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Using the Accuquilt Studio Fabric Cutter


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Does anyone sit while you cut with your Studio cutter?  I'm considering building a cabinet for the one I just bought my wife.  I'm sure she would prefer to sit and cut with it, if that's workable.  I'm looking for pros and cons on using it while seated.  

 

What is the optimum cabinet height for sit down use?  How much space is needed to use it comfortably? (how much room do you need on each end of the machine)  What size should the drawers be?  Do you need a knee "hole" to use it comfortably, or can you sit parallel to it?  How sturdy does it have to be?  Do you need room or accommodations for scraps?  Anything else I should be thinking about?

 

Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts and experiences.  Jim 

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Hi Jim,

I don't think you can sit and use the studio. The die tray travels too far and you have to catch it as it gets to the end, esp. if using one of the longer dies, like the strip dies. 

If you had a longer roller bed to hold the tray, then it might be possible, but since you have to be able to place the fabric on the die, you would need to grow longer arms:)

 

Some day, I am going to make an extension for the roller bed so the die tray can be rolled all the way out without falling off the end. I can't understand why they did not make that longer in the first place! It just needs another 4 inches on each end. Once yours arrives, you will understand what I'm trying to describe.

 

My studio is on a narrow table and I wish I did have a place to lay the cut pieces and the fabric to be cut. 

Debbie

 

PS. my boards are stored on shelves. One to a shelf. You don't have to have the actual shelf, just the brackets. I use the shelf strips that have slots for brackets so it is easy to add more dies, just add another set of brackets. 

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I can't imagine turning the crank from a seated position, even with the shorter tray & smaller dies.  I do have to 'catch the tray' when using the long tray & strip dies.  I keep my cutter on a rolling metal kitchen cart from IKEA.  This way, I can scoot the whole thing up against the wall & out of the way when not in use.  I store my dies on the lower shelves in the cart and on wire racks (from Accuquilt) mounted on the wall above.   Nancy in Tucson

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I frequently sit and cut with mine. No problem at all.  I move the cutter over to my cutting table and it works fine. Knee room is very nice and easier on the back. I can't stand for very long at a time. If you want me to I can measure some of my drawers for you. I also had a torn rotator cuff on my dominate arm and I can still sit and cut. My biggest tray is big enough to accommodate the 24" boards so you would need at least 60" to be able to load the tray...run it through...and take it off the other end I would think.

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Mine Studio sits on one of those 3' folding tables that you can get at Costco, Home Depot, and other places. (Don't get the one that folds in the middle - just the one that the legs fold up!) That seems to be the perfect height for me. I have never tried to use it sitting down so I don't know how that would work.

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Jim,

 

I have mine sitting on top of a long dresser.  I don't usually sit while cutting but I would love to.  If I had all my dreams I would have it still as wide as I have it on the dresser (2 drawers width x 3 drawers high) but have room for my legs.  I would also have a table to my right where I can lay out the fabric and cut out pieces, L shape I guess.  I have the large tray out almost all the time because I mostly use the strips.  I do own a smaller tray but I don't think I've ever even used it.  Not worth the effort to change it out.  I like that I have enough room on top of the dresser to have the cutter in the middle and the large tray can easily cut in both directions without obstruction.  I do use a piece of batting under the tray so it stays up and doesn't tip when it goes out the other end.  I added 2 2x4's underneath the dresser legs to bring the height up.  I'm 5' 8" so I needed it higher.

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We set up the Studio Cutter yesterday.  We've set it on one of the empty sewing work stations in our studio.  The work station is 60" long which appears to be long enough to accommodate everything.  The work station is open underneath so there's room for storage and knees.  I made several portable accessory tables a while back that clamp to the edge of a table.  We've set one of those on the right end to form Heidi's "L" configuration.  We did nothing more than test it to make sure everything worked right, but it seems to work fine from a sitting position.

 

I see what Debbie means about the roller set up.  The tray will fall off if you're not careful.  I think that it was designed originally for the smaller tray and die set up.  Then they developed the long strip dies, but didn't change up the roller configuration.  At any rate, I built 2 10" long out feed tables to set at each end, which I think will solve the problem.  They are sloped at the same angle as the rollers and I think they will provide any support the tray might need.  I also built a simple rack to hold the dies we have.  I intend on simply setting it under the work station.  Neither the extension tables, nor the die rack has been tried yet, so I don't know how well each will work.

 

We were impressed with how nicely it worked.  Again, we just did a simple test, but the results were great.  I've already ordered another die LOL.  Jim

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Looks like I had another post that didn't "take".  Yesterday I tried my new out feed tables.  I discovered that the rollers are not pitched -they're parallel to the table top- it's the top of the roller rack that's tapered.  So if you build yourself a set, don''t bother tapering the table supports.  Just flat at a finished 3.5 inches will serve you well. 

 

I've turned mine around so the low end is nearest the machine, and the high end is furthest out.  They work just fine that way.  The big tray won't tip off the machine now.  That'll teach me to pay closer attention to exactly how things are built.  LOL.  Jim

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Nothing slow about me.

 

I've been thinking about sitting and wondering why we don't try it!

 

Reason found.. we don't have anything low enough to put the Studio on,

and sitting on a stool just wouldn't cut it with the distance we'd have to

move to get more fabric. 

 

Nope, we don't sit, and for now,  nothing more convenient is available.

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