Cutting - materials, not class!

Bartc

Bartc

Well-known member
Messages
1,313
Just don't seem to get cutting too well, whether foam board, mat board or paper. Used to use an Exacto, then a workshop cutting knife, now a rotary (designed for fabrics I think.) Straight edge ruler. My cuts no matter what just don't seem to be neat or as easy as the blade sharpness should provide.

Before jumping into special tools - and I'm not investing in a large size guillotine - like the Logan products, I'm seeking some advice here.
 
In my experience, every time you cut something, you are dulling the blade. I sharpen my blades with a knife/scissor sharpener prior to cutting. For Exacto blades, I don't remember what it's called, but it's a flat stick for sharpening, and I do a few swipes on that before using the blades
 
Ann, that makes some sense. It doesn't explain why a new sharp rotary cutter also doesn't do the job neatly, though.

Whenever I see a video of someone cutting using any of these tools it's a zip-zap-zip and done neatly. Why that never happens for me must be a matter of my technique, I guess. Need a YouTube lesson for the clumsy. Do you know one?
 
I am not good at it either. I think I'm not strong enough, but I see Hannah do it--every time a new blade for each cut. She uses a utility knife (when it's too big for the guillotine). And she goes over the cut exactly the same, over and over more than once in that same crevasse, depending on the thickness of the paper or board. I think there's an art to it: holding it all down: the straight edge down on the "keep" side and pushing that blade down on the sharp edge into the paper. I'm able to do it with thinner paper. Underneath, you need a large self-healing mat or cardboard to slice into, preferably the mat.

With foamcore, there's a trick to that that I can't do either! They slice the front, then it kind of folds and you slice the back to get the full cut. Or, there's a hot cutter. It looks like a cheese cutter kind of, that cleanly slices through styrofoam. That might be cheap? I don't know for sure.
 
Yeah, that rotary cutter doesn't do the trick well, even with PastelMat - at least not in my hands. It sounds as though your experience is the same as mine. I have the self-healing mat, which doesn't make it any different than a wood surface for me. Going over the paper cut is part of what I don't do all that well while holding down the metal ruler.
 
I've had similar problems until I came upon this method for cutting Yupo and Nara from 40" wide rolls. I use a 48"metal straight edge ($10 at Lowes), and an acrylic triangle (like they use for drafting). For cutting I use a snap-blade utility knife. The blade must be sharp.
I align the triangle with the edge of the paper, then position the straight edge under that.

The straight edge MUST BE taped to the paper being cut.. When cutting I keep the blade at about a 75-degree angle and apply downward pressure. Cut in the direction so if you slip the blade will go against the straight edge and not out on to the paper. The healing mat helps keep the blade on course.

So I'm making 40" cuts thru polypropylene paper - but would do the same(or something similar)for regular paper.

as.jpg
 
Makes sense, Bongo. Maybe I need both a larger healing mat, a longer T square metal ruler, and a sharper blade. Where did you get that 75 degree idea? That may help a lot. Have you tried this with foam core?
 
0041.jpg

004.jpg


006.jpg

I use a matt that my wife had for cutting material .. they come in different sizes .. a knife with a breakable blade so you can have a new tip when required .. a steel ruler .. the paper on the board can be lined up with the squares so your cut will be perfectly square .. the one I cut here was 136 lb oil paper doubled over with thick dried paint in the middle: so 272 plus a layer of impasto paint .. one cut .. if i had needed two it would not have been a problem .. that said I only do 11 x 14 at large and I hold the ruler with my hand. I stand so my table is lower than me and I can put more weight on the cut. The knife brand is OLFAL
 
Wayne, I'm doing almost exactly the same thing, but my cuts aren't working that well.
 
I also use the green "fabric" mat. It's not self-healing, but it works good, as well as a metal 'T' straight edge. I like to call it an 'L.' I should post pics, but I don't have all those tools out at the moment.
 
What works for you is right. If what you do works, keep doing it. This is just what I found works for me - no right or wrong way.
some things to try. Wayne stands over his material, I''m on the floor and kneeling over it. So you can put more even weight on the blade and keep it closer to your body, than if you were sitting and the paper was on a desk. -

Metal ruler with some thickness - the one I use is heavy and thick. You can get them at HomeDepot/Lowes etc. and if it's too long you can easily cut it in two with a metal blade in a jig saw.

T squares didn't work for me. Was hard to line up ' cause slight jiggle gets it out of square. and the short side of the L gets in the way of the cut. Using a T square was a big part of the problem I was having.

With the snap-blade utility knife a sharp blade is always just a snap away. Before I would try to get by with a dull blade, cause I didn't have a sharp one handy or a stone and I'm lazy. Same with the cutting mat - I would use a piece of cardboard etc. instead of a cutting mat.

The 75 degree thing is just what I found works for me. I hold the knife straight up and down against the straight edge, but lower the handle to about 75 degrees - or 15 degrees off perpendicular - most people say 45 degrees but I found a steeper angle helps me keep the tip of the blade on course - but whatever works for you is right.
 
Bongo said:
What works for you is right. If what you do works, keep doing it. This is just what I found works for me - no right or wrong way.
some things to try. Wayne stands over his material, I''m on the floor and kneeling over it. So you can put more even weight on the blade and keep it closer to your body, than if you were sitting and the paper was on a desk. -

Metal ruler with some thickness - the one I use is heavy and thick. You can get them at HomeDepot/Lowes etc. and if it's too long you can easily cut it in two with a metal blade in a jig saw.

T squares didn't work for me. Was hard to line up ' cause slight jiggle gets it out of square. and the short side of the L gets in the way of the cut. Using a T square was a big part of the problem I was having.

With the snap-blade utility knife a sharp blade is always just a snap away. Before I would try to get by with a dull blade, cause I didn't have a sharp one handy or a stone and I'm lazy. Same with the cutting mat - I would use a piece of cardboard etc. instead of a cutting mat.

The 75 degree thing is just what I found works for me. I hold the knife straight up and down against the straight edge, but lower the handle to about 75 degrees - or 15 degrees off perpendicular - most people say 45 degrees but I found a steeper angle helps me keep the tip of the blade on course - but whatever works for you is right.
Click to expand...

My 'L' is like 1/8 inch thick, which really helps. I often wish it had cork on the back side or something grippy so it won't slip, especially when I only have so many "hero" pieces of excellent paper. I stand over a high drafting table, but it would be better if it was a desk so I could put my body weight into it. When I say "utility knife" I mean a snap blade, like pictured in Wayne and Bongo's photos.

Oh, I also use paperweights to help keep the paper from moving, too (on the non-trim side).

But I sure like what Bongo says about what works for you, because we are all using what we have and have different types of bodies, arms, hands, fingers, etc. For instance, I have a pretty bad tremor in my hands and I'm weak as hell. That's why a lot of the time I use Hannah for thicker cardstock or mats.
 
Bongo said:
some things to try. Wayne stands over his material, I''m on the floor and kneeling over it. So you can put more even weight on the blade and keep it closer to your body, than if you were sitting and the paper was on a desk. -

Metal ruler with some thickness - the one I use is heavy and thick. You can get them at HomeDepot/Lowes etc. and if it's too long you can easily cut it in two with a metal blade in a jig saw.

T squares didn't work for me. Was hard to line up ' cause slight jiggle gets it out of square. and the short side of the L gets in the way of the cut. Using a T square was a big part of the problem I was having.

With the snap-blade utility knife a sharp blade is always just a snap away. Before I would try to get by with a dull blade, cause I didn't have a sharp one handy or a stone and I'm lazy. Same with the cutting mat - I would use a piece of cardboard etc. instead of a cutting mat.

The 75 degree thing is just what I found works for me. I hold the knife straight up and down against the straight edge, but lower the handle to about 75 degrees - or 15 degrees off perpendicular - most people say 45 degrees but I found a steeper angle helps me keep the tip of the blade on course - but whatever works for you is right.
Click to expand...

Artyczar said:
I also use the green "fabric" mat. It's not self-healing, but it works good, as well as a metal 'T' straight edge. I like to call it an 'L.' I should post pics, but I don't have all those tools out at the moment.
Click to expand...
There is a T square and an L square. On a T square the short piece makes a..... T with the straight edge, whereas with an L square it makes an....L.. So you can flip an L square around so the short end isn't in the way of the cut, but with a T square you're stuck with it.
 
Bongo said:
There is a T square and an L square. On a T square the short piece makes a..... T with the straight edge, whereas with an L square it makes an....L.. So you can flip an L square around so the short end isn't in the way of the cut, but with a T square you're stuck with it.
Click to expand...
Not following the essential difference. If you start the cut at the short end, what difference does it make? Or do you not start at that end for some reason?

I was thinking a T because I could line the short end up with the edge of the table for stability during the cut.
 
I had a great tip for this when I was in school. He said the key is to not put too much pressure down on the blade. You want to make multiple passes at a fair, but not heavy pressure. If you push to hard to get through the cut faster, it doesn't give space for the paper to make way for the blade, and the added friction can cause discoloration on the paper edge as well (since it essentially burnishes it against the metal blade).

Hope it helps! I've had much better cuts when preparing work for mounting using this trick. I now just work with cheap exacto blades and they do the trick for me, no special tools.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top