I finally broke down and bought a NWSL Chopper II ($40) hoping to get a good quality tool. I am very dissapoined in the construction of the Chopper; a molded plastic cutting bar mount and a thin aluminum strip for the guide/back stop. The chopping arm ( a pc of alum bar stock that flexes) had to be reset to 90 degrees and then the first strip of styrene I tried to cut (.12" x .020") slid under the aluminum back strip? This whole thing is mounted to a square masonite base (1//4") which was also warped. Realizing what I had would not work as I hoped, I began to modify the tool. I first made a 3/4" base to mount the whole assembly to using 4 wood screws, one in each corner. To solve the gap under the aluminum backstop, I drilled a hole through the aluminum and masonite and installed a binding head screw down into the sub-base, which pulled the alum strip tight against the masonite.
This is now a more substantial assemble but still lacks the accuracy of maintining a 90 degree cut. Had I known what it was really like I probably would have opted for another product or maybe their Chopper III, which I wasn’t aware of when ordering my Chopper II.
Any others out there with this tool and how you use it? What is your evaluation of the Chopper? Just wanted to rant a little; it is hard to find really good quality tools of this nature.
I assume the new owners of NWSL have changed the Chopper from the original one I bought many years ago. It was mostly as you described, but worked fine for me for a long time. The only problem I had was the single edged razor blade cut a groove in the masonite base after a while. I filled it with 5 minute epoxy every once and a while.
I later bought one of their metal Choppers, the base is cast aluminum and sits on raised legs. The cutting surface is a replaceable cutting mat. The whole thing is much sturdier than the original model. It was on sale at Micro Mark for around $30, probably 10-15 years ago. I sold my original model and am told it is still going strong.
The only problem I had with the newer model is the single edged razor blade is held in place with one screw in the middle, as opposed to the original which had screws on each end in the slots. The new cast handle had two pins that fit into these slots. In cutting something hard, one of these pins sheared off. It still works, but the blade isn’t held as sturdy as it was previously.
I don’t know if NWSL still offers these Chinese made models, but would recommend one rather than the simpler model.
The only thing I don’t like about my chopper is that it doesn’t make a straight cut. The blade flexes too much and the cut edge always has a slight bevel.
My club has had the original chopper, and I was never impressed with it for real precision work. It works great doing thin, quick things repeatedly. For example, say you were cutting strip wood into identical lenth planks for a loading dock. The original Chopper is ideal for that. It’s a lot faster than cutting it by hand…and more precise. But the handle can get loose to twist or even out of square, so I tended to cut items a little long and then sand/file them to fit for true precision work.
When I purchased my own Chopper, I bought the Chopper II. The rigidity of the handle is much improved, increasing speed and accuracy. The self healing pad is nice, too. About the only issue I’ve had is cutting long flexible stock because the cutting surface is pretty tall compared to the old Chopper’s masonite base. I just stacked up some boxes or something (not a big deal).
It is true that the cut is not 100% straight up and down on thick stock. The blade is not bending. Instead, it’s the fact that a razor blade is sharpened on both sides. It’s a V-shaped blade, IOW. Therefore, it makes a V-shaped cut in both the piece you’re cutting and the piece you’re cutting off.
The solution would be to have blade that was only ground on one side. Then it would cut square. Think of our track cutters. If you cut rail with a regular wire cutter (with twin V-type blades), you get two cut edges that are pretty rough and unusable. But if you use the Xuron rail cutter with their flat side, the rail will come out pretty clean on the flat side. Same thing for the Chopper.
Unfortunately, I don’t know of any such razor blades.
I don’t know how they are making them now…but mine is machined die cast metal, except for the handle, which is Polycarbonate rigid plastic, which does not flex…the blade does not flex either. Also You will never get a square cut with any razor blade…they are tapered, at the cutting edge. A chisel edge razor blade is better The top is also all die cast, with a self healing mat. The only way to get a true square cut…is to use a table saw/scroll saw/jig saw. The chopper is good for many repetitive same size cuts, where true squareness is not necessary. Mine is a chopper II bought in 06, made in Taiwan,44.95.
If Your blades are flexing use the heavy duty single edge razor blades, they also are sharper, either that…Your material You are cutting is too thick for the tool/too hard of wood. I actually don’t use it much any more, since I purchased a Proxxon 2’’ table saw, along with a 4’'. I cut My own dimensional wood from white pine/poplar. Also use the saws for styrene/metal…I have different blades for each…takes 5 minutes to switch blades, but they are not cheap…by some standards.
Made my own from scrap aluminum and cuts like a charm. Bought a set of cheap plastic triangles with verying degree angles for $4 and have used it to make my trestle deck bridge. Got about $12 in whole thing. I also have another handle that the larger utility blades fits for larger materials.
Don’t ask too much of either Chopper and they work fine. Yes, for absolute precision, you may want to hand cut or use more expensive machinery. But within the limits - and what they’ll comfortably cut varies depending on material and thickness - they do what they’re intended to do, making accurate light cuts repeatedly.
That’s the one I have…69-4 Chopper II…nothing sloppy about it…works as advertised…after ten yrs. of use, still works like brand new! I also used it alot, before I got the saws. I didn’t believe He had a chopper II, the way it was described.
I have my chopper II for years never had a probelm with it. Though broke the razor blade the other day cutting a thick peice of plastic. One of the better tool i have bought over the years.
I have only had my Chopper II for 3 months, so it is of recent vintage. It’s the one that’s 7" x 7". My handle does not flex nor does it have any of the faults listed by the OP.
So far I’ve only cut 0.04" thickness. They do caution that the blade will angle off to one side on thick materials and to cut those from both sides, but 0.04 isn’t thick enough to do that.
Well it sounds like I didn’t get the latest one, the Chopper II, but rather the older version. I had my LHS (HobbytownUSA) order it and was unaware of the two models. BTW, I just got this one last week, so I assume NWSL still makes both models.
When I said it didn’t cut square I was referring to the angle of the blade to the backstop strip, not the angle to the base, which I realize won’t be a perfect cut since the blade is v shape. Sorry I mislead anyone.
My main reason for this tool is to make repeated cuts on small strip stryene parts, which it will do but I will have to keep an eye on the cutting arm, so it doesn’t move left or right of 90 degrees (which it can do very easily). I am still going to work on making the cutting arm stiffer so it can’t flex and maybe replace the mount for it since I consider that the weakest part of the design.
NWSL still makes both models. I used the older version for years, but found it suitable for lightweight parts only. The newer model is heavier duty, but still limited to around 1/8" max stock cutting thickness in soft modeling wood – and that’s likely pushing it. I use the miter box for material that size and larger.
I’ve been contemplating buying one. So, do most recommend the Chopper II or original Chopper? I see there’s a Chopper III which states it’s a larger version and you can add on some items?
The handle on my Chopper 2 is thick, well attached to the hinge, does not wobble or flex vertically or laterally. The cut it leaves on the base is centered on the guide line. Observe the cautions about excessively thick material and you will be pleased.
There is a free video on MRVP where they use the chopper. Be aware that reaching underneath the razor blade to retrieve chopped pieces will result in blood loss…yours. I use a chop stick to push bits and pieces away from the blade.