Filmhandler....how accurate are the cuts?

Say I've got a 60" roll and need to cut two windows that are 26.25" wide.

How much should I over measure for the slits?

1/4"? 1/2"? 1"? Obviously with those sizes I have plenty of wasted film to cut wide with, but the less overlap on the glass the easier it is for me to trim.

Does it mess up often and I better get used to giving myself a wide birth?

What about slitting a 60" roll into three 20s if I need 19.75"?

I just got mine and saturday is the time I'll be using it (and 72" wide film too!). About 300+ square feet.

I never understood the fascination of a handler, I can cut everything out of the box with a coupla olfa blades and have no issues

but to each their own I guess

you could make three 20's work. that's about as accurate as it gets on my filmhandler. i'd pull it extra slow and even. usually i'll give more room for error.

you get a cleaner cut...and having that works great for flat glass..cuz you then only need to trim two sides of the film once you install it..

All films roll down off of the FH different. I shim the thicker films so that they do not wobble from side to side. If you pull slow and evenly then you can cut things pretty tight (within 1/4") on the FH.

Film handlers are accurate it's the rolls that may not be. Get down to the end of a roll that may not be wound tight and then cuts are off. New rolls I can cut exact even 3/4 of the way through but toward the end it gets a lil off sometimes.

that's because you are an old school, hardcore ghetto tinter like me.

If ya got the shims, its the only way to fly!! I made my own shims and especially with S&S films I can cut EXACT!!!

I've never really thought about getting one either for the price they run. I have a cutting table marked in square inches.

6' W x 7' L with a 1/4" gap at the 36" width mark. This allows me to cut film before I go to the job site. If a window is 23 7/8" wide I can cut 72" film into three perfect 24" parts in seconds

Everyone has their own way I spose, if it aint broke don't fix it Any add ons and I'm with you tintman

hey key west,
what did you make the shims out of? i tried cutting some out of plexi and the blade gummed up , then out of desperation i just cut some cardboard ones . they work good but would like something a little more permanent
thanks

A pet possum..........I gots one of those, actually 2!!! The lil' bastards keep coming up on the porch and when I go outside to smoke, they just look at me and keep on doing whatever they're doing. I'll tell you what though, I'm getting my gun out tonite and we'll be havin' possum and greens for Easter!




As for the filmhandler, I always cut 1" over because that's what works for me. I know people that can take their time and cut exact, but I have no problem in trimming an edge or two!

I cut out of the box too, I used to use olfa blades but now I have started using the 4 inch onesided blades that you use for removal. They dont wabble like the olfas do cause they are thincker. They work better on safty film then olfas and thicker solar film.

table-mounted 72" filmhandler for me the only way to go

Cool, so I'll be alright most of the time with 1/2".

I can handle that.

i will pull from the box in a pinch but nothing beats production like a film hdlr.
i did a job at the Az. Cardinals ,training facility with all butt joined glass ,was nice to split the film exactly . they were consistently sized and even though it took a little time to set the slitter precisely it took a lot less time than straight edging one side.
i would compare it to using a trim guide and freehanding ,they both have good results,but once you freehand you wont go back.

Well I used it on saturday.


OMG, how did I ever live without one of these?

I threw up over 300 square feet in one day which is a lot for me. Plus, it really did cut down on my waste because I could plan an attack. I was about to cut out two 23" wide windows at the same time as cutting the 25" wide doors with my 72" roll. So I set it for two 23s and one 25. Worked out great. That right there was the majority of the day. Then I just had a few 27" wides, one huge arch, and a few 64"x66" windows.

I'm tellin ya, it's like sliced bread!

Glad to hear it went good for you.....

Filmhandlers I think are the way to ride. Expensive but they pay themselves off quickly with making life alot easier. Some cases a FH is a must have. Also you tend to look a little more professional with doing clean work on residential jobs. Ive seen that look in peoples eyes when they see you pulling film on the floor. Just my

Which sides come out clean from the pulls?? The sides, or does cutting across from the roll also leave a straight enough edge??

cutting across the roll gives you a good enough edge to fit. sometimes the flip out blades give a bit of a wobbly cut.

I been using a FH for about 12 years now, I love my FH, it is soo nice when you can line up two edges and only have to cut two...also, I like to precut my patterns the day before, just walk in with rolled up tubes in a box, knock it out......

I could see if you tint every single day with all different size windows it may be not be worth using, but in my case since I don't tint every day (I *wish* I did) maybe it would actually be worth it???


-R

plywood I cut 6" squares with a 3 and 1/4 hole,(so it will fit over the core)

The only film it does a good job on for me is matte white because the film has a bit of body.
The rest of its application for solar is ho hum because there can be lots of drift with the film on the core and it doesn't cut perfectly at 90 degrees.
Can't beat straight out of a box for simplicity and speed.
Devil

If ya use "shims" to remove the "slop" or drift as the devil said (side to side sliding) it works really well. I cut 8 of them out of 1/4" and 1/8" plywood. make sure the hole will fit over a 3" core. I generally don't try and cut regular solar film exact, I can get a better light gap by free-handing, but with S&S films and commercial frames

It does work alot better with films with more "body" as devil said. S&S is a BREEZE with it!!!

If you need precision cuts, do as said previously about maintaining a tight role, but also simply use a measuring tape to set the slitters. I've cut to 1/8" when pulled slowly and the windows weren't too big. Some tubes like H.O. are actually too long, that's where it gets aggrivating!

When I partnered up with the 3M guy here, in '02, he had a 60" 'handler and I finally used one. Over ALL the years i've been doing this without one, I am kicking myself. REPS take a note. Let a prospective "try" one for 30 days. I'll bet you won't get many of them back!!! I now have a 72" handler and am looking for another. ( MILEY? ) Once you get comfotable with them, and you have to have shims I can't stress that enough, you'll never go without one again!!! I use it in the Auto dept. It slits a 60" roll in perfect 20" increments!!!

I have a filmhandler I've used for 8 or so years. It's probably the most expensive single piece of equipment a film installer is gonna ever buy, but it's completely worth it.

It's stupid to crawl around on the floor all day when you can use a filmhandler and stand to pull the film.

Plus, you can keep the film off the floor which is very important on many jobs.

finally, with the filmhandler, you might still have to trim 2 or 3 sides, but YOU can control the installation because all the sides of the film are straight even if the window isn't square.

Six or Seven Hundred dollars is nothing over the course of year's worth of profitable flat glass film installation.

I have used one for over 5 years. I don't use it for every job, but on most, it works great. Less waste, easier to figure multiple cuts, thats what works for me. I have mounted it on a 10 ft ladder at times to cut large pieces and have had perfectly straight cuts with less than an inch in waste. Would'nt live without it.

You also get less crap on the film from pulling it on the floor. Less crap on the film, less chance of having something get inbetween!!!!!!