plate cutter needed

[key cabin]

i Chaps

i am looking for a guilotine or cutter to cut my engraving plates to size, i already have one but it is too small to cut from a full sheet, don't want to be paying thousands for one but can anyone come up with some recommendations???

[grahamparker]

Varga saw if you can get one second hand.

[Craig Gardner]

Varga saw definitely i bought one just over 10 years ago and still works as good as new

 

Craig

[aykfc]

I would not recommend buying a new Varga saw. The support from them is awful. My saw I bought two years ago had almost .020 run-out. The blade literally is able to wiggle back and forth because the blade heel is not wide enough to fit in the groove. I took videos of this and you can hear the clicking sound. Not to mention that you can see where the blade has cut into a metal groove nearest you, that you use to measure the plastic. They sent out three blade heels and it didn't come close to filling the gap. Not to mention the saw has been clogged so many times the screws became stripped from opening the housing and the saw blade chipped and was ruined so I had to buy a new blade. Also, since the saw is able to move left to right, it creates divets in the plastic since it won't cut at a 90 degree angle. The forces from cutting the saw pushes the blade to an angle. The only remedy for a decent job cutting plastic is a brand new sharpened blade. That only helps for about a month before the problem comes back. A person at Varga was helping me fix it. Until he ran out of things for me to try. His response? To stop responding to my emails. I told them about this problem within the one year warranty (which is absurd, a one year warranty on a 3000 dollar saw) and took so long getting back to me the warranty ran out and I was told nothing could be done by the person who sold me the saw. I got the VA-11 and the first one I got was perfect. Accurate and cut great. The speed controller was defective. It would stop and start several times before getting up to speed. Eventually it wouldn't start at all. Instead of sending a speed controller, they sent an entirely new saw. Unfortunately I didn't realize how awful this replacement saw was and sent back the original saw that worked great. Another issue is the right plastic stop is not very accurate. It is able to wiggle left to right when you press the lever to move it up and so the cut can be off almost a 1/32 or more. I had documentation for all of this and they still didn't do anything. I guess I got a lemon because the first Varga was great. I'm just livid I am stuck with a substandard product and the company simply ignored me when they realized the problem. Gravotech did eventually say they could try and repair it if I sent it into them. I do over a 1000 ADA signs a month. I can't be without a saw for a week minimum. Not to mention that if something happens and the saw is lost or broken in transit, it would be a huge problem. It took almost two months to get the second VA-11 saw to me. This was my experience anyways. They can be great saws but if you have an issue don't expect much help.

[grahamparker]

Had one for nearly 20 years had to change the motor once, other than that it is a superb piece of kit.

[Craig Gardner]

Mine is 11 years old had it from new never had an issue

Craig

[hibsjo(SCO)]

Craig is that a gravograph varga saw?

Carry on!