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Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz
Posted – 9-28-2018
Throughout my life I frequently paid the bills by working on cars and trucks. For just as long I was punishing my hands and wrists with all the pulling and pushing of wrenches. All that strain, along with the occasional mechanic-specific “accidentally punching an engine block” when a fastener or wrench broke makes using even a high-quality rotary fabric cutter painful. Enter the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine and my fabric-cutting life is far more enjoyable.
The Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine has a “footprint” of 11.3 x 5 x 10 inches and weighs a bit under 7.7 pounds. Don’t let the weight concern you. The Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine has a set of brass rollers built into the underside of the base that lets this machine glide over any flat, relatively-hard surface – like a typical sewing table.
The Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine has a 4”-diameter octagon-shaped blade capable of cutting fabric stacks up to 1”-tall. The only setup change to the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine needed when going to a taller stack or some thicker materials is to raise the tool-free guard slightly.
To keep that blade ultra-sharp the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine features an on-board sharpening system that actually works! Simply press the button while the blade is turning and a special stone is pressed against the cutting edge to quickly restore sharpness. To guard against jamming the octagonal blade works against a carbide tipped, spring loaded counter blade mounted in the sole plate.
The bottom of the cutting blade edge is housed in a surprisingly thin base plate that slips under the fabric easily. The underside of the base has three brass rollers that give the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine its virtually effortless mobility. In fact, gliding the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine over a smooth surface is so easy, it’s easy to “over-steer” it. More on that in the “In the Shop” section below.
The Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine comes with an extra blade, blade key, extra sharpening stone, grease, and motor brushes. I was a little surprised at these extra parts, but this tool is designed to be used a bunch and these parts could save the day when a blade (eventually) wears out.
The octagonal blade is designed to prevent the cutting action from reeling in the fabric. I admit, that octagonal shape concerned me a little, until I started cutting fabric with it. The cutting action is so efficient there is no perceptible change in the motor sound when cutting even multiple layers of flannel or canvas, the most commonly used fabrics in my shop.
There is a down side to this cutting blade efficiency. It also cuts sideways, just as easily. This means that you need to be paying attention when guiding the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine through fabric. In my case, it took using it a few times to get used to how well the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine cuts fabrics and how to negotiate curves in the cut lines. For me, focusing on the forward-most edge of the blade, where it contacts the fabric, makes it easier to steer the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine along a cut line. I found that pivoting the tool around that contact point prevents it from cutting sideways as it will if you just rotate the tool at the handle. A little experience goes a long way towards getting the feel of the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine and its super-efficient cutting.
Nothing assures cutting fabric cleanly more than a sharp cutting edge. It may be counter intuitive but that fabric we chose because it is soft-feeling can dull a cutting edge faster than expected. Sharpening an octagon-shaped blade is not a simple task if done by hand. The Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine has an on-board sharpening stone, held at the correct angle to the blade to freshen that edge quickly with near zero effort on our part. Push the button for a few seconds and the cutting edge is fresh.
That sharpening capability allows the operator to continue using the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine without having to change out the blade or take it apart to sharpen it. I have yet to discover the real-world lifespan of the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine blade because it cuts perfectly with occasional freshening by pressing the sharpening button. All our cutting tools should be this easy to use and maintain.
From the first time I put the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine to fabric I realized that my quest to reduce the pressure on my hands and wrists was being satisfied. I was a little surprised at how easily the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine moved across the smooth sewing table surface.
The rollers in the base of the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine make it easy to push the tool across the table top but they also make it just as easy to turn the cutter side to side. Combine that with the blades ability to cut sideways and the necessity of getting used to the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine becomes very clear. The good news in my case is that after a few minutes of using the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine on scrap fabric I was far less likely to junk out a project piece. I suspect that for everyone, a little experience cutting fabric with the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine will make getting the cuts on the cut lines much easier.
A crucial “skill” we need to develop is pivoting, the tool around the front of the cutting edge. That prevents “nibbling” little bites out of the fabric, particularly when cutting rounded lines. Here again, a little experience went a long way towards helping me cut cleaner lines and rounded corners.
The only adjustment we need to do with any regularity is moving the guard up and down to accommodate the fabric being cut. I found that I had to raise the guard a bit when cutting batting. If it lumped up at all the guard would catch it and the cut could wander. This really is a small thing and again, comes with a little experience using the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine.
Before getting the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine I wondered how long the blade would hold a good cutting edge. The answer is longer than I expected but, it does start acting up as the edge wears down. Here is where the on-board sharpening system is worth a box full of money. When the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine starts producing a frayed-looking edge or otherwise begins to act up, hold the sharpening button down for several seconds and the cutting edge is brand new, or seems that way.
The Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine has turned out to be more beneficial for my hands and work flow than I anticipated. The no pressure, no strain use is just what I was looking for. The speed at which I am already cutting with the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine was totally unexpected. That speed has reduced fabrication time, so I am getting more projects out faster without cutting corners (no pun intended) that could compromise the quality I want.
The learning curve with the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine is there but much shorter than anticipated. All we really need is to get the feel of moving the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine over the work surface and “steering” it around where the blade meets the fabric. I purposely started out moving the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine very slowly to avoid wasting fabric. As I became more comfortable with using the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine the speed naturally picked up. I still feel like I am cutting slower than I might be able to but that is much faster than with the rotary cutter and my less than cooperative hands and wrists.
The Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine sells for $177.08 (9-19-2018) which is not cheap. However, this is an obviously industrial-grade tool that with reasonable care will last a very long time. That reduces the cost per-use to nearly nothing over the long haul and we all can afford that.
Probably most important for me is that my work days are ending pain-free and that alone is worth the cost of adding the Reliable 1500FR Cloth Cutting Machine to my shop. The increased productivity is a welcome surprise that makes this an even more valuable tool to me.
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