I would first put a new blade in. I just tried one of the Harbor Freight blades and am not impressed - they skipped threads right out of the package. Tried the second one in the package and it did the same thing. Also, sometimes your cutting mat can get grooves in it and that makes the blade not as effective. If you are afraid of cutting yourself, you could buy one of those special gloves you wear on the hand that holds down the ruler. I believe Fons and Porter sells one on their website. Hope this helps!