Kutrimmer Adjustment
Hi all —
This is not a press problem, but involves feeding the press. I’m an amateur printer (nothing professional going on here, trust me) and I’m dealing with a paper problem. I’ve got a new (as in purchased unused) Kutrimmer Ideal 1038 that isn’t cutting straight. If I cut commercially cut 8-1/2 x 11 paper into 5-1/2 by 8-1/2 sheets, the cut edges aren’t square and the paper is not even close to a perfect rectangle.
I know that a Kutrimmer isn’t a guillotine, which would be the preferred tool for cutting, but I don’t have room for anything other than a reasonably small tabletop guillotine so I opted for this device.
Is the cut on this thing adjustable? Can I fix this problem? Creates a real issue for me in my occasional printing work. I can work around it with more cutting to make everything equally wopperjawed, but that’s less than ideal.
Thanks for any help.
A Kutrimmer is a very precise paper cutter. Mine is twenty five years old and cuts perfectly. Are you using the paper clamp firmly? There is adjustment possible, but it is hard to understand how it could be out. I am not looking at mine at the moment, but I believe both the stop on the edge nearest you is held on by screws and might have some play to adjust if you loosen all the screws. The metal edge the blade contacts on the base could also be shimmed probably. A large carpenters square would be a good tool to check the cutter and figure which needs attention.
John, thanks for your quick reply. I get the Kutrimmer is normally very accurate, it was that reputation that caused me to buy it. I’m not sure at all why mine isn’t. It isn’t like this is a complex machine. I will look at what you suggested in your reply to see if that provides a path to fixing the problem.
I bought the same model specifically to cut large sheets down to fit in my guillotine, and had trouble- the entire length of the cut was not straight, but bowed in the middle of the cut. I had to send them samples before they’d believe me. The guide was square, paper clamp worked, but somehow still being was off. They did send me a new one that seems to work better. If you can’t somehow adjust it, talk to their customer service.
Bowerbox, I’ll keep that in mind, thanks for sharing your experience.
Bowerbox, I’ll keep that in mind, thanks for sharing your experience.
We have a different model of Kutrimmer, but I was wondering if you are using the fence on the left edge of the paper. Our fence has an adjustment screw that allows us to align it parallel with the blade. I also found that the important thing is that the fixed edge/fence is perpendicular to the blade. I try to ignore having the paper touch the entire edge of the sliding fence, and concentrate on having the paper touch the entire edge of the fixed fence.
John
John —
Mine also has an adjustment on the sliding fence, I’ve adjusted it to be at right angles to the base, fixed, fence. I also align the paper tightly against the fixed fence figuring that it is more likely to be correct vis the blade.
I’m guessing, though that the fixed fence is where the problem is, since I just don’t see how the blade alignment to the base could be causing the issue. This is a busy week for me, but I’m going to try to get a look at it this weekend. Thanks for your help.
There is an article from the Guild of Bookworkers on how to square the fence on a board shear. It goes through a process to help determine if the fixed fence is perpendicular to the knife blades. The general concept should also work on a Kutrimmer. You should be able to find it with an internet query of ‘How to square the cut of a board shear’.
My first question would be how much paper are you trying to cut at a time?
Second question is the blade sharp?
:)