Cigar Cutter Contest

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith

ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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I was discussing knives with a friend who owns a cigar shop. The idea of making a fancy cigar cutter came up.
Anybody want to start up a simple contest of making a cigar cutter and posting photos with details of the construction and materials? They could be super simple to Rube Goldberg complex.The prizes will be donated by the contestants and others who wish to add to the pot. My friend will donate some cigars,I'm sure.I will start the pot off with $100 worth of fancy burl handle blocks.

I'll propose some simple rules:
1) The entire cutter must be made by the entrant.
2) The entrant must add something to the pot of prizes.It can be anything at any value.The size is up to the entrant, since this is just for fun.(Anything from a Kentucky rifle, a knife, materials,services,to those photos of your old girlfriend would be great!)
3) Picking a winner will be by voting of the forum members.We will set up one threat to enter a cutter and another vote thread where votes will be cast.One vote per member.Most votes gets the prize.Maybe we can get Blade mag. to post some photos of the top three.
4) Cutter entries will be posted by November 1st,2006
5) Voting will start on Nov.1 and end on Nov. 15,2006
6) Entrants will ship their prize contribution to the winner by Dec.1,2006

Anyone interested?
Stacy
 
sounds like fun i will have to look around and see what i have and do some thinking about what to make it look like
so i ll get bacl to you on it
i missed out on the toast cutter so if i can make the time i ll most likly be in
butch
 
Funny you should bring this up. I just finished one a few weeks ago. When and where should the photos be posted. I'll be the first.

Bill
 
If we get enough people interested,I'll set up a thread to post the photos on.
Stacy
 
i might be interested, does anyone know where i can find info on how to make one
brett
 
That is the point of this type of competition.You just have to dream up your own idea.If you want to make a basic cutter,get a cheap one from the tobacconist and look at how it works.Let that info guide you.
THERE ARE 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER. BUT THERE ARE 100 WAYS TO CUT A CIGAR.

Snip off the back, Jack...
Make a little hole,Joel...
Give it a chop,Jaques...

No need to cut much!

Draw up some plans,Stan...
Make a small blade,Jade...
Use some nice burl,Earl...

And you're on your way!

Make a little V,Lee...
Give it a punch,Gunth...
Take a snip off, Geoff...

Strike up a match.

Cut off the tip,Rick...
Make it real sharp,Mark...
Just use your teeth,Leith...

Now you're usin' your head!

My apologies to Paul Simon
 
this will be fun. i dont smoke but i think making a cigar cuter will be a blast,i will just need some cigars to test the cutter on. o ya and how big does the hole need to be to fit the cigar?
 
Best bet is to do what anyone should do when starting a new project.Go and do your research and homework.I would suggest Googleing 'cigar size',and 'cigar cutter'. I would go to a cigar shop and look at the uncut ends of several types.That should keep you busy for a while.

A warning - Lets not have any Inspector Clouseau events in the experimentation stages.Anyone remember the movie?
 
Since we have to make it entirely ourselves, I assume that the use of a gas turbine engine is out?
 
rhrocker said:
Since we have to make it entirely ourselves, I assume that the use of a gas turbine engine is out?
Click to expand...
Only if you can't make one yourself.

How many cigars per second are you talking here? :p ;)
 
Looks like we have a contest.

I'll start a thread to log on entries,on October 1st. Use that thread for entries only.Chit-chat on this thread.
Entrants can start putting up their photos and details then. Keep them under wraps until then (with the usual anticipatory banter and BS excepted).

Some suggestions for entrants:
1) Clear photos of the cutter,the cutter in action,any unique components,any unique features.
2) Detailed description of materials,construction,action,etc.

This should be fun,and you may get a Christmas present or two made ,to boot.
 
While this is WAY over my head in terms of knifemaking, as a cigar smoker, I can't wait to see all the entries. There are many styles of cutters, snip/guillotine (single and double blade), v-cutters like CigarMan has on his website, scissors, and the exotics, like the xikar-cutter and some that look like pocket knives but have spring loaded cutters in the end. A quick google search for cigar cutters will yield lots of links to sites with pictures of all the different types. Xikar even sells a gift set with a folder and their xikar cutter with fossil mammoth ivory scales.
 
how hard is a cigar, is it as hard as its smaller brother the cigarette. i have never held one so im not shure of its properties
 
Cigars are normally rolled much tighter/denser than a cigarette. The best cigars are made of long filler tobacco, whereas cigarettes are made of chopped tobacco. Cheaper cigars are made of short filler which is somewhere in between. Long filler uses leaves or pieces of leaves that run the full length of the cigar, regardless of the length of the cigar.

A poorly rolled cigar may be virtually rock hard. A good cigar will probably be about like cutting a cardboard box, maybe not quite that hard, if you cut it in the middle of the cigar. Cigar cutters, however, do not cut there. They are most frequently used (in theory) only to cut off the very end of the cigar, which, if caught just right, will cut only the relatively thin cap which is basically paper thin. I usually abuse the cutter by cutting farther in, usually 1/8 to 1/4 inch in. Many cigar smokers also use the cutter to cut off the ash to save the rest of the cigar for later if they can't finish it right then.

This does not, of course, apply to V-cutters, which actually cut a small v-shaped swath of cigar out of the end. The cut should run across the diameter of the cigar and be (I am guessing here) 1/16 to 1/8 inch deep and relatively narrow.

Sorry for the elephant gun answer to deer question.

Fellow cigar smokers feel free to correct any errors here, I don't smoke nearly as much as I used to after marrying my beautiful non-smoking wife over 5 years ago.
 
How are they coming guys? I'm going to a factory representative showing with the rep from Camacho Cigars today.I am taking my cutter for field trials.I'll post a thread starting Oct 1 for posting submissions.In the mean time,lets see who is in and what is in the kitty.
I'll add to this list as you post replies:

Bond's Cigar Shop - Cigars
Stacy Apelt (Bladsmth) - five sets of select burl handle material.
 
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