# Cutting Latex Or Theraband



## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Hi All,

I see many posts mentioning a roller cutter.

A product i am unaware of, but sure i could find.

My question is, why not simply use a scalpel ?

As with a metal straight edge, held down hard, why would a scalpel not be just as good ?...

Cheers Aussie Allan In Thailand


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## jazz (May 15, 2012)

I do not know the true answer to this but I have my impressions from my experience:

first: not even the roller cutter is best solution for me probably because I am not experienced enough and it tends to wobble from side to side (my problem);

second: it is still better solution for me than a blade/scalper because when I use scalpel it somehow "pushes" the rubber whic becomes "alive" and the cut is thus not stright - while the roler somehow always "rides" on top of the rubber and "pushes" it under itself..

third: this is probably the most idiotic explanation I ever made in this forum..

cheers,

jazz


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

You can use masking tape on top of the rubber to prevent what I would call a teething effect on the rubber, that leaves tiny teeth like knicks in the rubber. . I use an olfa 45mm rotary cutter worth every cent. .


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## Viper010 (Apr 21, 2012)

exactly what jazz said: a straight edge cutter needs to be dragged over the surface that is to be cut, and drags the rubber with it.

a roll cutter is sortof like a disk shaped exacto or scalpel, and by rolling along the ruler it doesnt drag the rubber out from under it, elimintating the need for masking tape. best results with bladesize 45mm and up.

also, unlike scalpels and exactos, i find it easiest to obtain a straight cut if you push the roll cutter away from your body while cutting.

always use a selfhealing cutting mat under your work and if you wish to roll-cut your leather, make sure you dedicate a seperate blade for that n use a diffrent one for your rubber. blade sharpness (and with that neat cut edges devoid of nicks n burrs) will last a lot longer that way.

cheers, remco


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/1948-cutting-bands-on-the-cheap/


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks all,

Although I am buying some premade band sets from people I know make good bands attached to good pouches.

I am also buying a roll of the thickest latex Dankung carry, for future band sets.

Given the pouches last alot longer than the bands.

Says he having broken two bands by stretching to max too many times.

So plan on having made, then cutting a few, I can stretch to just below max by an inch or so, at my 45 inch half butterfly draw.

Cheers Allan


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## beaverman (Dec 20, 2012)

with a scalpel the first cut is from the top but then it starts cutting from the side so it starts pushing the material you are cutting in the direction you are cutting. but a rotary cutter rolls as you cut so the blade is always above the material cutting it from the top so it does not push the material in the direction you are cutting (at least not as much as a fixed blade) so the material does not bunch up and you can make a cleaner cut.


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

I use the same rotary cutter blade for bands and pouches. Periodically I sharpen the blade with an Arkansas stone or a diamond sharpener. They sharpen quickly and actually work as good as new, or better.

Cheers,

Northerner


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## HerecomestheBOOM (May 9, 2013)

Thanks for this topic Allan, I was wondering about it too.

So now I'm looking at rotary cutters on ebay & I see a few different sizes. Would you guys recommend a larger 2" blade or would a smaller blade work better for this specific task?


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

Here is what I use. Fiskars rotary cutter from WalMart.

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/fiskars-comfort-loop-rotary-cutter-45-mm/10146962?trail=&fromPLP=true&ancestorID=&searchString=&startSearch=&fromSearchBox=&addFacet=


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## beaverman (Dec 20, 2012)

i recommend the largest possible. the blades cost more, but they last much longer.


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## The Warrior (Jan 30, 2012)

I just now bought a Fiskars.


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## HerecomestheBOOM (May 9, 2013)

A brand named Olfa was recommended to me at a local crafts-store & they're not too expensive plus they sell separate blades for them too. I think I'm going to go with the medium one of 45 mm for now, I'm afraid the larger one will make me too wobbly. Keeping it sharp won't be much of a problem I suspect, thanks!


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## beaverman (Dec 20, 2012)

check ebay and buy in bulk to get the cheapest price on blades.


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

beaverman said:


> check ebay and buy in bulk to get the cheapest price on blades.


... or just sharpen them like you would a knife.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

A scalpel uses a slicing action, a roller cutter uses a shearing action. As mentioned above a scalpel or any other form of slicing action is likely to pinch / pull / stretch the rubber while it cuts.

A 40mm roller cutter blade has 125mm of edge at it's disposal, the average scalpel about 8-15mm. Therefore the roller cutter blade will provide many more cuts before dulling.

A roller cutter will have even wear over the whole edge of the blade, a scalpel will wear quickly as it is constantly using the same contact area regardless of blade length.

It is much easier to apply downward pressure with a roller cutter ensuring a clean cut from end to end.

A roller cutter will track much better along a straight edge.

Most if not all roller cutters have an inbuilt safety guard attached to provide safe storage. Those little plastic caps for scalpels are easily lost.

Roller cutter blades are generally much stronger than a scalpel blade providing less chance of bending / deflecting during the cut.

Disposable scalpels are crap. A high quality scalpel will cost tens if not hundreds of dollars and require a high deal of skill to resharpen. A quality roller cutter can be had for under $20.

Rotary blades are quite easy to sharpen either by using a cheap, dedicated sharpening tool, or mounting to a mandrel and spinning up on a drill or lathe and using a diamond hone.


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## Aussie Allan In Thailand (Jan 28, 2013)

Thanks again.

You provide very useful information to me and others I am sure, quite often.

So thanks again.

Cheers Allan


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## beaverman (Dec 20, 2012)

Northerner said:


> beaverman said:
> 
> 
> > check ebay and buy in bulk to get the cheapest price on blades.
> ...


well first of all i try to avoid sharp objects as much as possible, ive sliced my hand open with a ruler, i would probably kill myself sharpenning blades, haha. i get my blades cheap enough, and there are companies that will buy your used blades so they can sharpen and resell them. if you get your blades cheap and then sell them, you can get back most of your money.


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## beaverman (Dec 20, 2012)

Hrawk said:


> A scalpel uses a slicing action, a roller cutter uses a shearing action. As mentioned above a scalpel or any other form of slicing action is likely to pinch / pull / stretch the rubber while it cuts.
> 
> A 40mm roller cutter blade has 125mm of edge at it's disposal, the average scalpel about 8-15mm. Therefore the roller cutter blade will provide many more cuts before dulling.
> 
> ...


the cheap plastic disk sharpener is mostly just for extending the life. if you do a search there are a lot of quilting forums that talk about them. they work for a while but eventually the blades get to dull to sharpen with it. they also can not remove nicks from the blade. so the other option you posted for sharpening would probably be better.


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