What is a Rotary Cutter Used For?
A rotary cutter is a handy tool used to make cuts through different types of materials. The unit consists of a handle apparatus that houses a circular blade at one end. The blade is a mini version of a circular saw's blade. Rotary blades provide the convenience of cutting through materials, without lifting them out of place, as would be the case when trying to fit the scissors' blade under the material to make the cut.
Quilting
Quilting has many uses for the rotary cutter. Quilters cut many small and intricate pieces of fabric, as they compile the designs of their unique quilting artwork. With the use of a rotary cutter, along with rulers and a cutting mat, they are able to cut their fabric pieces accurately, and with less time and hassle that with using scissors.
Sewing
Fashion designers, seamstresses, tailors, upholsterers, sewing artists and interior designers all use rotary cutters to make quick and straight cuts through fabrics, reducing the cutting time significantly. The significance of this convenience is that with regular scissors, is was not uncommon for the cutting process to take longer than the sewing steps. Therefore, rotary cutters add a touch of ease to the process of sewing.
Scrapbooking and Crafts
Rotary cutters are very useful in scrapbooking and many other crafts. The quick, accurate cuts can be made through layers of paper. Also, rotary cutters come with decorative blades that can make scallop, wave, squiggle and other cuts through paper. This gives the scrapbooking, gift cards and other paper crafts, fancy, decorative edges.
Rotary Circle Cutter
The rotary circle cutter is used to cut circles into fabrics and paper. It works by positioning, and holding in place, a downward-pointing pin in the middle of the desired circle, then rotating the unit about that point. The end of the unit houses the rotary blade that cuts through the fabric, as it is rotated around the circle's circumference. The pin and the handle can be adjusted to cut smaller or larger circles.
Spot Welding
A different type of rotary cutter is the rotary spot weld cutter attachment. This is a precision tool that is used to remove spot welds from sheet metal applications. It works by cutting through the metal, using the powered rotating motion of a drill. This tool may also be used to cut holes through sheet metal.
Lawn Tool
Rotary cutters are also heavy-duty lawn mowing machines. These are power-operated trailer attachments that work by rotating the blades to cut large sections of grass with each pass. These rotary cutters are generally used to maintain acres of open landscape, such as on a farm or in a park.
