Why is my rotary cutter not working for me ?
 

More of a what am I doing wrong question ?
bought a top of the line rotary cutter some time ago, used few times until the first second and third time it veered away from the ruler and ruined a strip of fabric.
Put away for a while, watched tutorials and people using it ever so effortlessly, took it out again...
nope, still the same problem.

I was taught to point the rotary down to the floor and cut.

If you're cutting away from yourself, you probably have a tendency to lean out away from the ruler.
Try "walking" your hand up the ruler, and you do it like this: Put your hand on the ruler (I usually place my ring or pinkie finger half on the edge of the ruler and half on the fabric). Push the rotary cutter up until it's even with your hand, and stop. DO NOT MOVE THE CUTTER. Hold it steady right there. Now on the hand that is holding the ruler - lift up the thumb only, not the other 4 fingers, and move it up right under your 4 fingers, and set it down. Once it is set in place, then move the other 4 fingers up the ruler. Think of it as playing itsy bitsy spider up your ruler. Once your ruler hand is set, then continue cutting with your rotary cutter until it is parallel with your ruler hand again.
It sounds complicated, but once you do it a few times, it gets easier and faster.

Thank you @Peckish definitely going to try that.

Also make sure that you are not trying to cut an arm's length in front of you. Stretching to far out lessens the control you have on the cutter and can allow it to veer away from the ruler.

Donna Jordan uses a 5 pound hand weight on the farthest part of the ruler to help her hand control things. It's usually not the cutter but the user. Ask me how many strips I have ruined!

Be sure that you are sitting/standing directly in front of the ruler. Be sure you are UP and ON the ruler.

What size cutter are you using? I feel like I have more control with a 60 mm cutter.

A favorite helping hand tutorial for cutting. Check the position of her hand at about the 12 minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lgmT5BEc4M

Another one for you that shows hand positions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAZrOFkvbRE

I took a class a long time ago from Omnigrid rep. She had us cut with different size rotary cutters. I found I liked the 18 mm size the best. I had more control and no problem at all going through four layers of fabric. And the blade are much less expensive. I liked the Clover brand the best for the small cutter. I do use the 45 mm but when I go back to the 18 I wonder why I have the 45.

Get ruler in place. Start in center then cut to top. Hold position then start at bottom & cut to center. It works for me.

Make sure you have only one blade in the rotary cutter. Sometimes having 2 blades by mistake can cause this problem.

If you've used the cutter a lot it might have a lot of lint on the blade. Take it apart and clean it, I put a little drop of oil on mine and cut some scrap fabric before I use it on my project fabric.

I started out with an 18 mm one, too, and eventually "graduated" to 45 mm. I still go back to my 18mm now and then. Somehow I have better control over it as my hands become more arthritic with age.

I use all three sizes. The 28mm I use for cutting off the fabric dogears and small cuts like squaring small blocks, the 45mm I use the most, and the 60mm I use when I am cutting multiple layers of batting as the center screw area is higher and doesn't rub along my ruler.

is it the martelli? I had the same problem with that one, it 'felt' like the blade wobbled in the cutter. I had a show vendor show me how to use it, but after 40+ years of rotary cutting I couldn't seem to change how I hold my hand. It is long gone from my quilt room now.

Another tip- make sure you only have one blade in the cutter. I've mistakenly had 2 at a time on several occasions!

I have to really concentrate on keeping my cutter in contact with the ruler in the middle of the cut. Would slowing down help? I don't cut as fast as I've seen people cut on videos.

I have a couple of kinds of rotatory cutters. sometimes one just doesn't suit your hand! But it does take some practice to find out how much pressure to use and how to hold your hand and how to position yourself. Also, you don't want to tighten the screw too much. The blade should easily roll when you push the cutter along your cutting board without have to press down very hard at all. But it should be tightened enough that it doesn't wobble and yep, sadly, sharp blades really do help. The sadly part is about the cost of the blades these days. Yep, and I agree about trying to make too long a cut without repositioning. The end of a long cut is usually where I get my wobbles. So, I do try and reposition my ruler holding hand so there is more stability Actually, I now use my Accuquilt go cutter whenever I can. Oh, and I am liking my Stripology ruler more and more because that ruler doesn't move as easily as my regular rules although I do have to take care that I am not pushing on one side of the slit too much so my cuts are accurate.

OK, blade tightened @Tartan
will try " itsy bits spider ,as recommended by @Peckish
video watched @Rhonda , I do use the same cutter shown on the video, e and will try the other side of the mat, now I feel totally pumped and now I have to go make lunch, darn ;)

one thing that came up in the video, is a muscle street at certain age, since I am at that age and beyond, although it's not the ruler that moves it's may "cutter hand" that bears off, but at this point I am working white knuckled with fear, which probably doesn't help. Never mind several layers, I would be happy id I could cut one. :)

Couple of things. Hopefully you are not pressing down with much force. You should not need to press hard, and if you find you have to for the blade to work, it's time to change the blade. Secondly, if you're terrified of cutting yourself, buy a pair of cut-resistant gloves. They're like chainmail for your hands. I haven't seen them in quilt shops or fabric stores, but you can buy them online.

I use a 45mm. I think I tilt the 60mm one and it cuts mine a little skinny. Also, I have changed the length of the strip I am cutting. I no longer cut a single fold WOF because I don't have a long reach. I use strip rulers and they are AMAZING. I take half WOF and fold in half again to make the cuts and to fit under the ruler. This takes longer. I also have arthritic hands and the strip rulers help a lot for accurate cutting AND saves my hands. I put a weight on the corners just to help hold it down. I suspect sooner or later I'll need an Accucut cutter or something similar.

I have also heard the type of surface under the cutting mat makes a difference. So you may want to try a different table and, of course, a different height. Try different techniques and you'll find the one that works for you.

Let us know how it goes.

Thank you all for helpful hints.

This video has been some sort of a revelation I didn't expect.

My cutting mats are are left over from my previous life as a graphic artist ( BC = before computers)
a firm believer in the 3 Rs I was very happy to re-purpose them for quilting.
watching the vide@Rhonda posted , there is a suggestion to turn the cutting board to the wrong side, that caused a large light bulb to light up, went in to my sewing room, (never mind lunch) and run my hands over the right side of my cutting board, and it turns out I can feel the LINES on the board and an occasional NOT self healed cut, done by the paste up knife previously used on the mat.
Just shows you are never too old to learn something :)

I use TrueCut rulers. Because the rotary cutter runs along a raised track, the ruler can't veer off at an angle and ruin the fabric. Here's the link: https://graceframe.com/en/truecut/rulers

That does sound interesting and I only have the one quilting ruler, perhaps it's time to invest in another one

Another thought on cutting surface. If you are using a table that is not solid, it might "bow" in the middle, under the cutter, making it seem like the cutter is skipping, causing you to push down, and maybe out. I have one of those big white tables and it had been a problem. Then saw a video or came upon an article can't remember, and got a big solid piece of wood. Actually it is a cabinet side from the $5 bin at IKEA but anything will do - put that on the table and cutting mat over it and much much better cutting surface. Also recommend changing blade often. A sharp blade really doesn't require that much pressure.

Not a table problem here, an old dresser has solid 1" plywood top, been using it for 30 years, had it done exactly the hight I needed.
I think the "virgin" side of cutting board might be the answer to my troubles :)

Yes, turn the mat over. Use the ruler for lining up fabric. You "can" cut fabric without mat lines. Glad the videos helped with some tips for you.

Agree to use a cut glove.

The Fons and Porter mat has no lines. It is not sold anymore but the one I have is still good, It is not my regular cutting mat. It is big so I take it to retreats with heavy use for three days twice a year. I think it was made by Omnigrid back in the day. Every new retreater asks where did you get this mat with no lines? I think the mat gets more pictures taken of it then the quilts. LOL

I have found that it's easier to cut with a wider ruler (6.5 x 12.5" is my favorite). The 3 x 18" ruler that I use slides around a bit if I'm not paying attention.

So my mat reverse seems like it's perfect, I tried cutting on it without ruler and it's amazingly easy going, so maybe I will try cutting free hand. :)

Watched the video again and there may be something else at play here ( Y'all really made my gray cells work ;)
My sewing room table was built for me about 25 years ago, to suit my height......
used for Sewing, ironing, laundry folding, present wrapping......and so on
The video mentions a hight of table and personal height changes,
now I am thinking that the main culprit beside the "wounded" mat, may be my table is now too high for effective cutting.
I have another table I use for design that is too low for anything else, but now I wonder if it may allow for pressure from above more efficiently. Not great for my back, but I do very little cutting so not a big stretch.
What a way to find out I am shrinking :)

I think the cutting height should be at least what is counter height to your height. Lower and you risk back and shoulder aches.

Some folks have used pieces of PVC pipe cut to appropriate length to raise the height of the folding tables so they are right for cutting without bending over. If you're thinking about using the table shown on the left side of your pic you could do something like that. The idea is to cut the PVC pipe so that when the bottom part of the legs are slipped into it, it raises the table to appropriate height for the person using it. Better than trying to cut on a table that is too low which is very hard on your back.

Rob

Interesting suggestion , Thank you.
Yes I am thinking of using the table on left side of the picture.
It consists of an old dining room table top, perched on top of folding table, I am a hand quilter, so the amount of cutting I do isn't huge, I only finish one or two quilts a year, mostly my design, so the rotary cutter is just a bit of luxury, if I can master it ;)

Make sure your blade is on the correct side of the rotary cutter. When cutting, the blade should be right next to the edge of the ruler. If it is not, reload the blade onto the other side. I have a self closing Olfa cutter. My left handed friend can't use my rotary cutter because she cuts with her left hand on the left side of the ruler. The spacer, washer and tightening nut side of the cutter is next to the ruler edge. It just doesn't work right that way. Also, make sure blade is attached properly. When using a straight blade, the spacer, washer and nut are on the same side of the cutter. The blade is on the opposite side. (Personal experience). Hope this helps.

That happened to me before too. I didn't know there is a right side to the blade, evidently so. I flipped the blade around and cutter worked fine. Another thing I did once was accidently put 2 blades in instead of one. Those blades are so slick and stick together. Hope this helps you.