On Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:53:25 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:20:11 -0400, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


"Tegger" wrote in message
...
Metspitzer wrote in
:

As he displayed the box cutter


From where did utility knives get the silly name "box cutter"? And how
come
I only ever see this phrase in the media? Is it because the only time
reporters have ever seen a utility knife is in the grocery store?

I don't know what they use to open the boxes with now in the stores. About
45 years ago when I was a stock boy in a grocery store we had box cutters.
There were several designs, but they were made to have a single edge razor
blade in them. They were often made of a relative flat piece of steel that
held the blade and there was another flat tube that held that part. You
pulled the blade holder up into the sheath part when not in use and a tap on
the leg would extend the blade part when needed. Most often it was held in
then hand so that you put your thumb over the top of the box an used it as a
guide.

Could make a dandy weapon for making shallow cuts about an inch or so deep.
It was about 4 or 5 inches long with the blade extended.


I have in my tool box a couple of those "box cutters". Exactly as you
describe.

Pic: (calls it "carton cutter"

http://www.quickship.com/images/office_supplies/oic-single-sided-razor-blade-carton-cutter-pic1.jpg

The first "box cutters" I saw had the blade set parallel, and about
1/2" down from a flat plate. The blade protruded about 1/4" from the
handle. The idea was to only cut the box (thus only 1/4" of blade
protruding) about 1/2" down from the top. Basically, it decapitated
the box. What's now known as "box cutters", I've always known as
"utility knives", including the one shown above.