Oh, you’re such a cut-up... (ok, sorry about that)…

Sorry but the cutlery jokes were going to have to start some time… you’re such a cut-up… I’m a little edgy… it’s a real slice… I could go on and on (and probably will over time)… So, it’s Scissors Wednesday. Let’s talk a little about why scissors cut…

Most people think scissors are just two sharp straight blades that close on each other and cut things. Not quite. Actually, if they were straight they wouldn’t cut at all, they would just pinch, because the blades wouldn’t be touching each other. Scissors blades are slightly bowed (bent) and slightly twisted (like me). This means that scissors blades are touching each other but only at one point where the blades are meeting. As you open or close the scissors that point moves – either towards the handle or the tip depending if you’re opening or closing.

Also, the blades are set in such a way so that the natural movement of your hand squeezes the blades together instead of pushing them apart (the thumb pushes out while the fingers pull in). This is why true left-hands scissors have the blades flipped opposite the way a right-hand scissors does. Otherwise lefties would push the blades apart. I bet there are a lot of lefties out there that never knew that’s why they’ve had such a hard time with most scissors…

(to be continued…)