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Post by mamakoala on Mar 28, 2018 16:12:10 GMT
What am i doing wrong? there seems to be no way to measure the paper that is right side of the blade? so if i want to cut a 1/4 inch strip, I have to measure from the left side? And i dislike having to press down on the clear shield to hold the paper--with the fiskars, the blade itself has a plastic piece that "holds" the paper in place. I will get used to this, right? So far all my cuts are wonky  |
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Post by grammadee on Mar 28, 2018 16:17:51 GMT
Hope you figure it out. I have only one guillotine type cutter--one I purchased from CM back in the day--and I realized that I didn't like it any better than the giant ones they have in schools. The blade coming down seems to shove the paper away from it, and I don't think I am ever confident getting a straight cut with one of them.
I am happy with my Fiscars with the rotary blade. Still have to be careful with some slippery papers to be sure I am cutting toward the ledge where my paper is lined up, and still have to hold down that plastic guard to ensure a clean cut, but for the most part it is the easiest to use cutter I have had.
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Post by mamakoala on Mar 28, 2018 16:22:55 GMT
Hope you figure it out. I have only one guillotine type cutter--one I purchased from CM back in the day--and I realized that I didn't like it any better than the giant ones they have in schools. The blade coming down seems to shove the paper away from it, and I don't think I am ever confident getting a straight cut with one of them.I am happy with my Fiscars with the rotary blade. Still have to be careful with some slippery papers to be sure I am cutting toward the ledge where my paper is lined up, and still have to hold down that plastic guard to ensure a clean cut, but for the most part it is the easiest to use cutter I have had. This!! It keeps pushing the paper away. I will keep trying for a bit, but i might have to return it. |
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Post by binkiemonstermom on Mar 28, 2018 17:08:21 GMT
I have it, but it's not my favorite. I like the smaller size of the one I have. But my favorite cutter is my Cutterpillar
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Post by katlady on Mar 28, 2018 17:20:20 GMT
I have one. I guess it is just second nature to me to hold down the plastic shield because don't you hold down on your paper when you trim it? One tip to using a guillotine cutter is to put a little pressure on the handle inward towards the edge of the cutting block.
And I don't think I've ever seen a trimmer with markings to the right of the blade. Both my Tonic and my Fiskars don't have that.
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Deleted
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May 7, 2024 0:21:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2018 18:10:47 GMT
Yes I measure from the left side. Sometimes it is a pain. But it is very accurate once you get the hang of it.
Pushing down on the clear guard will help keep the paper still. And like katlady suggested, push the blade down and toward the paper.
When I first got my Cutterpillar there was a big learning curve. There is no paper guard at all and you have to push the rotary blade towards the paper. But once I got used to it I loved it.
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Post by anniefb on Mar 28, 2018 18:15:47 GMT
Yep I agree about measuring from the left and flipping the paper around if needed.
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,329 
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Post by amom23 on Mar 28, 2018 18:20:16 GMT
OMG I totally LOVE the 2 Tonic trimmers I have and can't imagine life without them lol. Sorry you aren't feeling the same love for yours.
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Post by Skellinton on Mar 28, 2018 18:28:47 GMT
I had one a long time ago and hated it. I couldn’t handle the plastic guard thing, I never felt like it really held the paper right. It might have just not played with it enough, but I ended up selling it at a scrap store garage sale. I use a guillotine trimmer at school and hate them there too. I just don’t think they are for me.
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Post by myboysnme on Mar 28, 2018 19:52:12 GMT
On the other thread I gave a big thumbs down to a guillotine trimmer, and personally I would return it.
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oaksong
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Jun 27, 2014 6:24:29 GMT
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Post by oaksong on Mar 28, 2018 20:20:20 GMT
I hope you like it once you get used to it. Yes, the guillotine cutters only have measurements on the left side, and you have to push down on the plastic shield as you're cutting to keep the paper in place. TH offered a good tip, which is to line your paper up on the bottom to make it a little easier to see.
I really love the accuracy and squareness (is that a word?) of the cut with this. I still like having a Fiskars trimmer too for cutting a precise measurement out of a large piece of paper without chopping it to bits.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Mar 28, 2018 20:25:07 GMT
yes, you have to do all your measuring from the left side of the piece of paper. So if you have a 12x12 and you want to cut a 1" strip, you put the paper so the OTHER edge lines up at 11. That way you know the strip you're trimming off is 1 inch wide.
And you do need to know that the edge you're cutting 'off' is straight, too; if you've torn the paper to get a rough-edged strip, say, then you want to to cut a straight 1 inch strip afterwards, you either have to flip the paper around and use the other (straight) edge, or you have to square off the edge that you've torn. (if that makes sense) It takes a bit of getting used to, but I love the way it cuts so much that I'm okay with having to measure from the left edge of the paper. The other cutters I've used in the past were all like this, too (in having to measure from the left edge).
And I personally like that the cutter has those shields you have to press down on; that way I know I'm not going to cut my fingers at all, and I know the cut will be straight the whole way down. (I had a very old purple Fiskars cutter that would always do this little curve/swoop thing at the very end of the cut, no matter what I did.)
ETA: even with my old purple Fiskars cutter, I always still pressed down on that plastic 'track' that holds the blade, to help hold the paper in place so it doesn't slide. So now it's just second nature to do it.
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Post by don on Mar 28, 2018 20:49:40 GMT
I have a 15" bypass (guillotine) paper cutter. The measurement dose not match my ruler, so I've made my adjustment. At least my guide lines are square.
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Post by mamakoala on Mar 28, 2018 21:09:57 GMT
So what if I need a 1/4 inch strip? You can't cut that small a piece from the left because the plastic guard is in the way and on the right there no measurements.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Mar 28, 2018 21:24:54 GMT
mamakoala : yes, you can- look at your paper and figure out how wide it is... (put the paper on the flat part of the cutter, butted up against the blade, which is the zero mark.) if your paper is 9 inches wide in total, for example, then to get a 1/4 strip, you need to line the paper up at 8 3/4 inches, then cut down with the blade. 9 - 8 3/4 = 1/4. The strip you've just cut off of the paper (the strip that fell onto the table on the right side of the trimmer) is 1/4 inch wide. voila! (can I ask, out of curiosity, what kind of trimmer did you use before? every trimmer I've ever use has only had measurements to the left of the blade, so I've always had to work this way, by doing subtraction math in order to place the paper onto the cutter.) ETA: but you really DO have to hold the paper down with those guards, so it stays pressed against the platform of the cutter when you bring down the blade. here's a YouTube video on how to use the Tonic guillotine cutter.
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Post by mamakoala on Mar 28, 2018 21:27:29 GMT
mamakoala: yes, you can- look at your paper and figure out how wide it is... (put the paper on the flat part of the cutter, butted up against the blade, which is zero. if your paper is 9 inches wide, for example, then to get a 1/4 strip, you need to line the paper up at 8 3/4 inches, then cut down with the blade. 9 - 8 3/4 = 1/4. The strip you've just cut off of the paper (the strip that fell onto the table on the right side of the trimmer) is 1/4 inch wide. (can I ask, out of curiousity, what kind of trimmer did you use before? every trimmer I've ever use has only had measurements to the left of the blade, so I've always had to work this way, by doing subtraction math in order to place the paper onto the cutter.) Okay I will try that. It seems it would be easier just to have some measurements on the right side. The trimmer I currently have is a Fiskars trimmer. It's not the cheapy cheapy one but a couple of steps up. I love it, but it occasionally Cuts wonky and doesn't last very long and I decided I would also like to try out a guillotine trimmer which have been recommended to me for over a decade. |
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Mar 28, 2018 21:39:25 GMT
the link I gave you doesn't really give instructions for how to do that measuring, unfortunately. It just shows her cutting through all different types of material. But it does stress the importance of pressing down on the stabilizer bar to hold the paper steady.
You don't have to do that type of math with every cut, obviously:
If you want a 4-inch strip, just line your paper up at the 4 inch mark and cut = the part ON the bed of the cutter will be 4 inches wide.
But some of the smaller measurements you do have to sort of 'subtract' off the measurement you want from your piece of paper-- in those cases, what you cut OFF of the cutter bed is the strip you want.
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Post by stinkerbelle on Mar 28, 2018 23:51:02 GMT
i had forgotten in the previous trimmers post, but i have the tonic guillotine too. i kept it because that's how i roll, but i hated it. i could never cut straight with the thing!
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Post by artisticscrapper on Mar 29, 2018 1:19:44 GMT
I like my 12” Tonic but it just seems so big since the platform is about 16”. Right now I only use it to cut heavy card stock or chipboard. I do want to get the TH 8” one so I can use it for smaller cuts.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Mar 29, 2018 16:14:37 GMT
for photos and small pieces of paper, I have the 6 inch Tonic cutter... CM has a guillotine cutter that's about the same size, too.
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Post by caspad on Mar 29, 2018 16:35:43 GMT
And I don't think I've ever seen a trimmer with markings to the right of the blade. Both my Tonic and my Fiskars don't have that. My ancient Fiskars has markings to the right of the cutting blade. I really love the CM mini guillotine for trimming photos and journal cards. It's so straight and sharp. mamakoala can you measure 1/4" to the right of your blade and mark the trimmer with a Sharpie so you can get your 1/4" cuts? Or measure your paper, if it is 6" wide, line it up at 5.75" and cut to get a perfect 1/4" strip |
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