The Pistol Grip Glass Cutter

The pistol grip glass cutter is most commonly used by people with poor wrist and finger strength: however, a lot of people that don't have those types of problems use it also. It takes a different type of pressure to score the glass so there isn't as much strain or stress on the wrist and fingers. Women appear to prefer the pistol grip, while most men prefer a straight/pencil grip cutter.

This cutter needs to be pushed. You can't see the wheel if you pull it towards you. The only place you would pull it is cutting along a straight edge. Seeing the wheel isn't an issue when cutting along a straight edge.

Fill it no more than 1/3 full with oil. If there is too much oil in the barrel, (at least in the older models) it tends to leak around the screw cap when the cutter is laying on it's side.

I have been told that the newer models are less likely to leak, but that barrel holds a lot of oil, so it's still a good idea to only fill it 1/3 full. A pistol grip cutter full of oil would take a very long time to use up, and the oil does deteriorate after a while.

Here is what oil deterioration does
to the inside of a glass cutter.

I must admit that the pistol grip is not my favorite glass cutter. I find it clumsy to use. It does not give me the flexibility that I get with any of the other cutters described in this tutorial. However, with that said, I have seen many of my students go from having a terrible time cutting glass to being very proficient once they changed over to the pistol grip glass cutter.

This is how to use the pistol grip glass cutter.
It is much like holding a saw, a toothbrush, or
a pistol (for those of you that have held a pistol).

Here is another view of holding
the pistol grip glass cutter.

If you want, you can use the index finger of your
free hand to guide the wheel of your glass cutter.




Click on the pictures to enlarge.

There are at least 7 brands of pistol grip glass cutters available. Each one claims to be better than the others.
I'll leave that decision up to you and
your local stained glass shop. I have
only used the Toyo brand, so I can't be of
any help in the "choice of brands" department.

Instructions for other types of glass cutter:
Pencil Grip Glass Cutter
Toyo Custom Grip Glass Cutter
Toyo Thomas Grip Glass Cutter

For general information about glass cutters:Your Glass Cutter

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This page last updated on January 01, 2008