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2. Cutting
2.00 Quick Reference for this Chapter
•
How to
properly
mount
the blade holder:
Section 2.01.3
•
How to control which shapes get cut:
Section 2.02.1
•
How to control where shapes get cut:
Section 2.02.2
•
Understanding
Blade Offset
and
Overcut
:
Section 2.03.3
and
Section 2.03.4
•
How to set a very precise origin:
Section 2.05.1
•
How to add weeding lines to a cut:
Section 2.06.3
•
How to get shapes to cut to precise dimensions:
Section 2.08
•
How to know which settings to adjust to solve cutting issues:
Section 2.09
•
Suggested settings for cutting materials:
Section 2.11
The Most Common New Owner Mistakes:
•
Too much blade is exposed on the blade holder (material is lifting up and/or tearing) - refer back to
Section
1.07.3
•
The blade tip (or pen nib) is too close to the material (inconsistent cutting) - refer to
Section 2.01.3
•
The pinch wheels are not properly positioned (material or mat is sliding around or bunching up during the
cut)
– refer back to
Section 1.09
•
Failing to do a test cut (recommended cut settings are not working)
– refer to
Section 2.01.5
and
2.09
•
Not practicing enough with the test pen and paper (shapes are not cutting in the correct locations)
– refer to
Section 2.02.2
2.01 What You Need to Understand About Cutting
2.01.1 You Have To Make Mistakes
•
The key to becoming successful at cutting is to do a lot of it! Those who shy away from using their Skycut
will
never get to the stage of mastering it. It’s very normal for new owners to be intimidated by their cutter,
so remember the following key things:
You won’t break your new Skycut by cutting paper, vinyl, cardstock, and other easy-to-cut materials.
The worst thing that might
possibly
happen is that you’ll break a blade. That’s it! And the likelihood of
even that happening is low.
You need to start cutting so that you’ll begin making mistakes! It’s in making these mistakes that you
start to learn. You realize that the
se mistakes didn’t result in a broken cutter. Plus, you’ll stop making
the same mistakes as you remember more of the things you need to check before every cut.
As you make fewer mistakes you begin to build confidence and you begin to have more cutting success!
From there, you begin to experiment more and produce more. Thus, your best course of action is to just
start cutting… a lot! But first, read the rest of this chapter.
IMPORTANT
: Please read all of
2.01
!!!
