Please recommend paper cutter

Book scanning methods that involve taking books apart.

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recaptcha
Posts: 64
Joined: 03 Sep 2010, 13:23
Number of books owned: 0
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Please recommend paper cutter

Post by recaptcha »

I've been doing a lot of online research looking for heavy duty paper cutters (those that cut 400+ pages at a time). There are quite a few different models out there. The same issues come up in almost every review however:

- does not cut straight up and down
- does not align paper properly
- does not cut paper squarely
- paper shifts when cutting
- blade goes dull fast
- replacement blades impossible to find, or very expensive
- cheaply made Chinese junk

So I've been wary of springing for a heavy duty cutter. I may have to go for a lighter duty cutter (20-30 pages) but then have to break the book down more first. Most lighter duty cutters (either rotary or guillotine) seem to have self-sharpnening blades, or offer reasonably priced replacement blades

Can anyone recommend a heavy or light duty paper cutter that doesn't have these flaws?


Thanks!
Vidar
Posts: 12
Joined: 17 Sep 2012, 17:18
E-book readers owned: Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Oasis
Number of books owned: 400
Country: Norway

Re: Please recommend paper cutter

Post by Vidar »

I doubt the heavy duty cutters are as bad as you think. It's easy to focus to much on negative reviews and there are alway people that love to complain. How can the makers sell any if they are so bad? Blades to dull, but can be sharpened up agin.
Not much about "destructive" scanning on this site I'm afraid. I do it, with book, but I actually use a scissor. This one:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00V3N ... UTF8&psc=1
It cuts well, comparable to a lighter duty cutter in number of pages. It doesn't make a very clean and even cut of course (depending on your skill), but I crop later in the digital process. It's made of K5-steel and the sharpness seem to keep up well.
BillGill
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Number of books owned: 7000
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Re: Please recommend paper cutter

Post by BillGill »

I don't do cutting myself, but I'm not sure I would bother with a professional paper cutter. I would most likely use a saw. If you rig a clamp with a couple of pieces of wood, or maybe angle iron would be better, then you can use that to guide a fine toothed saw blade, manual or powered, along the spine. That might leave the edge a little ragged, that would depend on how fine the blade is. My first thought is something like https://www.homedepot.com/p/Worx-2-5-Am ... lsrc=aw.ds There are a lot of different brands that work this way, this is just one.

Bill Gill
recaptcha
Posts: 64
Joined: 03 Sep 2010, 13:23
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Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Re: Please recommend paper cutter

Post by recaptcha »

Thanks. There are all kinds of junk products out there that people buy. How can business sell any if they are so bad? Easy, no affordable quality alternatives, people get used to low quality products, and products are just cheap enough to take a chance on.

That's interesting about the scissors. I have tried using tin snips before, but that didn't work out. Your scissors gave me an idea for a heavy duty kitchen scissors that chefs use for boning fish. I might look into that.

I think any electrical saw is going to make the pages too ragged. I'm not sure if any saw has a blade with fine enough teeth. I will look into it more.
BillGill
Posts: 139
Joined: 18 Dec 2016, 17:13
E-book readers owned: Calibre, FBReader
Number of books owned: 7000
Country: USA

Re: Please recommend paper cutter

Post by BillGill »

The type of saw I suggested comes with a variety of blades that can be used for many purposes. I mostly use mine for wood or wallboard, although it is one of the first things I think of when I need to cut something. The fine blades can do a very fine cut. It is not a circular saw. The blades oscillate very rapidly over a very short distance. You can stick your finger against it without being injured.

This type of saw was originally designed for medical purposes. They are very good at cutting bone, or anything that is solid, such as casts, without injuring adjacent flesh.

Bill Gill
cday
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Joined: 19 Mar 2013, 14:55
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Country: UK

Re: Please recommend paper cutter

Post by cday »

Another thought: possibly take the book or books to a business that has a high-quality commercial guillotine...

I get paper pads cut very cleanly and very quickly at a local business that provides office services, the pads aren't as thick as a book and I don't know what the thickness limit would be. A printing business might also have a commercial quality guillotine, and maybe there are other possibilities if you make inquiries.

The point is that with the right equipment, a book or even quite a number of books could be trimmed to a high quality very quickly, and so at minimal cost, or maybe even with luck at no cost for one or two books!
recaptcha
Posts: 64
Joined: 03 Sep 2010, 13:23
Number of books owned: 0
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Re: Please recommend paper cutter

Post by recaptcha »

Thanks, I looked into getting books cut at Staples. They wanted $4.00 per book. I quickly gave up that idea, as I have about 250 books.
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