MyBinding Knowledge Base
What features should I look for in a guillotine paper cutter?
If you’ve ever worked with a guillotine paper cutter, you’re probably well aware of how dangerous they can be. Using one of these tools improperly can lead to disastrous results which is why it’s absolutely essential to exercise good judgment when cutting. The right safety features are also important and you’re probably wondering what sort of features should be present in a guillotine cutter. Here are three you should look for when selecting such a device.
1.) A tension spring. The first thing you should look for is a tension spring. The tension spring is a device that’s attached to the blade so it won’t move unexpectedly. This prevents the blade from flipping up without warning and, more importantly, it ensures that the blade won’t come down when you least expect it much like a real guillotine. The tension blade helps make the cutting experience much safer because you won’t need to worry about your fingers being accidentally sliced off. If you run into problems with the tension spring, either have it repaired or replace the entire trimmer.
2.) A finger guard. Another safety feature to be on the lookout for is a finger guard. On a high-quality cutter, a finger guard will run along the entire length of the trimmer’s base so your fingers won’t come into contact with the blade as you cut. Finger guards are sometimes made out of plastic, although there are metal ones available as well. There are even some trimmers that have a guard on both sides of the blade to almost eliminate the chance of your fingers accidentally touching the blade. Whatever you do, don’t remove the finger guard from your cutter. Doing so will make using the trimmer even more dangerous and it could possibly end up turning your workday into a very bad experience.
3.) A blade latch. One more thing you should look for is a blade latch. As the name of this features suggests, a blade latch will keep the blade in place when the cutter isn’t being used. The latch is usually made out of wire or a piece of metal and while it’s typically small, it’s a very important part of the cutter. Not only does the latch prevent the blade from springing up, it prevents people from accidentally running their hands along the blade and cutting themselves.
< Over the years, a number of customers have asked me whether they can use twin loop wire with their plastic comb binding machine. These customers often don’t want to have to buy a brand new machine but like the look and feel of twin loop wire binding. However, the answer to their question isn’t as simple as it seems. You see, they actually do make twin loop wire that is designed to work with the plastic comb binding hole pattern. With that said, if you want to use these wires you are going to need a way to close the wires. What is Spiral-O Wire? Let me explain a little bit more…There is a product that we carry called Spiral-O Wire. This wire has 19 loops and is designed to work with the hole pattern from a plastic comb binding machine. Spiral-O Wire is sometimes called Wire Combs or Ibico Wire and was originally designed for use with some of the older Ibico binding machines. A number of the older Ibico plastic comb binding machines also included a twin loop wire closer on the front of them to allow users to use both plastic combs and wire. This 19 loop wire was designed for this purpose. What Equipment is Needed? As the Ibico brand has been phased out by GBC and all of the older Ibico plastic binding machines have been replaced with new models, they no longer have the twin loop wire closer on the front of them. This presents a problem in trying to use these spiral-o wires since you can’t use the wires without a way to close them. One of the only options left is to purchase a Twin Loop wire closer. However, since twin loop wire closers are not incredibly cheap this option usually only appeals to users who have larger electric plastic comb binding machines. Otherwise, it is often advisable to simply buy a low end 3:1 pitch twin loop wire binding machine (the supplies are cheaper). This being said, if you have one of the older Ibico binding machines that has a wire closer included you are in luck. The Spiral-O binding supplies that we carry will work perfectly with your machine and you will be able to use both plastic combs and wire depending on your needs. These Spiral-O binding supplies are available in Black, Silver, White, Blue and Red and in sizes up to 1″ in diameter. If you aren’t sure what type of wire binding supplies that you need to work with your machine simply give us a call. Our trained sales representatives will be glad to help you find the correct supplies for use with your machine.(Read More)
