Old Triumph Paper Cutter is inaccurate
I purchased this Triumph paper cutter a few months back and it looks to be a pretty old model (guessing it dates back at least 30+ years). It was stored in the guy’s back yard covered in tarp, so I can imagine what it’s been through, but I paid little and figured I could fix it up. I removed the blade and had it professionally cleaned and sharpened, I removed all the pieces and gave it a good cleaning.
Unfortunately when I cut stacks of paper (and it doesn’t matter if it’s a stack of 5 or 50 sheets of Lettra) the paper is off by a millimeter or so. The half that gets clamped down by the spindle clamping system seems to be cut straight, but the end that is cut off tiers down so each piece is a little longer than the next. Please see photos for specifics. My question is:
a) Can anyone guess what the problem is and how I can fix it?
b) Does anyone know of someone in Southern California who can service it?
Thanks in advance for your help!
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can you post a photo of the blade as it is mounted in the cutter?
you should try some cheap stock till you figure it out. the clamp should be brought down pretty hard or the paper will be pulled out from the back gauge, most cutters use a thin pad on top of the stock so the clamp doesn’t mark the paper. when the blade starts to cut the stock it wants to pull out from the back gauge, if you check the stock against the back gauge you will see that it has been pulled out a little, stronger clamp pressure should cure this. Good Luck Dick G.
Make sure that the clamp is down tight. If so, take the sheet metal cover off of the top of the machine. On each side of the blade carrier at the front of the machine, there should be steel guides called gibbs that guide the blade carrier and the blade in a straight vertical direction. If these gibbs are loose or worn, the blade will wander.
Also, if the part cut off is tiered, then the part behind the blade should be as well. Check it. If the part behind the blade is not tiered, then the paper had to be mis-cut before you got it.
If everything is adjusted correctly the problem could be the size and/or quality of the machine and with cutting technique. Small paper cutters require more effort to make good cuts. Use a block of wood to jog your paper against the backstop and hold it there while you apply clamp pressure. Cut short lifts of paper — more paper equals more resistance. Back-trim to final size. Be Patient!
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Just wondering if you ever figured out what was causing the uneven cut? With the age and previous care of the cutter, it could be an adjustment that needs to be made to the clamp or blade as mentioned by others. Also, wondering if you changed out the cutting stick? A worn stick can cause issues (although usually you’ll notice the blade isn’t going through the entire length of paper).