I think it's time I invest in a decent circle cutter and strip cutter. I've been cutting these "the hard way" but it's sometimes tough to get a perfect circle, and accurate strips are sometimes difficult for me, as well. Seems like I spend too much time fighting with these types of shapes, redoing them, etc. There are several brands out there and I've read various reviews, but was just looking for opinions from anyone who has had some luck (good or bad) with any particular brands.
Tracie, there are currently several excellent Circle cutters available at online suppliers. However, just remember that you get what you pay for. My favorite…after buying and using many brands…has always been the Silberschnitt (but I gravitate to Silberschnitt for most tools like their pad strip cutter, the glass cutter etc.). It comes in 2 sizes, depending on the diameter of the circle you want. Best to get the larger because it does them all…small and large. Cheaper is never better, just a waste of money you can put into a good tool. Stained Glass is not a cheap occupation…even for Hobby use.
Toyo makes a good circle cutter and so does Glastar. If you like the Cutter's Mate system, there's a Circle-Pro model. You should expect to pay from $70 to $130 depending on the brand and size. Search the Internet for locations. Here are a couple to start with. Definitely do some price comparison shopping
Thanks so much for the tips! Just placed an order for a Glastar Circle/Strip Cutter. It was quite a bit lower in price than some of the other brands but seemed to have some fairly decent reviews, so I'll give it a try. I totally hear you when you say you get what you pay for. I can't believe it's taken me so long to get one of these tools. When I looked at the video below I just shook my head…I've been fighting and wasting glass for far too long. Getting ready to do a transome for a guy at work and need to do some accurate strips.
As a side note, what did we all do before YouTube? I swear you can find anything out there. The other day I even found masses of videos on how to clean RAW SHRIMP! I'm not into social media but gotta love the Tube.
Received my circle and strip cutter in the mail and it works great. Went with the Glastar model since it was $38, but it seems to be good quality and is easy to use. I won't have to fight with getting strips of consistent width now, which will really cut down on the time. Should have gotten one a long time ago.
Next tool on my wish list is the little Might Mite saw from Harbor Freight. I did purchase a 4" Jarmac saw blade for it (don't ask me why I bought the blade first) since I'd seen some comments that it works well with this little saw. I've always used a hack saw for zinc…sawing is the one thing I don't care for regarding this hobby.
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Getting ready to do a transome for a guy at work and need to do some accurate strips.
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