How To Replace A Utility Box Cutter Knife Blade

The box cutter, or utility knife, is an excellent tool found in almost every warehouse. Designed with a small blade, these knives have the ability to quickly cut cardboard boxes open, remove packing tape and other wrappings used in freight transit. Due to the abuse box cutters take, they are often made from very hard plastic or metal.

Many warehouse employees view utility knives as throwaway items. As soon as the blades wear out warehouse workers will typically begin looking for a new one. Fortunately, you’re company does not need to waste money repeatedly buying new box cutters every week. A simple remedy is just to replace the blade. And the best part? They normally come with extras!

Opening The Utility Knife

The first step when replacing a box cutter blade is to figure out how it opens. In our example, we only need to use a Phillips head screwdriver and remove one screw from the side. After removing the screw you can simply pop the top off which splits the knife in half.

Identifying Components

There are really only five components to our utility knife. The handle, the screw, the blade, the blade housing and the pack of replacement blades. Once the blade has been opened, we can remove the blade housing and blade from the knife.

Identifying the box cutter components

Make sure when you reach this point you pay attention to how the knife sits in the housing. After noting this you can remove the knife from the housing and dispose of it safely.

Replacing Blades

The replacement blades are normally wrapped in a little pack. They often come in sets of between three and five. You will want to carefully remove these blades from the knife Finding the extra blades in the utility knife handle so you do not cut yourself. Then unwrap the blades and remove one from the package. After you have a new one out, place the other blades back into the handle.

Now take the new blade and seat it into the housing the same way the old one came out. The blades in this knife have a two notch system which needs to get placed correctly back into the housing. This creates a nice firm hold on the blade.

Putting The Box Cutter Back Together

At this point, we will want to start reassembling the box cutter. Place the blade and housing back into the handle, ensure that the extra blades are seated properly and then place the top of the handle back onto the bottom. Then fasten the screw back into place and your utility knife is as good as new.

Checking for any design in the blade of a box cutter to ensure it is seated properly.

*When fastening the screw back into place you want to make sure to snug the screw but not over-tighten it. If you over-tighten the screw it will compress the handle and seize up the blades movement in the handle. To mitigate this, tighten and then check by opening and closing the box cutter a few times to make sure it is at a comfortable resistance to opening and closing.

Our Thoughts

We are using a standard metal box cutter in our example but many blades work in the same or a very similar fashion. Utilizing these blades will end up saving your company a fortune in the long run. Make sure you educate employees on the extra blades (if available) or have an employee who can change them readily available to change blades out for the other employees. The type of box cutter we used, after spending about five minutes on it the first time, we were able to change a blade in about two minutes. Making it significantly cheaper to have someone change the blades than to just buy more.

How To Properly Cut, Deburr And Chamfer Threaded Stud

How To Properly Cut, Deburr and Chamfer Threaded Stud

Many projects use threaded rod, also commonly called all thread, for hanging and stabilizing structures or objects. The biggest problem is that often, you can only find it in specific lengths that may not be suitable for your project. This means you will need to cut, deburr and chamfer the all-thread down to size.

To cut threaded rod down to the size you need is fairly simple but can leave some nasty burring on the end of the stud making it hard to fasten a nut onto. We sat down with our fastener expert and asked him how to cut clean threaded studs from a long bar of threaded rod.

Cutting

The first thing to do is measure your threaded rod to length. After you have measured and marked your threaded stud, insert it into your chop saw. Some chop saws (like the evolution industrial chop saw) have a small vise for holding the material being cut, in this case all thread, in place while keeping your hands at a safe distance. Simply bring the saw down and cut through the threaded rod.

*There are two kinds of blades primarily used in chop saws. The first which we are using in our evolution chop saw is known as a cold cutting blade. This means that the blade cuts with virtually no sparks. The second kind is the old school abrasive cutting blade. We tested this process on both kinds of blades below and have found that the cold cutting blade has significantly less burring than the abrasive style blade.

The abrasive saw also generates significantly more heat which can make the threaded rod hot to the touch so wear gloves. The cold cutting blade reduces this increase in temperature significantly. Still wear gloves for safety!

Abrasive Vs Cold Cutting Chop Saw Blades

Deburring

Now that you have a piece of threaded rod cut down to size, the next step is to remove and burring caused by cutting the rod, to do this you will need a grinder. Simply, take the threaded stud you cut and press the end against the grinding wheel to remove the burrs and smooth out the cut end.

Chamfering

Chamfering is the process of removing the end of the threading and cutting an angle into it. Chamfering is done to clean up the start of threads so a nut can be easily fastened to the rod. To perform this process we use a tool called the Uniburr. A Uniburr is a cone shaped tool that attaches to a drill and quickly chamfers away the edges of a fastener.

Nice Work!

Now that you have cut, deburred and chamfered your threaded stud, the only thing left to do is go use it!

What Size Drill Bit Do I Use To Drill A Hole For A Carriage Bolt?

carriage bolt drill size

A common question we get when discussing carriage bolts is “What size drill bit do I use to drill a hole for a carriage bolt?” The answer is simple. Use the same size drill bit as the diameter of the bolt. If you are using a 1/2″ diameter bolt use a 1/2″ drill bit.

Installing A Carriage Bolt

Carriage bolts are very misunderstood and yet very simple to install. Made primarily for wood, carriage bolts have a square shoulder right below the head. This shoulder is designed to catch on wood and be pulled into it (by tightening the nut). Often you will find the domed head of a carriage bolt countersunk into the wood. To learn how to make a countersunk hole carriage bolt in wood you can check out this video we made: How To Drill A Countersunk Pilot Hole.

Step One

The first thing to do when installing a carriage bolt is to determine the diameter of your carriage bolt. After you figure out the diameter with a thread gauge or other measuring tool, find a wood drill bit with the same diameter and then get your drill ready.

Step Two

Now that you have your drill bit, mark the wood and drill out the hole. Depending on the type of wood drill bit you use to make the hole, the carriage bolt may slide right into the hole or be very tight. If it is very tight grab a hammer and tap the rounded head of the bolt so it slides into the hole. *Pro Tip: Since you already have the hammer out, once the hammering in a carriage bolt square shoulder gets down to the wood give it a couple solid hits, so the square portion begins to sink into the wood.

Step Three

Take a washer and nut and fasten them to the carriage bolt against the wood. As you tighten the nut against the washer, it will pull the square shoulder into the wood preventing it from spinning. Once the domed head of the carriage bolt is tight against the wood the carriage bolt is installed.

Conclusion

Carriage bolts are surprisingly simple to understand and yet many people still struggle with them. Hopefully this post will help you to understand which size tightening a carriage bolt drill bit you will need and how to install a carriage bolt into wood.

How To Remove Scratches From A Car’s Interior Trim

In many cars, especially luxury cars, there is an accented wood-like interior trim accenting the car. These surfaces scratches not only look unpleasant but can also hurt the value of your car whether you are attempting to sell it or returning a lease. So let’s learn how to remove scratches from a car’s interior trim.

Materials

Blue Painter’s Tape
Meguiar’s Scratch X 2.0: Fine Scratch and Blemish Remover
Meguiar’s Ultimate Paste Wax: Pure Synthetic Polymer
2 Microfiber cloths (we recommend two colors to make distinguishing them easy)

(*Disclaimer: We chose these items and are not sponsored by Meguiars in any way.)

Step One

Applying scratch remover to the cars interior trim.

The first step is to take the blue painter’s tape and outline the trim of the car. You do not want to get these compounds onto the surrounding materials. It will be very difficult to remove and may stain the leather.

Step Two

Apply a small amount of the scratch remover to the first microfiber cloth. Make sure you don’t over do it here, there only needs to be enough on the cloth to lightly cover the entire trim area. Then simply rub the compound back and forth across the area until the compound is evenly dispersed and any swirl marks and scratches are no longer visible. If after a couple minutes you still see scratches, you may need to apply more of the compound. Once you have filled in all of the scratches, move to a dry area of the microfiber cloth and wipe down the area to remove any extra compound that was not used.

Step Three

Using wax on a cars interior trim.

Now switch to the other microfiber cloth and apply a small amount of compound wax to the cloth as well. Apply the wax in the same way you applied the scratch remover to the trim only. Remember not to get the wax on anything else, especially leather.

Step Four

Wait. Give the wax a minute or two to dry (maybe longer in shaded areas). You will start to see the excess wax starting to haze. Switch to a clean dry area on the microfiber cloth and with gentle pressure wipe off the excess wax. After you wipe it down the first time, choose another dry area and repeat the wipe down.

Conclusion

Cars interior trim after scratch removal.

Now that your scratch remover has been applied, the wax compound has be applied and excess has been cleaned off the only thing left to do is remove the blue painters tape and enjoy your brand new (looking) car trim. Now that you know how to remove scratches from a car’s interior trim, car enthusiasts and beginners alike can use to make their interior car trim look as beautiful as the day they bought it.

Can I Install A Rivet In An Over-Sized Hole?

A common question we get from our customers is “Can I install a rivet into an over-sized hole?” We set out to find out why this was such a common question and realized that it often occurred during the drill out process. While removing a rivet is a straight forward process, it is often hard to tell by the hat what size the rivet is.

Add in other factors such as the rivet spinning or being loose during removal (we made a video on how to remove spinning rivets you can check out) and it is likely that a rivet removal can result in an oversize hole. To mitigate the risks of over-drilling we recommend always starting with a slightly smaller drill bit than you think will be necessary. This will allow you to increase the size if necessary without increasing the size of the hole itself.

Already Drilled Too Large?

What happens when the rivet is already drilled out and the hole is now too large? is there a way to install a rivet in this over-sized hole? The short answer is yes and there are three basic ways to do this.

Option #1

The first option is the best option and the one you should go with if your project is being held to standards and specifications. Simply figure out which size of rivet will fit into the new larger hole and go buy one. Rivets are available in many different sizes and varieties and it is likely that you can find a larger diameter rivet that will still fit the depth of the material.

Option #2

Option two will work in a pinch but we do not recommend relying on it for very long or at all if it has potential to cause harm if failure occurs. This option requires what is known rivet installed into an oversize hole with no washer as a tri-fold or exploding rivet. These rivets split out when installed into three folds that provide strong retention. Due to the three folding prongs, the grip of the rivet can be asserted across a wider surface area. This will allow the rivet to tighten against a hole that is too large for the rivet. Although hard to tell in our picture, the prongs actually started to get sucked into the hole. This type of connection is likely to loosen and should not be used for a long period.

Option #3

placing a rivet backup washer onto a rivet in an oversized hole

The third option only works as long as you have access to the back of the installation surface (something not always common when dealing with rivets). This method requires the use of a rivet backup washer and a tri-fold rivet. First, insert the tri-fold rivet into the hole. Next, go to the other side of the installation and slide the rivet backup washer onto the exposed portion of the rivet. Then you need to ensure the washer stays pressed against the surface while you install it. If you do not have someone to help you, you can add a bit of glue to the washer and press it against the installation surface to hold it in place. Then install the rivet. As the three wings expand out they will grip hard against the new correctly sized backing. This results in a much stronger hold than using a tri-fold rivet without a washer.

Conclusion

While it is possible to use a smaller rivet in an over-sized hole, the best option is always to just buy the correct rivet for the new hole. Adding a backup washer, some glue and a tri-fold rivet will yield strong results but if the job has specific standards it needs to pass for this method will not work. Finally, you can get away with using just an exploding rivet in many cases but they should only be used short term, checked frequently and should be replaced as soon as possible.

How To Replace A Utility Box Cutter Knife Blade

Opening The Utility Knife

Identifying Components

Replacing Blades

Putting The Box Cutter Back Together

Our Thoughts

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How To Properly Cut, Deburr and Chamfer Threaded Stud

Cutting

Deburring

Chamfering

Nice Work!

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Like this:

What Size Drill Bit Do I Use To Drill A Hole For A Carriage Bolt?

Installing A Carriage Bolt

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Conclusion

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How To Remove Scratches From A Car’s Interior Trim

Materials

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Step Four

Conclusion

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Like this:

Can I Install A Rivet In An Over-Sized Hole?

Already Drilled Too Large?

Option #1

Option #2

Option #3

Conclusion

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