Machine no longer cutting cleanly

[joselynhasty]

I have a 24" SB that I have been using almost daily for 4 years now so I am very familiar with its quirks and "sweet spots" if you will, however today it started having problems with cutting cardstock. It rips and tears the paper and it almost looks like the cuts are stuttered. It starts out the project with clean cuts but as it progresses they get more and more rough. I attached a photo of the last mat I tried to cut for reference. I have spent several hours making every tweak I can to no avail. I am beginning to think this may be a mother board or other electronic issue but curious if anyone has any specific experience to diagnose the issue. I use this machine in my home business and having it down like this is detrimental to my productivity. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Gigi]

Are you using a card stock you have used before? Have you put in a new blade? Is this a file you have cut before? The way it is shredding it looks like either the cardstock is fibrous, the file nodes are not clean or the blade is nicked. Since you didn't say, I don't know if this is a file you have cut successfully before or not. If so then ignore the file part!

Is your mat clean and nothing is catching on the area that is shredding? Have you restarted the computer recently so the memory isn't bogged down? I don't think it is the motherboard based on what I have seen so far, but still a lot of ruling out to do. I know you said you have tweaked it, but I don't' know what you have tried so forgive the questions. Sure we can figure it out.

[joselynhasty]

Thanks for responding! I am using the same paper I always use (and you are so right about what a difference a paper brand can make). I changed the blade 3 times just to be sure, brand new mat, and a file I had already cut multiple times before it started messing up. I am also using an 18" SB and cutting the same file under same conditions and it is doing great. It's like it will start out cutting great then just sort of deteriorates as the cut proceeds. I've tried adjusting the blade height and pressure every which way and no luck there.

[joselynhasty]

Oh and I did restart computer twice and even unplugged USB cables and switched them around just to see if it made a difference.

[Gigi]

The one thing I did not ask you - have you done a machine reset? That often cures a multitude of ills for whatever reason. If you have not done that, please do and let me know if that makes a difference. And thank you for all of the other info - that helps eliminate a lot. Are you on a PC with both machines? Fingers crossed that a reset will help.

[joselynhasty]

I have not done a reset. Can you instruct me on how to do that? And yes both machines are running on same PC.

[joselynhasty]

So I was able to find info online on how to reset. I did that and the problem persisted. So in a last ditch effort I switched the click blade holder from my 18" with the one in the 24" and now it is cutting perfectly again! So the problem is with the click blade holder it seems. Don't know why it is malfunctioning but that is alot cheaper than a new motherboard!

[Gigi]

Wow......not sure I have heard of an issue with the click blade holder. That is all I use and swear by it! Am so glad you thought to switch that out. I guess everything can wear out or fail over time. Thank you for sharing the what finally worked. Great job of troubleshooting.