Rotary cutter sharpening....

[inkjunkie]

The Boss asked me about sharpening the rotary cutters she is using for cutting fabric. Blades for the things are a bit pricey so I am hoping there is a way. Anybody know of a tool........

View attachment rotary cutter.jpg

that might sharpen something like this. I use the Lansky sticks on all of our knives, but I do not think they carry anything

 

[Frankie]

Does it work on pizza? lol

 

[Oklacarcollecto]

The Boss asked me about sharpening the rotary cutters she is using for cutting fabric. Blades for the things are a bit pricey so I am hoping there is a way. Anybody know of a tool........

View attachment 1714598398

that might sharpen something like this. I use the Lansky sticks on all of our knives, but I do not think they carry anything

PM sent on something else but you might want to check out something like this. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Allstar-AS-...1?pt=BI_Textile_Equipment&hash=item51a85da275

When I was in the mattress business I used a huge version of this to cut mattress panels with. The sharpner is made on the tool. The best brand out there when I was in business was Eastman.

 

[plumcrazy704406]

Ink, I get a similar question for paper rotary cutters, cutting boards etc and have yet to see a resharpen bear the fruit. Purchase the blades and save the grief.

If you can buy a cutter with a sharpener (mini meat cutter,lol) it works, but is still not as good as replaceable, unless your investing large dollars for high end equipment. Good luck with the hunt.

 

[inkjunkie]

Does it work on pizza? lol

Next time we get one I will let you know......

Ink, I get a similar question for paper rotary cutters, cutting boards etc and have yet to see a resharpen bear the fruit. Purchase the blades and save the grief.

If you can buy a cutter with a sharpener (mini meat cutter,lol) it works, but is still not as good as replaceable, unless your investing large dollars for high end equipment. Good luck with the hunt.

Thanks......I did see on a few sites folks mentioning folding up aluminum foil until you get 8 or so layers and cutting the foil with it, it is supposed to sharpen it somehow. Makes zero sense to me.....One of the fabric stores had the blades on sale, they were $8 each or a five pack for $28.......hmmm, kind of goofy pricing......did not matter, they did not have the ones she needed. She is going to need a roll around tool box to hold all the stuff she is buying. Some of this stuff is a bit pricey, I just bought her one of these.....

http://www.accuquilt.com/fabric-cutters/go-fabric-cutter.html

with a bunch of dies. It is for cutting the various different shapes of fabric that go into a quilt. I had to spend some time outside today, she was working on two projects for her club.......and damn near every piece of fabric that she was given was not cut square, or was a bit on the short side. She is getting the hang of it though......

 

[inkjunkie]

PM sent on something else but you might want to check out something like this. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Allstar-AS-...1?pt=BI_Textile_Equipment&hash=item51a85da275

When I was in the mattress business I used a huge version of this to cut mattress panels with. The sharpner is made on the tool. The best brand out there when I was in business was Eastman.

Thanks Sir......by the time I checked for it bidding had ended. She recently did get a cutter off of EPay, she offered the seller $12, shipping included, for a cutter that is $38 retail.......

 

[gunbunny]

Wife uses that thing also. Same deal, for fabric. She's had great luck finding them at flea markets on the cheap. seems like they end up in some close out tool stuff all the time. She bought 6 of the blades for $5 each and the guy she bought them from was happy to sell them at that. When she told me they where $30 each to replace I about crapped. I guess that what they do when we spend money on our cars.

 

[inkjunkie]

She is bidding on two big lots of blades and cutting tools on EPay. By the time she gets everything she wants she will probably have as much $$ tied up in tools for quilting as I do sitting in the garage. It is nice to see her interested in something. It is equally as nice to see her using that $3500 sewing machine. She wants to get a bare bones machine for dragging around with her. The fabric cutter I mentioned above was supposed to be her Christmas present this year, turned out to be an early Birthday present instead. Might get her a second sewing machine for Christmas......

 

[zigs]

Meat cutting 101. All cutting edges have a beval or wedge, at the tip of the beval is a thin sliver of metal called a wire edge, this is what actually does the cutting. Once the wire edge is worn or cureled over it needs to be straightened back with a steel. most people think that a steel is a sharpening tool "its not " all it does is stand the wire edge back up.
For verious reasons the wire edge can disappear ,hard use, repetitive use or just setting in a drawer. When you loose the wire edge and it can not be brought back by steeling, the blade needs to be reground. Most circular blades are machined and there is no real way to set the edge except by a professional which would probably cost more then the tool.
You could try holding a stone to it if you can expose the blade.

 

[C130 Chief]

So my wife gave me "a little guidance" on using her rotary cutter one day. Seems like the green cutting mat is key to not totally screwing one up. Now I use the green mat with the new one I marched right down to the store and bought her. Funny though, the old one that I supposedly screwed up still cuts gasket paper fine. Go figure...