The Koil Kutter kit:

• coil holder base/block & slotted top
• guide/shield
• cutter arbor

Since it in important to have the coil holder block arranged in the right direction, I wrote a few helpful labels on mine using a permanent marker.

"Front" and "Back" seemed to be a good start. The coil block slotted top's stop bump should be on the left. And when ready to cut the coil, you will need to slide the cutter from right to left.

Initially I didn't pay much attention to what was on which side, which way the cutter teeth pointed nor which way I slid the cutting head across the coil.

Jeez, what a mistake that was.

Verify that the teeth on the blade are pointing in the correct direction. Looking from top to bottom, the teeth blades should point counter clockwise.

This is also a very important operational rule, so pull out the magnifying glass if need be, but please get this right.

The collet nut, collet and housing cap or chuck need to be removed. Dremel rotary tools have these parts attached to the motor shaft.

You need to push in the shaft lock button so you can unscrew and remove the collet nut and collet. Then unscrew the housing cap.

Keep this little collection of pieces together. I usually put them in a small reclosable plastic bag.

After the housing cap has been removed, screw on the guide/shield.

The "window" in the side of the guide/shield is just big enough to fit on the coil holder and make sure the blade fits into the coil holder slot.

When you see the entire cutter thing in operation, you'll appreciate the design of the guide/shield. If you've tried cutting a coil without a guide/shield, you're really appreciate this design. ;-)

Push in the shaft lock button and screw in the cutter arbor. Tighten with the little open end wrench that came with the Dremel.

Hint: I was usually hunting for that blasted wrench until I tied a long cotton cord to it. Now, it's easier to find the little wrench because I just look for the more obvious long string.

It's the counter clockwise teeth thing again!

When looking down into the guide/shield, make sure, again, that the teeth are pointing in the right direction - counter clockwise.

Worth repeating - This is very important operational rule, so pull out the magnifying glass if need be, but please get this right.

The consequences of not doing things right include (if you're lucky) but are not limited to a strange bad noise when cutting, a circular blade with missing teeth and a messed up coil. You could even mess up your Dremel or send bits of metal flying. You could even cut parts you didn't want cut. Bad to painful situations.

Since these jeweler's blades are special, not readily available and not that cheap, it's easier to follow directions carefully to keep the blade intact as long as possible.

Details of the coil holder. The groove in the coil holder is where the coil rests. The groove is just wide enough to prevent the coil from rolling.

The top has the slot, wide enough for the circular blade.

A different view of the coil holder and it's slotted top. As mentioned earlier, you might want to write a couple/few labels on your holder to help make sure you do this coil cutting correctly.

According to the Koil Kutter instructions, the coil can be up to 3.75" long, 7/8th inch outside diameter and gauge wire 10 - 30.

I prefer to keep the length at 3.5", no longer. I've found it also helps if the coil is as tight as possible. Gaps not welcome.

Place the coil in the coil holder, right over the groove. Apply a light coating of lubricant across the top of the coil.

Since I tumble the newly cut rings in water with a bit of soap, I prefer to use dish detergent for the lubricant. It's easier to rinse off than cutting oil.

Note: If the rings are going to be tumbled, place a wire through the coil and twist the ends together before putting it in the coil holder. This will help you avoid the tedious task of separating dozens to hundreds of jump rings from hundreds of tumbling shot pieces.

Place the slotted top over the coil, with the stop on the left side. Tighten the screws until they just touch the top plate. With a small rod, toothpick or popsicle stick. push the coil until it hits the stop.

Time to cut the coil.

Since cutting the coil produces lots of fine metal dust, I prefer to cut outside. If I cut coils inside, I use a work surface with a backsplash and drape the surface for easy cleanup..

• Safety goggles on
• Dremel off
• Place the coil holder on a level surface
• Place the guide/shield on the coil holder - the far right side. Make sure the guide/shield rests squarely and evenly on the coil holder. The guide makes sure the blade stays in the slot.
  • see the 2nd photo in this row. notice how the blade sets in the slot and the guide hugs the coil holder block.
• Dremel on - highest speed
• While making sure the guide/shield stays in contact with the coil holder, slide the cutter across the coil holder from right to left in a smooth steady motion
• Dave's instructs "Dremel off" before lifting the cutter off the coil holder. It's a safety step, but not a functional requirement. I've found I usually lift the cutter up then turn it off. It's probably a dumb thing to do, but there it is. I be bad. You should do as Dave instructs. He's the expert. ;-)

Unscrew the right screw and swing the top away. There will be a pile of freshly cut jump rings and a bit of metal dust.

Put the rings in a colander and rinse off the metal dust. Rinse off the coil holder, too. Dry before reusing.

The rings may be a bit rough, so I like to tumble the new rings in a tumbler for a couple of hours with about 1lb of tumbling shot, water and a dash of liquid soap. Tumble for at least 2 hours.

The jump rings will come out smooth (deburred), shiny and ready.