Accuquilt ragg die
 

I bought an Accuquilt in October and have finally had time to start using it. I got myself the 8" ragg die for Christmas and have had such a hard time using it I have all but given up. I have cut only 2 layers of flannel with it and I have to struggle to get the die through the cutter. After cutting ten squares I have to stop because my back and arm hurt so much. Has anyone else had this problem?

With a new die it needs a breaking in period..
The foam need to 'compress' some to ease its way thru the rollers.. Give it time..

another hint to keep having to pick out the threads is use a piece of newspaper,or a phone book page, or a magazine page first then layer your fabric then the mat... it will not hurt your die.. Mines still cutting great.. I use one piece of newspaper, & three pieces of flannel for every run thru..




take a look at this website.. Ebony Love is a member here and has great tutes on the GO..

http://quiltpossible.com/blog/

They are stiff when new, plus flannel is thicker than regular cotton, plus the rag die is the hardest die to run through because it has ***so*** many cutting edges on it. Try running just one layer through at a time until the machine loosens up. (I thought it was the rollers, but it makes sense that it's the new die!) Also, adding the paper as described by luvTooQuilt is a really, really good idea -- saves you a lot of time trying to pick threads out of the die later on.

When I first got mine, I started with the tumbler die and could cut only 2 layers at a time for the first couple of hours of use. Now I can cut 4 layers of fabric at a time with that die.

Stick with it - you will be glad you did and also a slight angle is helpful. I put a piece if the rubber drawer liner under neath to make it stay in place better. The paper idea is an absolute must.

I did a rag quilt using this die. I did 2 layers of flannel and a layer of cotton. I put a page from a magazine next to the die and it did cut down on the fibers getting trapped around the cutting edges. It definately was more difficult to get the die thru the machine than other dies but my machine had been used before. I had trouble with my die also, the little blades that cut the raggy part kept coming up thru the foam so I would have to push them back down after every cutting. I called Accuquilt and told them what was going on and they had me send the die back and sent me a new one, free of charge. My die was apparently defective!!!

I will try the paper trick although I don't have many threads that get stuck right now. I know that doesn't mean that I won't! My husband put two layers of flannel through last night and it made all kinds of cracking and snapping noises. I thought it was going to break my Accuquilt.

I bought that one too but haven't used it yet. after I got it my LQS said the flannel gets stuck in it pretty bad. be careful trying to get it out so you can cut more. i would probably do fewer layers than normal too.

Ebony Love is great!!! i haven't checked out her tips on the rag die yet but i am sure she will solve the problem.

I was told to put a piece of thin paper on the die before the fabric for the rag die and if using flannel only cut one at a time. If I use homespun I can do four layers. If you don't use the paper you'll have a mess of fuzz and pieces to pick out of the die. The Go is hard to turn on first use but it gets very smooth after using it for a while. Mine is about four years old and it is very smooth and easy to turn.

I started out using the Go cutter with the rag die. I could cut two layers without much problem but I also had the same thing happen with the blades coming up and had to be pushed down. I took the die to the store I had bought it from and she sent it to the manufacturer. The new die worked just fine. You just have to have patience until the die is broke in a little. I now own a studio cutter and haven't had as much trouble. The newspaper trick is a good one. Good Luck!

if the GO is cracking and snapping, thats does not sounds like a good sign to me.. .... use less layers till the die is broken in..

my mat makes a cracking noise- thats usually when its getting time to replace..