I have one too (though not as large), and while I'd love to keep it out, it takes up an awful lot of flat surface. So, until I have a huge studio with flat surfaces to spare (do you have that?) it lives under a chest of drawers.

(I don't think I'd ever make it into a table, but that's just me)

"how would you store a giant paper cutter"

carefully

I like your idea of making it into a table. Depending how it was done it could itself become a storage solution instead of a problem. Im thinking if you mounted it on some kind of cart or portable kitchen island piece it could create additional storage underneath for other supplies, and be portable enough to stash away against a wall when not in use.

You could make sure the cart/table finishes match the rest of your decor to better tie it into the room, but allow the top to keep its great character.

I'd bolt it to the wall.

I have one of these and used to store it behind a bookcase, which couldn't sit right up against the wall for some reason (probably an outlet or molding). I just left the handle sticking out a little bit. Worked very well.

In this case (because it is made from wood and has some cool paint residue on it) I would mount it to the wall with a bracket of some kind so you can remove it for use. I don't think I would make it a table.

hang it! hang it! hang it!
the paint all over it looks so good.

I would probably stand it up and store it vertically behind a chest of drawers or the couch.

Although this probably wouldnt work, It would be awesome to have it hanging on the wall like a collapsible table... like the ones at IKEA that you can prop up as a table when you need it to cut or as a work surface

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30062572

I agree with Hollie. I had the idea a split second before I read hers.

make a sturdy sliding tray/shelf for it just under a desk/flat surface. that way when you wanna use it, you can just slide it out and chop...

Amen, bether! Amen!

Those things freak me out. We have one at work and I can not use it because in 2nd grade our teacher was demonstrating how dangerous hers was and proceeded to slice off her thumb below the knuckle!

She saw us horrified, and tried to keep her composure but ultimately her human side kicked in and she started screaming. A kid ran for the nurse and by the time they had the ambulance there, she had squirted blood all over the classroom.

And now, you may all share my fear of large mandolins.

lol

I like Hollie's idea a lot. But if the construction is too much then I'd say just keep it on a wheeled cart like I did. I used a steel ikea thing and have to say that the more shelves the better - to hold paper, x-acto blades, etc. - and attach a clamp-on articulated magifying lamp to make it more useful. I would leave mine in the middle of the living room, where I did most of my work, and then hide it in the closet if company dictated.

Oh man... Alpha, I'm an art teacher and use those things almost daily. Now you have me freaked out since I'm such a klutz.

Can you attach it to the side of a crafting table so it is like a winged table? Add 2 fold up legs to it, hinge it at the top, so it is stored away vertically when not in use, or pop it right out when you need it.

I vote for making it into a table! Hanging it on the wall could be neat, too. It's a gorgeous piece, so definitely don't stuff it away in the dark somewhere.

Just to suggest the obvious, rather than going to all the effort of turning it into a table, you might simply place it *on* a table and then display objects on it.

I speak from experience: it took me two years of owning one to realize that it didn't need to take up space in the closet.

I had one exactly like that (though a bit smaller) growing up. it lived in a nook between a bookcase and a wall with our oversized atlas.

I'm against turning it into a table or attaching it to anything, as I always thought the best place to use it was on the floor... plus, paper cutters of this quality are hard to come by these days, so I think you'd regret it if you permanently altered it in any way.

if you do keep it out, make sure you do something to secure the blade.

Mount it on the wall in the dining room. And use the Dexter plates.

i've always stashed mine between two solid upright-things, like bookcase/wall and slid it out when needed. so far, so good!
kp

that is lovely! please dont hide it!
my first thought was adding simple legs to turn it into a table... but do you not find you need table room around it? could make it awkward to use... it could also look a little macabre?

i would give it pride of place on a large wall, if that is at all logistically possible. it would be nice to see it as the artwork, with a few stacked actual works leaning against the same wall.

(KTG) I shouldn't have used the word 'artwork' maybe...a little carried away with how good it would incidentally look on the wall...
just meant its one of those tools that is definitely worth being visible, as well as accessible.
still there to be used and admired, not 'funky wall art'...

I agree with "carefully." Hanging it on the wall doesn't seem like a good idea. One slip combined with bad timing could mean you lose an appendage! I say store it under a bed or out of the way. I'm all for vintage accessories, but a paper cutter has zero design value to me.

I like the idea of behind a bookcase or couch. or under the couch? or maybe, under the coffee table with books on top? If you use it on the floor mainly, then store it somehwere. If you use it on a table, then why not make it its own funky table (just figure out a way to lock down the blade if you have children visiting)

There's no point in going on with this after the Other Patrick's idea, as nothing will trump it. Good call, OP!

Heh? Dexter is the big Mat-Cutter maker.
http://www.artstuff.net/dexter_mat_cutter.htm

Is this Convergent Evolution?

We have one of those here at work that gets a lot of use. The safety catch on the arm has been ripped out by unobservent people who think the arm must simply be stuck, so I don't know how often I walk past it in the hallway with the blade UP. Gives me the willies. So, whatever you do--mounting it on the wall, tucking it under the bed or behind a bookshelf, or leaving it out on a table--make sure the blade is securely latched and can't be easily undone. But I'm sure you already knew that :-)

I have to say I really do think that this piece is acceptable wall art for an artist. It's got great patina. My problem with hanging it on a wall would be getting it up and down safely. I'd put off doing it and so it would lounge around somewhere. Don't make it wall art unless you know you'll put it back when you're done with it.

I think I would just let it be a table surface if you have room for that. I wouldn't make it into a table, but putting it on a rolling cart sounds like a good idea (as long as the wheels lock!) You could have a piece of thick plexiglass cut to fit the grid surface so that you can use it as a writing surface in the meantime yet still show off the patina.

Me, I'd stash it under the bed. I had one that size, donated it to a studio I then belonged to. Now I have a smaller one, it is in a closet. It's a tool, not a decoration, but your mileage may vary.