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In October 2009, I ordered a 1038 Guillotine. For anyone considering one of these tools, here is my review of how I get on with the 1038.
Ideal 1038 Guillotine
Brand: Ideal
Model Number: 1038
Reason for Purchase
To cut book board for bookbinding. Due to dexterity problems I needed a tool to help me.
Build Quality
Excellent, this is a serious tool made by a serious company, no wobbly blades or wonky cuts. The base is metal and the measuring gauge along the bottom edge has metric and imperial measurements on. There is a stop guide that screws to it to align your paper/ card to. If you ever find that the stop guide needs adjusting, if it ever goes out of square, then, with the aid of an allen key, that is possible. The blade is very solid and is re-sharpenable. The blade has a guard that rises and falls with it, to help keep you away from the business end of the cutting blade. This is a superb machine.
Value for Money:
Excellent. I realise this is a considered purchase. For anyone making a lot of books or needing to cut a lot of board quickly and easily this is well worth the investment. Buy Once and buy right! This is a precision machine and worthy of its price tag. A good solid workhorse for the smaller bindery, that simply hasn’t the room for a huge board sheer.
Ease of Use:
Very Easy. I have limited dexterity but was able to adjust the stop gauge easily, as the screw button that secures it to the guide, is a good size and ribbed. The protective guard keeps you safe from the blade. The blade is very solid but also very smooth. Even with my poor dexterity, I was able to operate the machine with ease. Matt board is very easy and book board is only a little harder. DH with ‘normal’ dexterity, cut through the book board easily. I could only manage a few cuts on book board, but that was down to my limited hand strength and in no way a poor reflection of the machine. It was perfect for the job.
Would I buy It Again?
Definitely!!!!
If you are a demonstrator/teacher and need to cut lots of boards for your classes this machine will save you so much time. If you have limited dexterity, it will make cutting board possible (or a lot less hard work for your long-suffering partner who cuts it for you now ;) ) If you work in a small space and just don’t have room for those huge board shears, this is the perfect solution. The 1038 has a cutting length of 385 mm, so it sits nicely on my worktop. If I had the extra space and cash, I would have liked a larger model; the 1071 will handle A3 boards, which would have been nice.
I would highly recommend the 1038 to any serious binder who wants a quality tool. To anyone who currently struggles to cut book board with a knife and ruler. It is perfect for those making boxes from boards. The blade leaves two smooth, clean, perfectly cut edges, to glue together. I love this machine, it does everything I need it to and it does it well. What more could you ask for from a tool.
Cons
I try to give unbiased reviews, but this tool has seriously impressed me, so I don’t have any cons for this machine.
The only thing I struggle with a little, is cutting narrow strips using the roll in/out guide on the right of the blade. But I think this is just down to practise rather than being a negative issue with the tool itself. Cutting off slivers of card to square up cardstock when I have enough board to meet the guide on the right is no problem.
Links
Ideal: Here is a link to the manufacturer of this guillotine. Type 1038 into the search box for details about this particular machine.
Bear in mind that this review is personal opintion, based on my own situation and how I got on with this machine. I do not represent the company Ideal, nor do I work for them in any way. If you have any questions, I will be happy to try and answer them. For more technical information, please use the link above to review the manufacturers details of the machine or to contact the manufacturers directly.
Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon.
Billie 
Hi Billie what a great review I couldn’t agree more!
Having had this tool for close to 3 years I can however tell you that cutting small strips with the guide on the righthand side remains a little hard and isn’t always very acurate either.
I wished I had room for a bigger one though
I have the 1071 and love it! It was expensive, but I realized that at the rate I cut board, the cutter would pretty much pay for itself in about 5 years (saved labor time).
I bought it primarily because I was getting pain in my arms from cutting board by hand. Thankfully, I don’t worry about that any more.
I agree that cutting thin pieces of board is hard to do…if I need a piece that’s under 2″, I usually opt to do it by hand.
Thank you so much for this review. I’m looking for a new cutter and really didn’t know where to start.
I saw a video on Videojug using a cutter like this and am interested in obtaining one. I would like to do pamphlet or zine style publications and would like to be able to cut through at least 24 sheets of paper at a time.
Everyone is talking about cutting through board, but would it be possible to use this for cutting through standard paper and 74 and 110 pound paper as well?
My first project I would like to do would be involving cutting through 24 sheets of paper folded in half creating a 5.5 x 8.5 booklet and trimming off the right side. I would also like to do greeting cards on heavy stock paper like 74 or 110# paper and trim through as many as possible at one time.
Is this okay for that and where can I purchase one?
Hi Damien
The best thing for you to do is to email the manufactuer Ideal, I put a link to them within the article. Explain the uses you have for the machine and they would be better placed to answer your specific questions. Don’t forget, if you are cutting through 24 sheets folded in half, you are actually cutting through 48 sheets. Even if this particular machine won’t work for you, Ideal have many others in their range with varying capacity. I’m sure they will be able to recommend a machine for your needs.
As for stockists, I put a link to the manufacturers of products in my reviews rather than individual stockists, as people from all over the world read the articles. I believe the Ideal website lists stockists of the machine, so do check them out for a dealer near you.
Best wishes
Billie
I have been having trouble with the Ideal 1038 which I have had for my small business for over 10 years. I cannot get it to make accurate repeat cuts; one board will be 7.00′ by 5.00″ top to bottom, and the next will be 7.00″ by 5.00″ at one end, and 4.875″ ( or so) at the other end. So I end up sanding one board or the other to make them square and equal. Any suggestions? I’ve thought about having the blade professionally sharpened, although I really think I have had this going on from day one.
Hi KH
Always set your board against the measuring ruler at the base of the tool. Only use the adustable side bar for distance NOT for squaring up.
Most important is also to keep a good pressure on the clamp, if you do not the action of the knife can drawn the board off course.
If these fail, do try getting your blade sharpened or your machine tested by a dealer to test for squareness.
Best wishes
Billie