Veneer guillotine for parquetry.

[sihollies]

Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone could please impart their knowledge & experience?

I am a hobbyist that works mainly with veneers, and have a keen interest in parquetry.

Up until now I have cut each piece with a scalpel or a fine toothed 'Zona' saw, but I am wanting to speed up the cutting process and I am aware that there are craft guillotines available that may help me cut the individual pieces quicker.

I have obviously searched online, but the guillotine/cutters that first appear on the search appear quite cheap and the cutters that seem of a higher quality only seem to cut angles to a maximum of 45 degrees.

Could anyone here please suggest a reasonably priced / quality product that accommodates my requirements.

As always,
thanks in advance.

Simon

 

[Inspector]

Would a paper cutter / guillotine work? At work we used to use one to cut brass shim stock up to .5mm.

Pete

 

[sihollies]

Cheers Pete,
I appreciate your input, and the one that you use at your work may be adequate but I am looking for a specific recommendation/product that will cut the required angles and material. I.e wood veneers..

Again, thanks
Simon

 

[--Tom--]

There’s a veneer guillotine on eBay if you want something serious

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204270574969

 

[Inspector]

I was thinking along the lines of the old style ones that had the scimitar style blade like this. https://www.amazon.ca/Westcott-Guil...locphy=9104885&hvtargid=pla-365069353093&th=1 It can cut a maximum of 3mm of paper so I think a sheet of veneer wouldn't stand a chance.

Then I ran across this type that can cut up to 3cm at a time. I assume there are more robust ones out there.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/37428433...%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2047675&epid=27058570012 You would have to figure out a way to mount an adjustable mitre gauge or attach different triangles for angles.

If you are looking for bigger capacities then you'll have to hunt down a saw of some kind.

Pete

 

[sihollies]

Thanks Tom, but that looks a little to big for my hobby needs.

I was thinking in the same lines as 'inspector's suggestion but I will need an adjustable fence for differing angles that I would need to cut. (up to 60 degrees)

The item below is similar to what I think I need, but this specific one looks a little bit cheap / light weight and can't seem to find a more robust one.

https://www.hobbies.co.uk/multi-ang...e5bPt00H2Cjb2R9lvQ36Q3v-88NdWFdEaAt9IEALw_wcB
Thanks again
Simon

 

[--Tom--]

Floorers use something that’d do the job
E.g.

https://floormart.co.uk/roberts-professional-flooring-cutter

 

[Droogs]

picture framers guillotine like this on the bay
or if you intend to do a lot
https://www.scosarg.com/morso-fille...MIrPC2nuf1_QIVTAmLCh2w_AvlEAQYByABEgKg9vD_BwE

 

[sihollies]

As always, thanks for all your input, but I only make small items, so have opted for the following product.

https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/mitre-cutter-rp-toolz-rp-cutr-p17221/
Thanks again,
Simon

 

[MichelleHarelle]

Hi Simon, I know this is an old post but just wondering if the mitre cutter ended up working for the veneers? I'm also looking to speed up veneer cutting but can't find any information on anything like this, everyone seems to cut them by hand.
Thank you,
Michelle

 

[sihollies]

Hi MIchelle,
It works perfectly for my needs, as I cut a large amount of small pieces of veneer for the work I usually do, but please be aware that the blade is only about 25-30 mm in length so you will be limited in the width of veneer that you can cut
I used to cut them by hand, but after a couple of home made jigs were made for the guillotine, it is definately faster and the cut is clean too.
I've no reason not to trust the angle/degrees markings on the included fences, but I set the angle of the cut using a digital angle finder or set square as feel it should be more accurate.

Hope this helps and if you need any more answers, please feel free to ask.

Good luck in what you are doing.
Simon

 

[MichelleHarelle]

Hi MIchelle,
It works perfectly for my needs, as I cut a large amount of small pieces of veneer for the work I usually do, but please be aware that the blade is only about 25-30 mm in length so you will be limited in the width of veneer that you can cut
I used to cut them by hand, but after a couple of home made jigs were made for the guillotine, it is definately faster and the cut is clean too.
I've no reason not to trust the angle/degrees markings on the included fences, but I set the angle of the cut using a digital angle finder or set square as feel it should be more accurate.

Hope this helps and if you need any more answers, please feel free to ask.

Good luck in what you are doing.
Simon

Hi Simon,
Thank you for your response. I also cut a large amount of small pieces so the size is no problem. My finger gets so sore from pushing on the scalpel for so long so I'm super excited to have this instead.
Going to order some extra blades at the same time, do find the 0.3mm or the 0.25mm blade to be the best?
Thanks again.
Michelle.

 

[XTiffy]

I still have a large paper guillotine (the label reads IDEAL Solid-made in West Germany), that I used for veneer cutting in my workshop. This has a capacity under the blade of approx. 33cm. I still use it for paper and it will cut quite a stack. If you can find a secondhand ex-office guillotine it would do what you want. This machine has press bar to hold the paper in place when cutting.

 

[sihollies]

The paper guilontine suggestion could be a good shout, but to answer MIchelle's question regarding the blade thickness, I generally use the 0.3mm blade.
A word of warning: be careful, as it is very easy to nick yourself on the blade when the arm is in the raised position!!.

Just for oinformation, I use a Swann Morton No5 with the acrylic handle, of which i sand the acrylic in places so it fits my hand/fingers better and find that that offers a bit of relief when cutting for extended periods. I have also moulded 'Polymorph' around some of my metal scalpel handles, so it fits my hand nearly perfectly.


Good luck & hope this helps?
Simon