Numbers on the rotary blade?
 

For years I have used a 45mm rotary cutter and wondered what the numbers on the blade are for, or how they are to be used, but never asked anyone. Is this a stupid question that I should already know the answer to?

Well, if its a stupid question then im right there with ya cuz i didnt even know there were any numbers!

The original rotary blade was designed to fit a safety cutter that positioned each section of the rotary blade in a fixed position to be used upon the dulling of the previous section. The numbers represented each of those sections. When OLFA introduced the original rotary cutter in 1979, the numbers became irrelevant, but have been maintained as a sort of historical feature representing the original rotary blade.

I don't think my Fiskar blades have numbers. With the number of blades I use I should buy stock in the company.

Thanks, Anita - thats good info! You know the Olfa Chenille cutter has a dial with numbers on it so that you can click ahead to a different place on the blade when it get dull so the cutter must be based on the original idea you told us about.

Thank you so much ILoveToQuilt. You have taught this baby boomer something new today and it's information that I don't have to learn to use. Whoopee!!! I love this board and all of the knowledgeable and helpful members that are here.

Thanks for asking!

I saw numbers on them yesterday and wondered why they were on them. Now I know, thanks!

Now we know! I have wondered.

I had always assumed they were "batch" numbers.

Don't thank me, thank Mr. Google! LOL

Ok..so now I am confused! How can rotating a rotary blade help anything? If the blade rotates properly, isn't it all either sharp or dull at the same time? I know I'm missing something here, but I can't wrap my head around the concept????

Donna13350: the way I understand it, the blades were made for a different type of cutter that lines up the numbers on the blade with the numbers on the cutter. Instead of retooling the machine for the blades, the manufacturer uses the "old" tooling with the numbers. With today's rotary cutters, the numbers mean absolutely nothing. Hope this clears it up for you.

There was an article in an issue of Lady’s Patchwork Quilts in the early 2990’s about a quilter named Gerry Salem. She had a company that manufactured the Salem cutting mats. The article also described her involvement and influence in working with the Japanese company that made the rotary cutter and blades with the numbers on the side. The article describes the blade and cutter being developed for paper cutting and did not rotate but would be advanced as each section become dull. She suggested that the cutters be redesigned to rotate then it would then be adaptable to cutting fabric.

Thanks ! I get it now..

Take a look at the Olfa Chenille cutter... there’s the numbers and the dial to expose a new part of the blade when one part gets dull. Pretty ingenious!

https://www.amazon.com/World-Kitchen.../dp/B00HVMOUB0

That should have been 1990’s. Oops

That should have been 1990’s

Thanks for sharing this information. Like others here I had no clue what they were for.