How do you cut your soaps - with pic

[andreabadgley]

Hi everyone,

I'm psyching myself up to try my liquid-milk-in-HP soaping tonight, so I'm doing all sorts of stuff to keep my restless self busy until the kids go to bed and I can really concentrate. I'm cutting soaps, and while I love my soap cutter (lovingly made by my husband), I'm curious how other folks cut their soaps. I've seen many soaps that seem perfectly smooth on the "face" of the bar (the large flat sides), and I don't achieve that with my current setup. So I'm curious, how do you all cut your CP and HP soaps?

Anyway, here's my cutting setup:

 

[carebear]

I have a Tank
http://www.forcraftssake.com/shop/index ... e6656938d6

 

[reallyrita]

How do you cut your soaps...with pics

I have a cutter similar to the pic of yours. Mine was made by Paul, the Soapmaker Man, who is a member of this forum. When I need to smooth off sides or top of soap, I use a planer. Paul makes those too. It is easy and produces a consistent, professional surface. Sometimes I just use the old vegtable peeler if I don't have a big area to smooth. I like to take the sharp edges off the soap with that as well.

 

[andreabadgley]

I have a Tank
http://www.forcraftssake.com/shop/index ... e6656938d6

Wow! That thing is awesome!

 

[jcandleattic]

I have the hobby cutter from FCS that I got about 5 years ago, also when I use my slab mold I use my misty creek big knife, I also have a miter box with a straight cutter and a wavy cutter. (I told you guys I have WAY too much crap! LOL)
Soooo, depending on what kind of soap I am making it depends on which method I use to cut the soap...

 

[TAS]

I have a Tank
http://www.forcraftssake.com/shop/index ... e6656938d6

When I grow up maybe I can get a tank - :?
TAS

 

[carebear]

Oh TAS you are FAR ahead of me!

But I'm an anal, OCD soaper with a drive for straight lines whereas YOU are so much more creative...

 

[TAS]

O! Thank you! But you know I did neglect to say that Paul custom made me a cutter (to my specific width) and it works very well. It was one of his very first and very reasonably priced and it makes professional looking cuts.
TAS

 

[carebear]

I also have one of his cutters. Forgot all about that. It is quite nice.
I had one of the first but it needed some dramatic improvement - and this one is much better. They've come a long way

 

[lsg]

I have a wire log splitter and a soap cutter.

http://www.simplysoap.com/Soap%20Cutters.htm

 

[Barb]

i have a tank for cutting bars and a log splitter from chestnut farms

 

[Lindy]

Andrea - Mine is very like what your DH made for you and I quite like it. It lets me cut my soap to uniform sizes and straight.....someday I want to buy a tank but my business is going to have to be turning enough of a profit to purchase it.... :?

 

[andreabadgley]

Andrea - Mine is very like what your DH made for you and I quite like it. It lets me cut my soap to uniform sizes and straight.....someday I want to buy a tank but my business is going to have to be turning enough of a profit to purchase it.... :?

Yes, that tank is mighty nice, but like you, I think I'll need to be in business a few more years before I can justify buying it. I like that it cuts multiple bars at once - just think of the time we'd save - but I also like the meditative practice of pushing the log, cutting, and admiring the bars as I pull them out. Push, cut, admire, push cut, admire...

 

[Lindy]

Oh yeah - me too - I like "oohing" & Aahing".....

 

[carebear]

There is something enormously satisfying about the Tank. It's so... I don't know what to call it but "satisfying" to run my hands over that amazing thing. It's metal, well built, no bells or whistles - just pure utility. It's gorgeous to see and to feel.

and to push it down through a log and get 12 perfect (I mean PERFECT) bars makes me shiver with delight.

Pauls wooden one does the same thing - one push down and through and done.