The Rotary Cutter - It's Not for Pizza

by Pauline Rogers

People have been known to use screwdrivers to pry open paint tins and wrenches as hammers, but the poor rotary cutter has endured the worst type of tool abuse. At first glance, it may look like a pizza cutter but the only oil that should ever touch the blade is a dab of machine oil. It is therefore wise to keep it well hidden.

The Rotary Cutter is the best invention ever for cutting all those pieces for patchwork. Along with a ruler and mat, rotary cutting offers the quilter the ability to cut a large number of fabric pieces quickly and accurately. Rotary cutters are extremely sharp and caution should be used when rotary cutting. Always close the blade or make sure that the blade guard is engaged, when you put down the cutter. You should also only use the rotary cutter with a specially designed rotary cutter mat. Using any other surface, can damage the blade, the surface, and can even cause the cutter to slip while cutting.

Besides hiding it from any non-quilting pizza makers, with a bit of care you can ensure the rotary cutting blade will have a long life. Be careful that when you are cutting you don't touch the side of the ruler with your cutter or run over pins. Either of these actions will create a dead spot in the blade. It is important to change the blade in the rotary cutter as soon as it becomes dull.

For easy cutting, keep the rotary cutter clean. Lint and fluff can build up under the blade preventing it from rotating smoothly. Every six hours of use, remove the blade and clean out all the lint that has accumulated. Then oil the rotary cutting blade by putting a dab of machine oil on a rag and wiping it over your blade. Reassemble the cutter and presto - it will cut like a dream.

Rotary cutters come in many sizes. The medium sized rotary cutter is the most used, as it is great for single or multi layer. The jumbo rotary cutter is ideal for cutting through multiple layers. The mini cutter is superb for cutting around curves and trimming ½ square triangles back to size.