How to Use Shears As Box Cutters

Kitchen shears can be used to cut a box.

Shears are commonly referred to as scissors and come in many sizes depending on the specific type. Different types of shears vary upon how they are used and are usually titled according to their particular purpose such as kitchen shears, pinking shears or gardening shears. For cutting open or breaking down a cardboard box, sharp kitchen shears will suffice. Box-cutters are more ideal for this task since, unlike shears, they can easily pierce through cardboard and packaging tape. However, shears can be used if a box-cutter is unavailable.

Things You'll Need

• Shears
• Box
• Shears sharpener

Instructions

1. Sharpen your shears using a shears sharpener. This ensures that the shears is able to pierce through the cardboard with ease. If the shears are dull there is a greater chance of accidental injury during the box-cutting process.

2. Snip a small slit into a seam or folded part of the box. Cutting the first slit is the most crucial part of the box-cutting process and it can take a fair bit of pressure. Sometimes it is better to jab the slightly opened shears at the box seam in order to make the first slice.

3. Cut along the folds of the box where desired. Once the initial slit has been made, cutting using the normal scissoring motion should be easy. Turning corners with the shears may be slightly more difficult than cutting along straight edges, but it should not be a problem if the shears are properly sharpened.

Tips & Warnings

• Jabbing the shears into the cardboard box to make the initial slit can be dangerous. It is better to use a box-cutter or knife for this part of the process if available. If not, use extreme caution.

References

• Grandmother's Dollhouse: Cutting
• Large Cardboard Boxes: How to breakdown large cardboard boxes
• Exploratorium: Cut the box!