Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin WS
OK. Looks interesting. Thanks for all the explanations and illustrations.
Four questions.....
1. Given its cost, use etc. do you recommend this? And maybe for beginners?
2. Once set up can you cut out multiple circles without have to reset or check the settings?
3. Given set-up times and so forth if you were cutting out a number of different sized circles would it be just as quick to do this by hand?
4. And is the cost just for the cutter, or does it include all the accessories? If not, how much is it for everything shown?
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In my experience:
1. I recommend it, since I was never successful at using a compass circle cutter for anything smaller than 20mm or so, especially on thicker stock, and it does not leave a hole in the middle. I do pretty well cutting circles by hand but nowhere near as accurate as this device. As for beginners, I feel that it can be useful for beginners as it is easy to use, but the cost is significant compared to other items in a paper modeler's toolbox, so there will be a trade off. If you're still practicing cutting and glueing, trying to get the hang of building simpler models, you'd probably be OK with delaying this purchase and cutting circles by hand. Once you have moved up to advanced kits, things like building consistent road wheels for tanks & trains, cylinders for radial engines, etc., this will definitely come in handy.
2. Once you have set the size you want and screwed the lock down on the blade arm, it won't slip. It is very stable and cuts consistently. I have not tried it, but I am certain it can cut lots of circles of the exact same size over and over very quickly. If you are cutting out printed circles from a kit, you will have to reposition it every time, obviously, but can make them all the same size.
3. It will definitely be faster to cut out lots of different sized circles by hand or using a compass style cutter. For me, using this cutter is not a time saving device in that scenario, but it provides much more accurate and clean cuts than I can do by hand. To me that makes it worth the extra time.
4. For the $49.95 price on the website you get the cutter circle, two calibration stickers, the L bracket, the bullseye locator, and one 60 degree blade. The 3 additional 30 degree blades I got were an additional $9.95. The tool feels very substantial and the action is smooth, I think it will last a long time.