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[justboatonic]

OK, just to clarify, Im familiar with using plasticard and the scour and break technique to 'cut' it. However, I always seem to have problems getting square cuts when using shorter, thinner lengths of plasticard ie less than 1.5mm thickness and less than about 50mm in length.
I use a small (metal) engineers square, about 75mm in size, to get my guide lines straight and while this is ok when using a thicker piece of card over 50mm in length, small, thinner lengths of card seem to flop about despite my best efforts to hold everything square. Also, because the card is so thin compared to the stock of the engineer's square, I cannot lay it on a cutting mat as the square then sits higher than the card (if you get my drift).
Is it just me or do others have this problem, any hints or tips!? TIA.

[barriew]

My "technique" is to hold the plasticard and square off the desk with the card against the blade of the square. I then use a sharp pencil to mark the cut line. The card is then transferred to the cutting mat and a steel rule used to guide the knife. Attempts to cut using the square always produce inaccurate cuts for me.


Barrie

[chipmonk]

Hi there. I usually bring the cutting mat to the edge of my bench. Then the plastic are to this edge and hold everything together with the square and lightly cut the card with a swan Morton no10c blade ( the short straight blade). And there you are a nice square cut. Well it works for me it's just one of those things that come with practice.
Cheers Chipmonk.

[david48]

 I used a slide guillotine if its to cut stuff card thickness, the bed is usually marked with guide lines .
David

[gerritv]

I use a rotary blade for thin material. Easy to guide along a straight edge. Even works for the 0.020 aluminum that I am using for superstructures. The small diameter blades work better than the large ones.


Cutting mats with all the lines help greatly, also prevent sliding material. A straight edge with thin cork on bottom prevents that from moving while cutting.


Gerrit

[malcolmfrary]

I was taught that the square (and the rule) were meant for marking, not cutting, to ensure that the edge remained in the state that it was intended to be.  Guiding the cutting tool was the job of the steel straight edge.

[justboatonic]

Thanks for the comments folks.

Just to clarify, I dont use the square for cutting, that's done on a cutting mat with a 300mm steel rule. I was more concerned with small, thin plasticard falling away from the square for marking of the cutting line.
I think chipmonk's suggestion is the solution that meets my needs. TIA.