Beveler ... looking for recommendations

[David Fairfield]

I dropped the idea of 45 degree lasering, thanks to the informative discussion here.

Now I'm looking for a good old fashioned machine beveler to apply the angle to edges of the lasered parts. I think bevelers are most commonly used on the edges of plastic name tags and small door signs, etc.

I will be using it on thin (1-3 mm) plywood and cardboard. I do not have massive quantities, so I can hand feed the parts. Max dimension on the parts will be under 12". Most important, I need a precision edge.

Can anyone recommend a solid machine that fits the bill?

Thanks!

[Rodne Gold]

I would try to make my own.
You could use a 45 degree "d" bit from an engraving machine in it , a "d" bit is a single sided flute , most engraving supply house have em and any engraver with a cutter sharpener can make one. You need to use a 1/4 or 6mm bit so you can actually do 3mm wood or thicker.
Just about any high speed or variable speed motor like an old router etc would work , maybe even a dremel?
You just have to make some sort of straight edge guide you can feed the sheet along.

[Mike Null]

You can buy new ones from New Hermes, Scott and Quality One. Johnson Plastics carries the latter two. You can sometimes find them on ebay.

I bought mine used and have used it for 6 or 7 years. You can get cutters from several places.

[Dave Russell Smith]

Could you not create a basic 3d edge image around an edge to get a Bevel ? just a thought

[David Fairfield]

Hey Dave

Yeah its possible, I tried it, but it wasn't the crisp clean edge that I wanted. Actually I'll give it another try, since you mentioned it. The new driver works a little differently from the old one I had used.

Dave

[Lee DeRaud]

I haven't tried it with the thin plywood, but for cardboard it seems like the right answer is a matte cutter: cut to size and bevel in one step. I've got a Logan that handles up to 30", IIRC it was right around $100.

[Doug Walker]

I've done a lot of beveling on aluminum parts for welding on a router.
I think a laminate trimmer upside down with a 45deg bit would be cheep
and easy. Make a simple fence that screws or clamps to the table and
you are ready to make chips.

Doug Walker

[Tim Bateson]

Could you not create a basic 3d edge image around an edge to get a Bevel ? just a thought

I've tried this with Rowmark name tags. Laser time increased from 45 seconds a tag to near 4 minutes. In addition the edge was not in the same class as a beveled edge. So, for now I'm sticking with the non-beveled edge.

[Michael Simpson Virgina]

As a photographer I had to get heavy into cutting my own matte board. I use a Logan Matte system however I took my Incra Fence off my router table and use it as a stop for my matte board. I can now dial in any width or length for repeat bevel cuts over and over. Depending on the Logan system you can adjust them for different thickness material. Mine even came with a straight cutter. They also sell as glass scriber/cutter.

I have successfully used the bevel cutter on some thin wood.

[David Fairfield]

Cool ideas on the matt cutters, laminate trimmer etc. Very interesting possibilities to check out.

Dave

[James Rambo]

Why not use a dremel tool with an router attachment?
Search the forums for Dremel and you will find a couple references to the use of one for a beveler.

[Richard Rumancik]

If trying to use a Dremel for bevelling just be aware that some Dremel tools don't use a rigid mount in the front bearing. The bearing is supported by a rubber sleeve or o-ring. This might be fine for hand carving and axial loads (drilling) but when side loading the tool, as when bevelling, you may find the deflection to be objectionable. It could cause chatter or an inconsistent bevel. If your load is really light it may be adequate. But you might want to check your Dremel first before you commit to this approach.

[Bill Jermyn]

Something like this works fine for me.

http://www.cabplastics.com/newhermesbevellerb4.html

[Darryl Jacobs]

Cool ideas on the matt cutters, laminate trimmer etc. Very interesting possibilities to check out.

Dave

Dave,

I have been using a matt cutter for years in my model building. Works great on Balsa, Bass wood and plastics as well as papers. Plywood works good too, but you have to do several passes on 1/16th and over. Sometime is wanders ever so slightly on the plywood because of the uneven layers and hard spots.

Darryl

[john passek]

I have the one that Bill linked to.
It is a very nice machine, adjustable hight, change cutters in seconds,
works for Plastics and Acrylics not sure if you can do metals.
You can bevel very small pieces of plastic or wood,