Quiltah Mama

I'm sure this topic has been posed in the past, but I am frustrated.......I replaced my rotary blade with a brand new blade ( the rotary cutter and blade are the same brand name), and before I was even through cutting out one quilt, I had a dead spot, argh..... We have all experienced this I'm sure at one time or another. We all know rotary blades are expensive, but a good sharp blade is a must for many reasons. I love my rotary cutter and am very happy with it, and when there is a sale on their blades, I stock up, but it is still expensive. I am very careful about how I cut, not to much pressure but enough to cut the fabric, angle in relation to the ruler, covering blade with safety mechanism after each use. What I'm curious about is how do you handle this. Do you have a blade sharpener that you use and are happy with, what is your experience/opinion about resharpening blades,is it worth the investment of a trucut , either electric or the manual one, or are there other sharpening options out there that you have tried and liked. I've seen off brand blades on Amazon that are very inexpensive, is that a good option, and if so, how do you pick the one that will work with your rotary cutter (I have several cutters, and the centers of the blades seem different on some)? If there are other options for rotary blades not mentioned, I would love to hear about them and what your experience is with them. Thank you in advance for all who respond, I truly do appreciate your help.

Stitchnripper

Sometimes it isn’t the blade but the table your mat is on. I kept changing blades til it dawned on me that whenever I cut on one of those very common white tables I had issues. Our quilt shop has them and I have one. I got a stable piece of board and put my mat on that on top of the white table and have had no more issues. Maybe this is what is happening in your case?

Teen

I know, for me, it was my mat and not the blade. If you are like me, I often line up fabric on the same line and that area or measurement line wears out faster or develops little nicks in certain spots causing the blade to not cut through at that spot. To fix this, I flip the mat around and try cutting on varying measurement lines to extend the life of mat. Another time, it was the cutter and not the blade. Maybe you could try that blade in another cutter to rule out cutter issue. Yes, it is indeed frustrating.

SusieQOH

Another thought here- I've mistakenly put in 2 blades and could not figure out why I was having problems. Oops!!!

Christine-

I've used Olfa, Martelli and Fiscars through the years and I"ve found that Martelli blades last the longest. I've really been pleased with them. I do a lot of quilting and this last blade lasted me over a year.

bearisgray

I have had brand new olfa blades skip cutting one thread. Sometimes I would make another pass at the cut, but that gets old really fast.

quiltingshorttimer

I've had that problem but it was my mat--cutting too much in same place.

sewingpup

I read somewhere to use your rulers for measurements, not the cutting mat as the lines will wear out on the mat and that the lines on the mat are actually not as accurate as the rulers......I don't use the lines on my cutting board....so it is easy for me not to cut in the same place....

QuiltE

When you say dead spot .... not sure what you are referring to?
Are you meaning the blade cuts OK, but skips every so often, aka the dead spot?
If so, for me, that is a clear sign that I have knicked the blade on my ruler or tried to cut through a pin.

As suggested by others already ... if your mat is worn, the blade may have difficulty cutting in the worn area.
Thus would create a dead spot.

Battle Axe

Could also be the post is not round anymore. I've worn out several cutters with so much cutting. Take it apart and inspect the post where the cutter goes through the blade. If that is the least bit out of shape it won't work. Do you have another cutter? There is no fixing this. Just buy a new one.