Hi Guys,
I tried to cut bands for the first time today. It was NOT fun. The 2 sides are not exactly the same size in the pic. I tried to put 1 on top of the other with some water. Didn't work, had to cut about 2mm off 1 edge.
The ruler I bought for taper cutting , see attached pic, is pain in the bottom to use. The screw seems not long enough, the nut falls off frequently. Maybe I should use an L shaped ruler?
What tricks do you guys use to cut bands?
If I measure twice and cut twice for a band set , I am concerned the second time won't be EXACTLY the same as the first one .
Thank you and have a great weekend
Alan
If you can't cut latex stacked in two layers, why not try a single sheet?
I've been using the template like the one in your photo for years, it's very handy!
A little patience, and everything will work out.
And an old joke:
I know they have been mentioned a few times. But I use an acrylic quilting ruler. I have a 12" one that I use to great affect. They are nice and thick and seem hold the latex much firmer and flatter to the cutting mat whilst you are cutting it. I have also learnt how to walk my fingers alongside or in line with the rotary cutter. Sort of a mixture of pressing the ruler edge down whilst walking your fingers and thumb as you cut, being very aware of how close your fingers are to that cutter. The confidence the quilting ruler gives you is quite remarkable.
I use a metal L shaped ruler. It's quite a simple process once you get going, practice a bit. If using a ruler make sure to apply good pressure on it when cutting. If not the latex will pull and your cut will be off. I have a thicker metal L ruler the thin ones with cork on one side seemed a little harder to work with.
If the nuts are falling off, it's because you're unscrewing them way to far. Set the taper that you want, the ruler should slide out smooth with a bit of tension on it, then tighten the screws so it holds the ruler firm and even.
It works fine for me. Is it possible you got a faulty one if the screws keep falling out? I do struggle to double it up if i am using a very thick band like a 1mm.
I traded hours of frustration trying to cut the perfect band-set for buying them pre-cut as well as learning to make and shoot looped tubes! Does this help?😂
When I started it was with a ruler and roller cutter. I had a hard time keeping the roller against the ruler and even cutting a straight line. For the first week or two I burned through a lot of latex by tossing miscut bands with wavy edges. I was really frustrated with myself for not being able to do something as stupidly simple as run a roller along the edge of a ruler. But after some practice, I figured it out.
Almost nobody is perfect at things on the first try.
Give me a fool proof tool and I will show you how to mess up with it. Guaranteed. At first anyways. After some practice, I will give you a demo on how well it works and all the cool things you can do with it.
You have almost everything you need for making great bands. IMO opinion the only thing you still need to get is some experience.
And experience is a good news / bad news deal. On the upside the best teacher around charges $0. Anyone can afford to hire her. The downside is she still isn't free. You have to pay the fee in time, interest, and persistence.
Keep at it. Band cutting, pouch tying, pouch holding, etc. Experience is the best teacher.
If you do, you will learn it all. My rec is to look back every week, month, and year and see where you are compared to where you were. The best reward for me is to be proud of doing things now that I wasn't able to then.
Combining all the wisdom you can get from this forum and all the info on the web with some experience is as close to a fool proof method as I have found.
I cut mine in single layers. It will not matter if one band is not exactly the same as the other. Your hand, eye and brain will automatically correct for any minor differences between bands.
If you cut several single layer bands then you can pair them with other bands of the same size.
A good solid surface to hold your cutting mat is important too. If the tabletop has any give at all you’ll get curved bands and it’ll frustrate the heck out of you. You can play with the resistance on your roller cutter too a bit, sometimes that has fouled me up. Most importantly though, it’s normal to waste some latex trying to figure it out. I went through a good 4/5 feet trying to figure my taper jig out, got frustrated, picked up a ruler, and haven’t looked back. Still get a wonky one every so often. Still pisses me off every time 😂
Okay, okay!!! I confess that I’m not a complete flat-band dunce. I even have the similar tool as Booral and after watching his video I’ll likely do a better job during my next round of flat-band production. This template can be found on Amazon from Green Mountain & Blue Water for $33usd which will pay for itself after the first couple of uses. However, I STILL like tubes more!😂😂
Hi Guys,
I tried to cut bands for the first time today. It was NOT fun. The 2 sides are not exactly the same size in the pic. I tried to put 1 on top of the other with some water. Didn't work, had to cut about 2mm off 1 edge.
The ruler I bought for taper cutting , see attached pic, is pain in the bottom to use. The screw seems not long enough, the nut falls off frequently. Maybe I should use an L shaped ruler?
What tricks do you guys use to cut bands?
If I measure twice and cut twice for a band set , I am concerned the second time won't be EXACTLY the same as the first one .
Thank you and have a great weekend
Alan View attachment 361210
Hi Guys,
I tried to cut bands for the first time today. It was NOT fun. The 2 sides are not exactly the same size in the pic. I tried to put 1 on top of the other with some water. Didn't work, had to cut about 2mm off 1 edge.
The ruler I bought for taper cutting , see attached pic, is pain in the bottom to use. The screw seems not long enough, the nut falls off frequently. Maybe I should use an L shaped ruler?
What tricks do you guys use to cut bands?
If I measure twice and cut twice for a band set , I am concerned the second time won't be EXACTLY the same as the first one .
Thank you and have a great weekend
Alan View attachment 361210
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