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I was hoping there were responses (yeah, I know what ) means, I said hoping :lol: ) I have the circle sutter - and do fairly well with that, but the oval cutter- yikes. I might as well just torch the card stock!
Sue,
I guess we will just have to sit and wait for someone to come to the rescue. I'm trying to do small circles. Maybe I should try the ovals and my circles would make me feel better. :oops:
__________________ Debbi~SU Demo~SCS#6378 ~My Gallery~My SUO Blog~ Mother to 6 and Grandmother to Katie- 7/31/09 & Kyle-12/6/12
I also have a shape cutter... I think when it starts tearing the blade could be dull...or the paper isn't in securely. I don't use mine all that often either, so I'm not certain I remember exactly what happened. But I think most of the time I either had the blade incorrectly positioned or it was dull.
__________________ RT - In-house Bunny Chaser "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap."- Dolly Parton
First off, you have make sure the template is facing up (you should be able to read Fiskars). The blade won't cut if the template is upside down and tears the cs. Also, the knob on the top turns to adjust the spring which in turn adjusts the pressure of the knife. When you have it screwed mostly up there is a stem (for lack of a better term). You will see kind of an indented ring on it and the plastic comes out a slight bit before and after that indentation. I will call those markings rings. How much of the stem you see, adjusts the knife. When using the template you should see two rings, the upper portion of the stem and the indentated (if that is a word) ring, not the lowest one. If you are free hand cutting I believe you are supposed to see all 3 rings (the knife would be farther up). If you try to cut and the cs only cuts here and there, twist the knob (will see less of those rings)to bring the knife down farther.
I hope this is helpful. I re-read it and it does sound confusing. Just read it while holding your cutter and looking at the stem part.
Thank goodness I can read better than type. My post above looks positively illiterate! Thanks for your responses anyway! I'm going to try a little harder. With these instructions.
i had this cutter too and my problem also template was upside down!! i bet that is most of your problem. i gave up and sold it on ebay :( the best cutter hands down is coluzzle!! my suggestion sell it and buy that one! you wont be sorry
traci
I think it takes a bit of practice, whichever system you decide to use. I personally prefer Creative Memories' cutters... but they are limited to the templates, which are few. I bought a Coluzzle a few years ago and hated it. It just didn't for me at all... I should put it up for sale! lol The Fiskers system is good for all the available shapes. But it is a bit tricky. Just practice a bit.
__________________ RT - In-house Bunny Chaser "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap."- Dolly Parton
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practice and you'll love it!
I have several cutters, Fiskars, Coluzzle, Creative Memories ... I like them all and use them for different purposes.
With Fiskars Shape Cutter you have to practice a bit. Make sure you are cutting on a self-healing pad -- very important! Also, you have to adjust the tension on the cutter by turning the top knob. The tension depends upon two things -- the paper type and your hand pressure.
I adjusted my cutter to suit me and then my friend couldn't cut anything w/ it -- it would just tear the paper. So it really is sensitive to your touch.
Keep practicing -- there are tons of cool templates to use w/ the Fiskars cutter.
My DH thought he would be helpful 2 years ago and bought me the ShapeBoss system. I do love it for when you do some dry embossing because it comes with many templates, even letters I got. The circle cutter tool took some getting use to but once you get the hang of it, keep the template right side up, and have the blade pointing the right way it is easy to use and the blade last forever!! I don't use it as often as I should but I do use it when I "dig" it out!!!
I have the Fiskars Shape Cutter too, and it really does just take a bit of practice. Once you figure out if the template is right side up (I had this same problem!) then it takes a couple tries to get the blade twisted in at the right spot. Where it is will affect how it swivels, I think? And then how much pressure you use. I love it, but I have some scrapping buddies that swear by Coluzzle and some that only use the CM system. I can use the CM system, but am not too swift w/Coluzzle. I guess it's mainly a matter of personal preference, which is what I tell customers when they ask me about Coluzzle. Since I'm a demo, I bought the SU Coluzzle, and am making an effort to get better at it so I can sell it and demo it w/confidence! Wish me luck!
I have coluzzle, CM, and shapeboss cutting systems. I love the CM system, but as mentioned above it is limited to only a few shapes. My next favorite is the shape boss. After practicing, you will become a pro at it and there are many, many templates for it. My least favorite is the coluzzle because I have trouble matching up the tracks which is due to a slight vision problem, I think. I need to sell mine also, but have been holding on to it for some reason. You just have to go w/the one that works best for you personally. Everyone is different.
I have the template facing the right way, the blade is new and I have a Fiskers cutting board under it. I guess I will just keep practicing. My DH can do them perfect (show off :oops: ). I'm trying to make the bird house cards again. Gallery at Splitcoaststampers I want to send them in our Christmas Missionary box. So I am making quite a few. If I get fed up I will ask DH to cut them for me.
__________________ Debbi~SU Demo~SCS#6378 ~My Gallery~My SUO Blog~ Mother to 6 and Grandmother to Katie- 7/31/09 & Kyle-12/6/12
I love my Fiskars cutter--especially since they came out with the tag template. I absolutely love it. I had the same problems you had at first, but I did all the things everyone has previously mentioned and I hardly have any trouble. Usually if it is cutting the cardstock, I just roll the blade the opposite direction. For example if I'm trying to go clockwise and it's tearing, I move it counterclockwise. It never seems to be the same, so I'm assuming it has something to do with how the blade is positioned when it is placed on the paper.
gosh, you guys are making me wish i hadnt sold mine so fast!! take their advice and practice!! i can definately see it is all in preference and practice. good luck.
My DH took a look and added a smidgen of oil by the spring. It seemed that the blade was not turning. It seems to be working now. I didn't want to give up because I had asked my MIL for more templates for Christmas.
Thanks for all of the input!
__________________ Debbi~SU Demo~SCS#6378 ~My Gallery~My SUO Blog~ Mother to 6 and Grandmother to Katie- 7/31/09 & Kyle-12/6/12
I made a mark with a black sharpie on the short end of the blade on my cutter.
When you start cutting, gently rotate the cutter (keeping your wrist locked) until you can see the mark is facing the right way.
I took a free class demonstrating the fiskars cutter and learned that the instructions aren't entirely correct.
Practice on a scrap piece of paper to ensure the blade is in the optimal position. Twist the top to lift the blade. Turn SLIGHTLY to lower blade and try cutting. Keep doing this until the blade will cut the paper easily. You shouldn't need to use pressure when cutting.
Also, try not to turn your wrist when cutting. The blade rotates and will move easily around curves. It your template has corners, rotate the cutter (keeping your wrist locked), until you can see the blade is facing the right way.
I adjusted my cutter to suit me and then my friend couldn't cut anything w/ it -- it would just tear the paper. So it really is sensitive to your touch.
Thanks for sharing that Susan! I would have never thought it was sensitive to each person's use/pressure applied. I thought it was adjusted only to the template, cs and mat.
hmmm.........maybe I'll try mine again this week. I was just about to package up the cutter and templates for an ebay sale. I just find it super frustrating!! Not the best use of my crafting time!
__________________ ~Debbi~
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown
I made a mark with a black sharpie on the short end of the blade on my cutter.
When you start cutting, gently rotate the cutter (keeping your wrist locked) until you can see the mark is facing the right way.
Very good idea. I tried to keep my eye on it but the marker will make it much easier to see. THANKS!
__________________ Debbi~SU Demo~SCS#6378 ~My Gallery~My SUO Blog~ Mother to 6 and Grandmother to Katie- 7/31/09 & Kyle-12/6/12
Fiskers shape cutter?? HELP!!!
