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Unofficial Guide to Using the Inland Strip/Circle Cutter |
| Introduction | Click on the thumbnails to see larger image. |
| The Inland strip/circle cutter comes with four parts: The brass measuring guide, the cutting turret, the tripod and the strip guide. Note: Newer models have a turret that holds a pencil type glass cutter. | 
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| Cutting Straight Strips - There are Two Methods |
| A. Strip Cutting From the Edge of the Glass |
| 1. Pick out a sheet of glass with at least one straight edge to use for your strips. If your sheet does not have any straight edges, or your sheet has no straight edges running in the direction you wish to cut your strips, you must make one straight cut with your glass cutter and a ruler. Make sure to remove any glass burrs. The strip guide needs to run along a smooth straight edge. | 
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| 2. The brass measuring guide has the letters A and B engraved on it. Insert the brass measuring guide [number side facing up] into the strip guide until the letter A appears to the left of the opening. Tighten the nut on the A line. Slide the cutting turret onto the brass measuring guide with the cutting wheel facing towards the strip guide. |  |
| 3. When you are ready to cut the strip move the assembled strip cutter into position by making sure the tiny lip under the edge guide butts up against the glass. To cut a 2 inch strip move your cutting turret to the 3 inch mark on the measuring guide. The 3 will be to the left of the turret. If you have trouble remembering how to adjust your turret, use a ruler and measuring from the edge of the glass place a dot on the glass with a marker where you want to cut. Now simply line up the edge of the strip cutter with the edge of the glass and move the turret until it is centered over your mark Tighten the turret in place. It should now be ready to cut any number of strips from the glass at exactly the same width. |  |
| 4. Keep the guide against the edge of the glass with your left hand by applying pressure with your fingers along the top of the guide while using your thumb to hold the glass in place [use a clamp or a friend to hold the glass if possible]. It is an inward and downward type of pressure...... inward against the edge of the glass and downward to keep the ledge in place on top of the glass. Use the thumb of your right hand to apply pressure to the top of the cutting turret while using your fingers to support the brass measuring guide while scoring the glass. |  |
| 5. When you've finished your score line break the glass. Place your thumbs on top of the glass to either side of the score line. |  |
| 6. Exert an even pressure from beneath the glass using your curled forefingers with a lifting outward motion. |  |
| 7. Alternately, if the sheet is large, move the glass until it slightly overhangs the work surface and use your running pliers to begin running the score. Rotate the glass and use the pliers on the other end of the score. Or line the score line up on the edge of your work surface and snap off the strip. .Either way, the strip should break with a clean cut on both edges. Remove any burrs before cutting your next strip. |  |
| B. Strip Cutting Using a 1"x 2" Border Set-up |
| 1. Prepare the sheet of glass as described in step1 above. | |
| 2. Clamp, screw down or otherwise firmly attach a 1" x 2" straight piece of wood to your work surface. The actual measurements of a 1" x 2" piece of wood are 3/4" x 1-3/4" therefore, a metal angle iron or other straight edge that measures 3/4" in height may be substituted for the piece of wood. | |
| 3. The brass measuring guide has the letters A and B engraved on it. Insert the brass measuring guide [number side facing up] into the strip guide until the letter B appears to the left of the opening. Tighten the nut on the B line. Slide the cutting turret onto the brass measuring guide with the cutting wheel facing towards the strip guide. |  |
| 4. When you are ready to cut the strip, slide the glass against the border and move the assembled strip cutter into position with the guide over the 1" x 2" border. To cut a 2 inch strip move your cutting turret to the 3 inch mark on the measuring guide. The 3 will be to the left of the turret. If you have trouble remembering how to adjust your turret, use a ruler and measuring from the edge of the glass place a dot on the glass with a marker where you want to cut. Now simply line up the edge of the strip cutter with the edge of the glass and move the turret until it is centered over your mark Tighten the turret in place. It should now be ready to cut any number of strips from the glass at exactly the same width. |  |
| 5. Keep the guide against the edge of the border with your left hand by applying pressure with your fingers along the top of the guide. Use a clamp or a friend to hold the glass in place. Use the thumb of your right hand to apply pressure to the top of the cutting turret while using your fingers to support the brass measuring guide while scoring the glass. | |
| 6. Break the glass along the score as described above. | |
| Cutting Circles | |
| Insert the A/B end of the brass measuring rod all the way into the tripod with the numbers facing up and tighten the screw. Slide the cutting turret onto the other end with the cutting wheel facing the tripod. |  |
| Place the tripod on the center of the glass and move the cutting turret to the correct radius number. To make a six inch circle move the turret until the three is visible to the left of the turret. Make sure you have enough spare glass around the edge of the circle to make breaking the circle out easy. Do this by making a practice sweep without scoring the glass. | |
| Use your thumbs to apply pressure to both the tripod and the turret. Using your left thumb to hold the tripod in place swivel the turret around the circle while only applying only enough pressure with your right thumb to score the glass. |  |
| Run the score around the circle and break the excess glass away using whatever method you're most comfortable with. | |
