I know this has been mentioned in the past, but this is for the newbies. You can purchase carpet cutting blades at Harbor Freight stores or most stores that carry carpet cutting supplies. They will fit your medium size cutters but not small cutters. I bought 2 blades at Harbor Freight for $1.49. Check it out!

this is the link online and they have stores, see if there is a store in your area

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...=carpet+blades

In the past couple of weeks or 3, they have increased their prices in many places around the country to 1.99.
See, quilters DO have an impact on the "regular" world!
:)

Ordered them on line over a month ago. Still waiting for them. Back ordered, they say. I think they are shipping to stores before filling their on-line orders. Luckily, I can wait them out. (They sent me a card saying I could cancel the order if I didn't want to wait). FAT CHANCE. Then I'd have to pay the higher price for them. Guess this is the law of Supply and Demand.

i stopped at our harbor freight outlet last saturday. they had only one package of the blades and charged me $1.99. tried one when i got home. did not like it. i guess it didn't fit well in olfa handle or something, because it kept skipping . . . i tried two layers, four layers and six layers of fabric. it just would not work. oh well, so much for that "good deal".

When I got mine home, I put one of the blades in my 45mm cutter, and it works great for me. I cut 4 doubled FQs, making 8 layers, and had no problems with it.

I'll have to see when I use the other ones.
But so far it's fine.

I went to our Harbor Freight and they were 1.99 for two. They only had one pkg. When I went on line to order they are on back order. It doesn't surprise me as all quilters are on to it. I wonder when they will up the price.

I think they already did. A few months ago when this whole thing started, with someone posting about the less expensive blades, they were 1.49 for a package of 2.
Since then, they have gone up to 1.99.
I don't think the blades will EVER go up as high as the "quilting" blades, because Harbor Freight and hardware stores still have to sell to the contractor and home improvement trade, and that bunch will never pay 9.00 per each blade - !!!

TooMuchFabric, love the avatar photo of the crochet doily. Is it from a book or did you make it? Love that pattern.
I have one more harbour freight store to check in Spokane for the blades.

Thank you ever so much for this tip!! I just placed an order :thumbup:

Thanks!
The doily is about 18" across or so, and comes from an old reprint of an old (I think) Laura Wheeler newspaper item, from a set of "seashell" motif doily patterns.
It was originally intended for something like a size 20 or 30 thread and a size 12 hook, like that,
but I used Size 10 crochet thread and a straight-shank Size B (smallest size for yarn) hook.

I've been using a Harbor Freight "carpet cutter" for a little over two weeks (cutting fabric for two different quilts) and it still cuts like a hot knife through butter. I was fortunate to purchase 12 packages at $1.49 each package from two different HF stores, using a 20% off coupon! Bottom line, each package cost me (with tax) $1.29. I shared my bounty with the members of my bee.

Sewitseams, I don't mean to be a "smarta--", but did you put only one of the blades into your rotary cutter? The two blades in the package were a little difficult to separate. Belles

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I KEPT THINKING NO WAY COULD I HAVE IT IN BACKWARDS.....BUT I TRIED TURNING IT AROUND...GUESS WHAT !!! IT NOW WORKS. I NOW LOVE THE BLADE. TRY TURNING IT AROUND. I GUESS THEY HAVE A RIGHT SIDE TO THEM.

After reading about them here, I hunted up a store and was able to get 6 packs.
Thanks

thanks for telling us

Our HF just went up to $1.99, but still cheap!!

Make sure you didn't accidentally put 2 blades in together. That is the only time I've heard of them skipping. I've been using mine for almost a month now and it is still cutting great. Mine easily cut thru 8 layers when it was newer. It still easily cuts thru 4 layers, and thru 8 but I have to go over it a couple of times since I've been using it so long and so much. I have cut out 2 full quilts with it over the last month, and a wall hanging. I am starting on the third quilt, and it's still cutting.

Also, try turning the blade around (over?) and see if you think it cuts a bit longer. Sometimes this works for me.

Well sewitseams, you certainly received a plethora of suggestions on the carpet cutters aka rotary cutter blades. Hope one of the suggestions work for you because it's such a great cost saver. Although now that word got out to quilters (mostly women), don't be surprised if the powers who be (mostly men) allow the price to sky rocket. Belles

I'm hoping this won't happen, at least not as high as quilters' blades, because the hardware stores sell these cutters and blades to contractors and home improvements types, who are not going to stand for carpet blades to go to 9.00 a blade!
So maybe that will keep down the price for us quilters!
.

Good heavens. I don't recall seeing this posted before but I'm certainly taking advantage of the great find. Thank you so much. I just ordered 6 pks. That is 12 blades and it is costing me just a little under $20. Can't beat that with a stick!! LOL I shouldn't need more blades for at least 5 yrs. I still have some others that I can use while waiting for the back order to be filled. We can all be really happy cutters!!! More money for fabric, right gals!!!

The price going up 30% is a negative impact. A good thing I bought enough to last me a life time. Most of us bought bunches. Wait until they find out that the gold rush is over and only a few stragglers are still buying.

And I'm wanting to be a fly on the wall when the contractors come in all gritty and grimy from the job and want to know what's with the price hike. D'ya think the store manager will say, "Well, it's like this, these ladies/guys came in here all about blades for their rotary cutters for sewing and bought us out, so we raised the price due to quilters and you guys are caught in it."

Could you possibly have had two blades stuck together? I had this happen once until I discovered the problem. Also, I once put the screw back on but on the wrong side of cutter. Would not cut until I reversed sides.

Thank you, and God bless.

Everytime I have been in the store, they are sold out, I even check the store when I travel! Nothing. I have an order on line and a rain check out our local store and still nothing! I was in today and still nothing, but that is ok, I will not give up!!!

If we can gauge all the Harbor Freight stores by the two in my area, they receive a shipment once a week (one store on Monday and the other on Tuesday) and they only receive 6 packages! I call each store as soon as it opens on the day the shipment arrives and ask if they would hold whatever blades they received. Thus far it has worked and after tomorrow's pick up, I'll have enough to last a while. Good luck and not giving up shows you have the "true grit" of quilters! Belles

I'm thinking you could put in an order with them for an extra 6 pkgs or whatever number you want above their normal order, give them your name and number and have them either call you or at least hold the blades till you come to get them.
Might work.

They told me they get a truck on Monday,but never said anything about Tuesday! Hmm, think I will call them first thing today!!

Sorry I wasn't clear on the shipments to my area Harbor Freight stores. One store I mentioned is in Lombard, IL and the other store is in Burbank, IL. Lombard gets their shipment on Monday and Burbank on Tuesday. However. when I called Burbank this morning, I was told the carpet cutters never were shipped...they are on backorder. HMM, could we quilters have exhausted the national supply? Belles

I bet we did. Those of us early birds got most of what we wanted and didn't leave anything for the rest of you. Not fair! But on the other hand you may not have had an opportunity anyway. I m irritated that they raised the price by 30%. I hope they bought more than we can obsorb and they will be stuck with them. Then they'll have to sell them at a discount. Supply and demand. The poor carpet layers are left out.
By the way, all of Harbor Freight's merchandise is Made in China. My husband and I have been on a crusade to buy American. Oh well. I got caught up in the rush and did not think. And then he went back and bought an air compressor. What can I say about well laid plans uf mice and men....

Ok, then it should go like this:
We buy out the market, they produce more to meet the new perceived demand, making more for sale, so Price Should Go Down, RIGHT??
Wanna have a breath holding contest, mmmm?

Agreed, I like the buy American plan too! If we could all stick together, wouldn't we have some jobs. However I realize it is a global world and willing to spend a little bit with them, I usually don't like to buy if made in China. I am going to check some other places, since I am not getting any from HF after many in stores stops, rainchecks, and online orders.