How to Change a Rotary Cutter Blade

Having a sharp rotary cutter blade not only makes cutting through layers of fabric easier, it is also safer. ZJ Humbach shows you how to change a rotary cutter blade safely and easily.

When to Change a Blade

Some people like to change their rotary cutter blade after every couple of projects while others change theirs after a certain amount of hours of use. While there is no one right or wrong method, you definitely want to change the blade as soon as it starts skipping threads. This is when you run the blade down a strip of fabric and it cuts all the way through except for a few areas where there is a thread or two of fabric still intact. This is the first indication that the blade needs to be changed.

How to Change a Blade

There are several different brands of rotary cutters available on the market today, and while they may look a little different, the basic way to change a blade is still the same. ZJ show how to change a rotary cutter blade by first disassembling the cutter. She demonstrates how to do this and shows how to lay out all of the pieces in order so it is easy to see how it should go back together. She then explains that you would change out the blade and reassemble the cutter in the reverse order that you took it apart.

When she gets to the step where the actual handle of the rotary cutter can be put back in place, ZJ explains how to change the cutter from a right handed tool to a left handed tool. She also gives a handy tip for how to easily remember which way the handle should go back on. When learning how to change a rotary cutter blade it is important to use general rotary cutter safety and be careful with not only the new, sharp blade that is going in by the old blade as well.