I just thought of something else that I wonder if it may be a factor in my troubles. I am still using the blades that came with the machine as well. For all I know they were used. I am going to buy a new pack on US Cutter right now and try that and see if that combined with new cutting strip and getting the blade depth adjusted really well will fix my problem. Thank you for all of your help @Dakotagrafx! I will let you know what happens.