vanillagorilla Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Searched the threads, but can't find this problem. I have made a press type tube cutter out of carpet blades, but my first attempts did not cut through both sides of the tube fully. Even though I used my entire 240 lb body to apply pressure on the cutting board the bottom side of the tube's tentacles were still connected by a thin "skin". Wanted to see if anyone had solved this one before I invest in rotary cutters ( $9 for 2 blades!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delw Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Make sure the bottom of the press( where the bait sets on) you made has a soft wood in it ie pine or balsa. with the grain going the same way as the blades. Cardboard from the back of a cereal box works great. the more salt you use in the tubes the easier they are to cut. use worm oil on the blades and it will prevent most sticking. One other thing is let your tubes sit overnight before you cut them, when they cure they are much easier to cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charkins Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Worm oil the blades and take a hammer to the cutter. Be sure you have the tubes on a cutting mat or soft wood. Soft wood works ok, but you have to dig a few particles out of the tube tentacles I couldn't make it work without a stanley 12 oz hammer. Cal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillagorilla Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 thanks guys, waitin' on a 5 " tube mold from Del, just trying to smooth out the rough spots before the mold arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 You can see a pic of one of my rotary cutters and tubes cut with them at the link below: http://photos.yahoo.com/dtrs5kprs Or try searching the posts for rotary cutter. I know I have posted how-to on it a couple of times, and e-mailed a bunch of people the same info. Works basically like a pizza cutter. Trick is to not let your hand slip down into all those 360degree cutting surfaces !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillagorilla Posted February 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 Hey Dave, I tried Walmart Home Depot and Lowes and all I could find was Rigid brand pipe cutter rotary blades at 9.00 for 2. Is this what you are using, or are you finding a cheaper version? I looked, but couldn't find the Olfa brand. I found your info, but it was going to cost me about $30 to make . Is that about right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james bradshaw Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 Olfa brand blades are fabric cutting rotary blades go to the fabric section in Walmart or go to a fabric store they will have them. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badfish03 Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 Look in the craft and fabric sections there should be Olfa or a similar knock-off for less than the 9.00 you were seeing, but that depends on the size blade you buy. I have done the same thing for cutting rabbit strips for fly tying. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 I bought a small roller handle just like shown on Dave Reeves sight. The holes on the rotary blades were too small so I tried drilling them larger but the blades broke. Anyone else have that problem? Pop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 The Olfa blades should be in the craft/fabric section at W-mart, Michaels, etc. Have not tried drilling them, but would not expect that to end well. Obviously, depending on what is locally available, you may have to fabricate and adjust some components. $25-30 would be about right, but worth it vs the PITA push cutters. Have heard some rumors of a "press" used by some of the LOZ area pros (should be enough of a clue) to cut tails. Supposed to look something like a t-shirt or unit dose heat sealer (two flat pieces, one fixed, one moving, with a lever to apply force and move the top piece). If so, that would be the best. Here is my bottom line on tubes: If you want to try it, the rotary is the way to go. Just make sure your tubes are so neat & special that all the effort and expense makes it better than buying quality bulk tubes from BPS, Lucky Strike, Mizmo, pheonix, generics...I finally decided it was a waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamdiarrhea Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Here is the tube cutter I made several years ago. Dug out an old garage door operator arm and house door hinge plate from my junk bin, several bolts, nails, etc, and a chunk of rubber gasket material I dug out of a scrap pile. I also "borrowed" a nice wood cutting board from the kitchen, she still can't figure out where it went.... The blades are "bolted" together with machine screws and separated by thin washers. Use a generous amount of salt with the plastic, let them sit overnight before you cut them so the get hardened up, then place the head of the tube at up against the two nails. Lube the blades up with cheap fish attractant oil every 3 or 4 cuts or you'll rip the tails up when you pull them out. I put the cutting blades down on the tube and get them positioned, then press the arm down on the tube with a quick motion - the tube actually will make a "pop" sound if you do it right. If you want to market the design don't forget about me I'm with dtrs5kprs - I haven't made any tubes in a few years because it's so labor intensive. I wait until BP spring catalog comes out and buy enough for $1.99 a ten-pack to last me the whole year. My problem is I keep doing that every year before doing inventory and I now have enough to last me for the next several years (especially since that last order came in a week ago)...... Awesome site you guys have here, I haven't participated much but try to get on as often as I can to pick up the latest tips.... See ya on the river. Team-D [/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamdiarrhea Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Sorry, can't figure out how to get the picture to post. Any help greatly appreciated, or shoot me an email and I'll send it to you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJFishRGuy Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Go to the bottom of the "Post a reply" page and click the "Browse" button. Find the file and double-click on it so it appears in the list, then click "Add Attachment". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamdiarrhea Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 I was doing everything right but my file was bigger than 640 x 480. Here it is..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GB GONE Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 WOW ...cool cutter!!! Is that a finger I see off to the side : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamdiarrhea Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 Not a finger, just several thinly sliced pieces of flesh of the end of a finger.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted February 5, 2005 Report Share Posted February 5, 2005 I think that pic is basically like the "press" I have heard of, except from the description the press has a board/plate/something that allows attachment of MANY blades (and obviously will cut multiple tubes). Excellent pic and info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
