Wow, incredible people remember me......Thanks all, it's humbling...
yes, I cut matboard. But, with the caution it must be 2-ply matboard (in the USA - overseas over by Dawn - it's known as mountboard), and the 2-ply stuff IS NOT GENERALLY sold in the stores. 2-ply matboard is intended as a backing board for the real matboard, and hence, because the manufacturers reason no one is going to see it anyway, the colors it is sold in are almost always neutrals - like white, black, grey, beige. You can't get colors like red, blue, yellow, etc. for 2-ply board. I just wish the manufacturers like Dawn and those in the plotter industry could collaborate with those in matboard industry to get colors in the 2-ply stuff. That would be my personal dream...but I digress......
In addition, 2-ply matboard comes in various different materials. You can get wood pulp, or cotton rag stuff. I really like the wood pulp stuff and never moved to try the cotton rag. Once of these days for kicks I will get the cotton rag and see if I like it. I really love the feel of wood pulp 2-ply board. It is smooth and clean, and you can paint and color to your heart's content. I never adapted well to chipboard, it is yucky feeling in my hands, and on top, it is generally not acid-free - a consideration if you are working with photos. If you paint or color your board, you have to consider whether the mediums used are acid free or not. One of the reasons why I would LOVE, LOVE to see some color versions of the 2-ply stuff like the 4-ply in the stores......
And in my tests, these machines are SO GREAT, that you can cut this stuff with a regular blade, but you will get much cleaner cuts with the 60 plus blade. It does wear fast like the others said. If I have a small piece and if I am lazy and not picky on a particular day, I won't bother to switch to the 60 plus and just do it fast and dirty if moved to do so.
Must reduce your speed on this stuff, especially with intricate cuts. And I did this in the days when there was no extra sticky mats available. I still gotta order those mats! Since paying off the generator from the sandy mess, my husband's car needed repairs, then my son had a baseball injury needing surgery. The oppps moments haven't ceased a bit! But I will get those mats - especially before summer when the humidity just kills projects by me (my cuts are done in the basement - and the summertime humidity pretty much kills projects). Furthermore, the cuts I have done, which came out wonderful, were done with 3 pinch wheels in the cougar. I can't wait to get my 4th pinch wheel [like what the SB has], that will really make my matboard cutting sing!
The material I use for my 2-ply cuts, which I have found to be simply smashing, can be had here:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... White.htmlPat
New owner of an 18" cougar and the gazelle...still a newbie at the cougar and will soon explore it............