The biggie
Dahle 585, 43-1/2" blade
Categories: Humor and sarcasm; Projects and equipment
Word count/read time: 450 words; 2 minutes
Like all the ones before it, this one is the best yet.
A paper cutter though? Some things find you, or maybe you find them,
but in any case it is now mine, another one in the steed. But this one is special.
A regional recycling facility in my shop's town accepts recyclables as well as donations (like a thrift store
essentially). Yes, they have A/C inside but what makes it cool is that the donations are put
out for people to take for free! Imagine a thrift store, consignment store, or flea
market without crappy clothes or price tags.
Treadmills, entertainment centers, antique sewing machines...it was an
affluent community. One of those goodies was an Ingento 24" guillotine cutter.
I had been looking for a cutter to save my Dahle from slicing the thin
metal sheeting I use in my artwork even though the company said it was designed to handle
such materials. OK, might as well keep an eye out for one to use at the woodworking area, for sandpaper and
whatnot. Then another, and another.
None of those cut stacks. Miraculously, two stack cutters happened to be for sale weeks apart.
They were both ridiculously good deals and couldn't be passed up. Both like new.
Then Craigslist had the monster of the old Dahle line, the 142, in a galaxy far, far away. It
needed a bit of refurbishing, still could use some more cosmetic work, but what a dream. It
now cuts tissue paper along its entire length.
My tiny rotary cutter does double overtime. It's suited for a cursory slicing now and again.
It's easy to use and convenient
but it does a so-so job. Oh well, need another cutter. Somehow
a 51" rotary cutter popped up twenty minutes away, NIB, for much less than dirt cheap.
This story has a good ending. Soon. Let me tell you about this other situation.
What do you do when there's a $1000 paper cutter selling for $50?
Yes, it is missing some parts but the important ones are present and work.
You add it to your collection, of course.
Now the happy ending. The MacDaddy of limb choppers, the Dahle 585,
is about $2k beyond my budget. It never hurts to look. It's even better to find one nearby, you
guessed it, at a deal too good to ignore. It took many hours to fix some cosmetic
issues, hone the blade, etc.
Like hammers and pliers and dozens of other things - I'm not a hoarder, just an
opportunist - I now have a lifetime supply of paper cutters for every occasion.
Still, my internet searches include the elusive super rotary
and whatever good deals pop up.
Posted by M: November 4, 2019
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