentioned.   
Look at  http://www.abc-i.com/   Their prices are not listed on the  
web site, but they respond quickly to price inquiries.  Several  
friends and I have used this company for our Kutrimmer purchases and  
are very satisfied with their service.

I hope this information helps.

Mary Jane Henley

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