What knife offset are you using?

[fishintrippz 0]

I am using a 56 degree blade, and still have some problems weeding my vinyl, I am using offset .30

Thanks

Kendra

[Beardown 0]

sounds good to me

[fishintrippz 0]

is it normal to have to cut letters with an exacto to finish the cut?

[Jerry Bonham 1]

Hello,

There appears to be a lot of confusion about degrees and offset in cutting blades.

So here are the standard terms to use when talking about cutter blades.

It just makes it easier for all.

First of all they are called BLADES not knives.

Knives are what we use to eat dinner.

Although there are many brands and many, many different configurations of blades there are (luckily for us) only two types used by Chinese cutters.

If anyone wants me to write a more detailed explanation of vinyl cutter blades then i would be pleased to do this.

I would also explain about holders as well.

However i will keep this brief.

Chinese cutters use either blades identical to Roland blades or blades identical to Mimaki Blades.

Blades have a negative tolerance value on their thickness.

What this means is that Roland blades have a diameter 2mm with a negative tolerance of up to plus or minus 0.05mm

Mimaki blades have a shaft diameter of 1.5mm with a negative tolerance of 0.05mm.

This means they are thinner by this amount of tolerance.  Sorry these are the correct terms and i know some of you will find them double dutch.

Sorry guys i am metric and don't know inches down at these sizes. 

So in short Mimaki blades are used by PCut mainly.

Most of the other Chinese cutters all use Roland blades.

Why two different thicknesses?

Well it is cheaper to make a Roland blade.

The shaft is thicker and this allow for a hole to be drilled into the end.

Then a tungsten carbide bit is inserted and crimped.

Uses less tungsten, easier to make. Also it has the advantage that you can have different thicknesses of tungsten inserts.

The PCut or Mimaki blades have the tungsten tips welded to the end of a 1.5mm shaft.

Then they are sharpened.

Now when the blades are sharpened they have to be at an angle to the vertical.

This is the angle that is quoted.

Normal Roland Blades are 45 degrees with an offset value of 0.25 mm

Normal Mimaki blades are 50 degrees with an offset value of 0.30 mm

So in summary 45 degree or 50 degrees is the angle to the vertical.

0.25mm or 0.30mm is the distance from the centre of the blade shaft to the tip.

In other words when you cut the blade point it is at an angle.  So the tip is offset away from the centre of the blades shaft.

This is a very brief description of blades and how they are made and named.

hope it helps

As i said earlier if anyone wants a more detailed post just ask and i would be pleased to share my knowledge.

I will put drawings and illustrations and photos in to explain more detail as well.

Jerry from SignBlazer.