Abstract:
A VCT tile cutter comprises a movable top blade and a fixed bottom blade capable of shearing a VCT tile. The cutter includes a blade carrier in which the top blade can be slid horizontally in relation to the fixed position of the bottom blade beneath it. In this way, an outer edge of the top blade can be slid horizontally and positioned over a point in a tile that corresponds to the end point of a desired partial cut in the tile. When a crankshaft mechanism is activated, the blade creates a partial cut in the tile from the perimeter of the tile to a point in the tile corresponding to the location of the end of the movable blade. The blade may be straight or faceted and may have partially or completely relieved edges to enhance the capability of the cutter to perform partial cuts in the tile.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/276,403, filed Sep. 11, 2009, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to flooring tools, and in particular to vinyl composition tile cutters. 
         [0003]    In the floor covering trade, vinyl composition tile is a common flooring for commercial applications. Vinyl composition tile is often referred to as VCT (or VCT tile), a common example being Armstrong Excelon VCT Tile. Such tile has the benefits of low materials cost, low labor cost to install, durability, and ease of cleaning. VCT tile is often installed in large rooms such as classrooms, cafeterias, supermarkets, and other commercial spaces. The VCT tile can be easily adhered directly to the concrete floors commonly found in such buildings, using low cost adhesive. The labor cost to install VCT tile is lower than ceramic tile because the tiles are precisely formed to abut each other without the need for grouting at the joints. 
         [0004]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , a typical full size VCT tile  30000  is commonly manufactured to a square length L and width W of 12″×12″. In comparison with ceramic tile, VCT tile is softer and thinner. Because VCT tile is comparatively soft and thin, it can be cut using inexpensive low-carbon steel blades. Ceramic tiles by comparison must be scored with carbide wheels and broken along the score line with lever-activated pressure, or else sawed with a diamond blade, 
         [0005]    VCT tile is cut to desired lengths in one of the following methods: VCT tile can be cut by hand by marking the desired cut on the tile with a penciled line, then scoring the line with a razor knife guided by a straight edge. After scoring, the tile can be broken along the score line by bending the tile by hand on both sides of the score line. 
         [0006]    Alternatively, professional VCT tile cutters have been developed, such as the present day Crain No. 001 Model “A” Tile Cutter. These prior art VCT tile cutters can cut across the entire width of a VCT tile rapidly with inexpensive, low carbon steel blades, using pressure from the stroke of a crankshaft mechanism, as will be described below. 
         [0007]    An assembled prior art VCT tile cutter  10000  is shown in  FIG. 2 . Prior art VCT tile cutter  10000  is used primarily to make full cuts across a full tile width as necessary to create fill tiles at the walls. The process proceeds as follows: full tiles (called “field tiles”) are positioned from the center of the room outwards in the direction of the walls. Near the wall, full field tiles normally won&#39;t fit, so it becomes necessary to cut partial tiles (called “fill tiles”) to fit to the walls. Various mechanisms for automatically positioning the tile cutter in relation to a wall surface to cut fill tiles have been developed, such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 2,619,173 to Crain, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,608,255 to Mitchell. These cutters reduce the need the measure the tile prior to cutting. 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a prior art VCT tile cutter  10000 . Tile cutter  10000  includes a base  10100 . A bottom blade  10200  is fastened to the back of base  10100  with four bolts  10205 . Bottom blade  10200  will be referred to as the fixed blade of the cutter, because it does not move in the cutting action of the tool. Also fastened onto the back of base  10100  is floor guide  10210 . Floor guide  10210  is adjustably fastened to base  10100  with two screws  10215  which pass through left and right slots  10212 ,  10214 . The function of the floor guide will be discussed below in a section describing use of the VCT tile cutter. 
         [0009]    The crankshaft and blade carrier subassembly  11000  is assembled to base  10100  by first fastening the top blade  12000  onto blade carrier  12050 . Top blade  12000  is fastened to blade carrier  12050  in blade carrier relief  12051  with four bolts  12055 . Top blade  12000  will be referred to as the movable blade of VCT tile cutter  10000  because it moves vertically in the cutting action of the tool. Top blade  12000  has a straight bottom edge  12005  with a square left end  12007  and a square right end  12009 . 
         [0010]    Once the blade and blade carrier are assembled, a left guide  12100  is connected to base  10100  with a screw  12105 . A left end of blade carrier  12050  inserts into a slot  12110  of left guide  12100 . Above the left end of blade carrier  12050 , a left bearing block  12120  is also inserted into slot  12110  of left guide  12100 . 
         [0011]    Crankshaft  13000  includes camshaft  13010 , lever  13020 , left ball bearing  13030 , right ball bearing  13035 , left pin  13040 , and right pin  13045 . Left pin  13040  and right pin  13045  insert within eccentric holes in camshaft  13010  (such as right eccentric hole  13011 ). Left pin  13040  inserts within slot  12110  of left guide  12100  beneath left bearing block  12120 . 
         [0012]    Right guide  12150  is positioned on a free right end of blade carrier  12050  within slot  12160 . Next pin  13045  of crankshaft  13000  is inserted into slot  12160 , followed by right bearing block  12125 , which rests on top of pin  13045 . Right guide  12150  can then be fastened to base  10100  with fastener  12155 . 
         [0013]    Left ball bearing  13030  has a flange  13031 , and right ball bearing  13035  has a flange  13036 . Flange  13031  of left ball bearing  13030  seats in left slot  12052  in the top surface of blade carrier  12050 . Flange  13036  of right ball bearing  13035  seats in right slot  12054 . The insertion of the flanges of the ball bearings into the slots on the top surface of blade carrier  12050  controls the eccentric motion of left ball bearing  13030  and right ball bearing  13035  as they pressure the top of blade carrier  12050  in the cutting action of the tool. This eccentric motion will be described below along with the discussion of the cutting action of the tool. 
         [0014]    Left guide  12100  has a hole  12107  in the bottom of slot  12110 , and right guide  12150  has a similar hole (not shown). Blade carrier  12050  has corresponding left and right holes on its bottom side (not shown) which align with the holes in the bottom of left guide  12100  and right guide  12150 . Left coil spring  14005  and right coil spring  14007  insert through the holes in the bottom of the left guide  12100  and right guide  12150  and extend up into the left and right holes (not shown) of blade carrier  12050 . Two pairs of pan head screws  14011 ,  14013  additionally fasten left guide  12100  and right guide  12150  to base  10100  through back side holes (not shown) in base  10100 . The inner of each pair of pan head screws  14011 ,  14013  passes directly underneath the hole in the bottom of the left guide  12100  and right guide  12150 , each creating a footing for left coil spring  14005  and right coil spring  14007 . Left coil spring  14005  and right coil spring  14007  pressure blade carrier  12050  upward within slots  12110 ,  12160  in left guide  12100  and right guide  12150   
         [0015]    Because the blade carrier  12050  is constantly pressured upwards by left coil spring  14005  and right coil spring  14007 , it causes lever  13020  to rotate backwards (clockwise). A leg  13025  formed by an extension of lever  13020  through the back of camshaft  13010  contacts the back of blade carrier  12050 . This creates a stop for lever  13020  at a vertical position. At the stop, the vertical position of lever  13020  also corresponds to a high point or starting position of top blade  12000 . 
         [0016]    Left set screw  15011  and right set screw  15013  work against left coil spring  14005  and right coil spring  14007  to set a starting height and shear angle of the movable upper blade  12000 . Left set screw  15011  and right set screw  15013  bear on left bearing block  12120  and right bearing block  12125 . Turning left set screw  15011  or right set screw  15013  causes left pin  13040  or right pin  13045  of crankshaft  13000  to move up or move down. 
         [0017]    If both left set screw  15011  and right set screw  15013  are turned by equal amounts, blade carrier  12050  and top blade  12000  are moved straight up or down. However, for ease of cutting, a “shear angle” in the cutting action of top blade  12000  is preferred. A shear angle is an orientation of the top blade  12000  where, in its starting position, the space between top blade  12000  and bottom blade  10200  on the right side is 2-3 times the space on the left side. A shear angle on the blade causes the blade to cut only a small portion of the tile as lever  13020  is being turned. This reduces the force necessary to be applied on lever  13020  as the tile is being cut. To produce the shear angle, left set screw  15011  only can be turned such that the gap on the opposite right side is a preferred 2-3 times that on the left side. 
         [0018]    Left guide  12100  is fitted with left ball caster  12115 , and right guide  12150  is fitted with right ball caster  12165 . Left ball caster  12115  and right ball caster  12165  facilitate lateral movement of the tile cutter when used with the floor guide  10210  (discussed below). 
         [0019]    To make a cut, a user marks a line the full length across a tile, and places it on bed surface  10105  of base  10100 . The user positions a right edge of the tile against a fence  10110 . The fence  10110  squares the tile to top blade  12000  and bottom blade  10200 . The user aligns the marked line with the line of top blade  12000  and pulls lever  13020  downward. This causes camshaft  13010  to be turned. The eccentric positioning of left pin  13040  and right pin  13045  rotates left ball bearing  13030  and right ball bearing  13035  forward and down, causing blade carrier  12050  to be pressured downwards. This causes the movable top blade  12000  to pressure the tile against fixed bottom blade  10200 , thereby shearing the tile. Afterwards, the user releases lever  13020 , and it returns to a vertical position. In the same motion, top blade  12000  also returns to a starting position. 
         [0020]    A tile guide  15000  can be fastened to fence  10110  with thumbscrew  15005  to make multiple cuts of a fixed width. A floor guide  10210  provides an alternative automatic measuring system. Floor guide  10210  forms a vertically adjustable lip which can work as a stop below base  10100  capable of positioning the blades of the cutter in line with the edge of the last full field tile. When floor guide  10210  is used, a full tile is placed on the bed surface  10105  and slid underneath top blade  12000  until it abuts a wall. With the cutter in this position, the blades will automatically cut a fill tile for the proper width at that particular location. 
         [0021]    The assembled prior art VCT tile cutter  10000  is shown in  FIG. 2 . The top blade  12000  extends across the entire opening  16000  through which a VCT tile may be placed for cutting. In fact, the left end  12007  ( FIG. 1 ) and right end  12009  ( FIG. 1 ) of top blade  12000  extend all the way into the slot  12110  of left guide  12100  and slot  12160  of right guide  12150 . As a result, top blade  12000  can only make a straight cut across an entire width (chord) of a VCT tile that is placed beneath it. 
         [0022]    Prior art VCT tile cutter  10000  is mainly useful to make straight cuts across an entire width of a tile, as needed to cut fill tile needed along straight walls. However, wall surfaces form many other shapes. One example is the shape of outside corners. In such case, as shown in  FIG. 13 , a rectangular-shaped cutout  31005  is needed in the VCT tile  31000 . To make such a cut requires a first cut  31015  followed by a second cut  31025 . First cut  31015  and second cut  31025  are partial cuts across VCT tile  31000 . The prior art VCT tile cutter of  FIG. 2  cannot make such cuts. 
         [0023]    Another example of a situation where partial cuts in the VCT tile are needed is for “U-shaped” cutout shown in  FIG. 14 . Two tiles with “U-shaped” cutouts are often needed at the threshold of a doorway. The “U-shaped” cutout  32005  in VCT tile  32000  requires a first cut  32015 , a second cut  32025 , and a third cut  32035 . First cut  32015 , second cut  32025 , and third cut  32035  are all partial cuts in VCT tile  32000 . The prior art VCT tile cutter of  FIG. 2  cannot make such cuts. 
         [0024]    To make the partial cuts shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the flooring installer will normally mark the desired cutout in the tile using a pencil and framing square. Afterwards, the installer will score the desired cutout using the framing square and a razor knife. After scoring, the VCT tile will normally snap evenly along the scored lines by bending the tile across the scored line with careful hand pressure. 
         [0025]    However, VCT tile can be brittle, particularly when it is held in storage for an abnormally long period of time, or whenever it is being installed in cold weather. In such cases, the VCT tile cracks often cracks unpredictably beyond the score lines. In such cases, the flooring installer often has to pre-heat the tile with a powerful heat gun. The preheating process, often to referred to as a “hot cut” in the trade, adds additional labor cost. 
         [0026]    In general, the labor involved in cutting tiles to fit corners areas, doorways, and other areas can be one of the more costly aspects of the installation. Most of the cuts required to fit tiles in these areas involve partial cuts in the VCT tile, but the prior art VCT tile cutter cannot make such cuts. 
         [0027]    A VCT tile cutter that could make partial cuts in the VCT tile could speed up the process of making rectangular cutouts, “U-shaped” cutouts, or other cutouts requiring partial cuts in the tile. A VCT tile cutter that could make partial cuts in the VCT tile, while still being able to make the straight cuts across the entire tile as required at walls, would have greater utility, and could help reduce labor cost. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0028]    Embodiments of the invention comprise a VCT tile cutter with a movable top blade and a fixed bottom blade that shears a tile with a crankshaft mechanism. In addition, the cutter includes a blade carrier enabling the top blade to be slid horizontally in relation to the fixed position of the bottom blade beneath it. 
         [0029]    In one embodiment, the blade carrier component includes an added slot. The top blade includes an added slideable member insertable in the slot. The slideable member slides within the slot, enabling the top blade to be slid horizontally (i.e., in a direction transverse to the cutting direction that is generally parallel to a cutting edge of the top blade) while being fixed in the direction of cutting. 
         [0030]    In another embodiment, a blade carrier assembly comprises several components, including a first blade carrier component and a second blade carrier block component. The blade carrier component is slideably mounted to a fixed, blade carrier block component. A top blade is fixedly attached to the blade carrier component. However, the top blade can be slid horizontally along with the slideable blade carrier component. 
         [0031]    With either of the embodiments, an outer edge of a top blade can be slid horizontally and positioned over a point in the tile which corresponds to the end point of a desired partial cut in the tile. The lever is activated and the blade will create a partial cut in the tile from the perimeter of the tile to a point in the center of the tile corresponding to the location of the end of the movable blade. 
         [0032]    Embodiments of the invention additionally include faceted blade shapes enhancing the capability of the cutter to perform partial cuts in the tile. In one embodiment, the blade has a straight edge in a center area, similar to that of the prior art top blade, but additionally includes one or more relieved edges at either end of the blade. These partially relieved edges at the end of the blade produce a small scored area at the end of partial cut in the tile, corresponding to the relieved area at the end of the blade. This scored area can be broken after the cutting operation with light hand pressure. This prevents the undesirable cracking created by the prior art square-end top blades (such as top blade  12000  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), particularly when VCT tiles are unusually brittle. 
         [0033]    Alternatively, the top blade may be completely relieved from a point in the center of the blade, all the way out to left and right ends of the blade. Such a completely relieved blade is capable of cutting a tile from a point in the center of the tile outward to the perimeter of the tile. Such a blade can make the center cut of a “U-shaped” cutout (cut  32035  of “U-shaped” cutout  32005  in  FIG. 14 ). 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0034]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a prior art VCT tile cutter. 
           [0035]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view the prior art VCT tile cutter of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a VCT tile cutter, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 4  is an end view of the blade carrier for a VCT tile cutter, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0038]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a blade assembly for a VCT tile cutter, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0039]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a blade assembly for a VCT tile cutter, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0040]      FIG. 7  is a front view of a blade assembly having relieved edges, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0041]      FIG. 8  is a front view of a blade assembly having fully relieved edges, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0042]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a VCT tile cutter with an alternative blade carrier design, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0043]      FIG. 10  is a partial view of the blade carrier block and slideable blade carrier for the VCT tile cutter of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0044]      FIG. 11  is a front view of that the VCT tile cutter of  FIG. 9  showing how the blade carrier slides in either direction, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0045]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a VCT tile. 
           [0046]      FIGS. 13 and 14  are perspective views of the VCT tile having different portions cut away therefrom. 
           [0047]      FIG. 15  is a front view of the VCT tile cutter of  FIG. 3  including a top blade with an extension beyond both right and left guides for ease of positioning the top blade for a partial cut. 
       
    
    
       [0048]    The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0049]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , VCT tile cutter  20000  is one embodiment of the present invention. VCT tile cutter  20000  includes several elements of the prior art VCT tile cutter, including the base  20100 , fixed bottom blade  20200 , left guide  22100 , right guide  22150 , crankshaft  23000 , left ball bearing  23030 , right ball bearing  23035 , and blade carrier  22050 . Just as with the prior art VCT tile cutter, blade carrier  22050  is spring loaded with two coil springs (not shown) that pressure two eccentric pins (not shown) in the camshaft  23010  against two bearing blocks (not shown) held within the internal slots of left guide  22100  and right guide  22150 . Just as with the prior art VCT tile cutter, left set screw  25011  and right set screw  25013  adjust the beginning height and shear angle of the movable top blade  22000 . 
         [0050]    The blade carrier  22050  of VCT Tile Cutter  20000  includes an added slot  22057  in the area of the blade carrier relief  22051 . The prior art VCT Tile Cutter  10000  of  FIG. 1  includes blade carrier relief  12051 , but has no slot such as slot  22057  ( FIG. 3 ).  FIG. 4  is an end view of blade carrier  22050  showing more clearly the area of slot  22057  within blade carrier relief  22051 . Slot  22057  is rectangular in shape. 
         [0051]    The top blade  22000  includes an added slideable member  22010  attached with four screws  22020  to the back side of top blade  22000 . Slideable member  22010  has a rectangular profile that is insertable within slot  22057  of blade carrier  22050  and slideable within slot  22057 .  FIG. 5  is an end view of the top blade  22000  including an attached slideable member  22010  that is rectangular in profile. 
         [0052]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , cover  22060  fastens onto blade carrier  22050  with five bolts  22065 . Cover  22060  slideably holds blade  22000  against blade carrier relief  22051 , while also keeping slideable member  22010  within slot  22057 . 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the height  22015  of slideable member  22010  is slightly shorter than the height designated by the dimension of slot  22057  ( FIG. 4 ). As shown in  FIG. 3 , this is so that when a bottom cutting edge  22030  of top blade  22000  is pressured against a tile to be cut, vertical play between the slidable member  22010  and slot  22057  causes a top surface  22035  of top blade  22000  to bear against the overhang  22059  of blade carrier relief  22051 . This ensures that most of the pressure required to cut the VCT tile is applied by overhang  22059 . Otherwise, the thin slideable member  22010  or slot  22057  could be deformed over time, rendering top blade  22000  unable to slide as desired. 
         [0054]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , slot  22057  is a rectangular slot, and slideable member  22010  has a rectangular profile that is slideable within slot  22057 . However, slot  22057  could be any shape which could accept a slideable member of a corresponding shape. 
         [0055]    Conversely, the slideable member itself may be formed in other profiles, such as a “T-shape”. A “T-shaped” profile for the slideable member would require a corresponding “T-shaped” cutout (slot) in the blade carrier. Such would hold the blade on the blade carrier without the need for cover  22060 . 
         [0056]    However, a rectangular shape for the slot  22057  is preferred because it can be formed with conventional milling cutters. Furthermore, a corresponding rectangular profile for slideable member  22010  is preferred because it can be formed inexpensively as a sheet metal stamping. Cover  22060  is also a rectangular shape that can be formed inexpensively as a sheet metal stamping. 
         [0057]    Furthermore, the slideable member may be formed from several pieces of material which are spaced apart, rather than a single lengthy piece of material such as the slideable member  22010  ( FIG. 6 ). Any element which is slideable within an added slot in the blade carrier component will be referred to herein as a slideable member. 
         [0058]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , top blade  22000  is slideable horizontally in relation to the fixed bottom blade  20200 . Top blade  22000  may be slid horizontally to the right or to left. In  FIG. 3 , top blade  22000  is slid to the right, with end  22005  at a point midway above fixed bottom blade  20200 . A VCT tile may be placed on bed surface  20105  and pushed forward through opening  22035  between the top blade  22000  and bottom blade  20200 . Afterwards, when the handle  23005  of crankshaft  23000  is pulled, top blade  22000  will make a partial cut in the tile up the left end  22005  of top blade  22000 . 
         [0059]    The embodiment of  FIG. 3  includes a top blade  22000  with a straight bottom edge  22030 .  FIG. 6  shows a back view of top blade  22000  including a slideable member  22010 , straight bottom edge  22030 , left end  22005  and right end  22007 . Top blade  22000  of  FIGS. 3 and 6  will be referred to herein to as a “straight blade”, because the bottom cutting edge  22030  is straight across the entire blade. Furthermore, the ends of top blade  22000  at left end  22005  and right end  22007  are square, similar to top blade  12000  of prior art VCT tile cutter  10000  ( FIG. 1 ). 
         [0060]    If the VCT tile is unusually brittle, the square corners at left end  22005  and right end  22007  on top blade  22000  ( FIG. 6 ) may leave small cracks beyond the end of a partial cut. This is due to the sharp, square corners formed at the end of a cut by a straight blade. As will be discussed below, other blade embodiments may include alternative top blades including relieved edges reducing this problem of cracking. 
         [0061]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , top blade  25000  includes a slideable member  25010 , a central edge  25030  which is straight, a left relieved edge  25005 , and a right relieved edge  25007 . Top blade  25000  of  FIG. 7  will be referred to herein as a “partially relieved blade”, because at least a portion of the bottom cutting edge of the blade is straight (not relieved). 
         [0062]    At any area beneath the straight central edge  25030 , top blade  25000  will tend to cut the VCT tile all the way through. However, along the left relieved area  25035  or right relieved area  25037 , top blade  25000  will tend to score or partially cut the VCT tile rather than cut all the way through. When the tile is removed from the cutter, any small scored areas that remain can be safely snapped by hand pressure. This prevents the undesirable cracking which can sometimes occur beyond the end of a partial cut in a VCT tile when straight blade  22000  ( FIG. 3 ) is used. 
         [0063]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , the angle alpha that left relieved edge  25005  and right relieved edge  25007  form with the straight central edge  25030  is preferably between 2 and 10 degrees. However this angle could be any relieved angle producing a score at the end of a partial cut being performed by the top blade, rather than a cut all the way through the tile. 
         [0064]    Top blade  22000  of  FIG. 6  and top blade  25000  of  FIG. 7  can make partial cuts in a VCT tile from the perimeter of the tile inwardly to a midpoint in the tile. This is useful to make square cutouts, such as square cutout  31005  in VCT tile  31000  of  FIG. 13 . However, top blade  22000  ( FIG. 6 ) and top blade  25000  ( FIG. 7 ) cannot make a partial cut from a point in the center of the tile outward, as would be required for cut  32035  of the “U-shaped” cutout  32005  in VCT tile  32000  ( FIG. 14 ). 
         [0065]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , top blade  26000  includes a slideable member  26010 , a left relieved area  26035 , and a right relieved area  26037 . Left relieved area  26035  is relieved at an angle beta of about 2 degrees from a center point  26030  all the way out to a left end  26039 . Similarly, right relieved area  26037  is relieved at the same angle beta of about 2 degrees from a center point  26030  all the way out to a right end  26041 . Top blade  26000  of  FIG. 8  will be referred to herein as a “fully relieved blade”, because the blade is relieved from a center point all the way out to both ends on both left and right sides of the blade. 
         [0066]    The fully relieved top blade  26000 , with its long left relieved area  26035  and right relieved area  26037  from center  26030 , can cut the VCT tile from a point in the center of the tile outward. As shown in  FIG. 14 , to make cut  32035  of in VCT tile  32000 , center  26030  ( FIG. 8 ) of fully relieved blade  26000  is positioned at the midpoint  32037  of cut  32035 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , the relieved edges will cut the VCT tile outwardly from the midpoint  32037  outwards to left end  32039  and right end  32041  of cut  32035 . 
         [0067]    Another embodiment including an alternative blade carrier comprising several components is shown in  FIG. 9 . VCT tile cutter  33000  has a blade carrier  33050  comprised of a first blade carrier block  33070  and a second slideable blade carrier  33090 . A top blade  33200  is fixedly fastened to slideable blade carrier  33090 . 
         [0068]    In  FIG. 10 , the blade carrier block  33070  and a portion of the slidable blade carrier  33090  are shown in isolation. Blade carrier block  33070  includes a “T-shaped” slot  33075 . Slideable blade carrier  33090  includes a front slot  33095 , and a rear slot  33097  (not visible, but similar to front slot  32095 ). The profile of the top of slideable blade carrier  32090  is “T-shaped” and insertable into the “T-shaped” slot  33075  of blade carrier block  33070 . 
         [0069]    As shown in  FIG. 11 , slideable blade carrier  33090  can slide horizontally to the left or to the right within blade carrier block  33070 . Thus, an end of the blade  33200  can be positioned at a point midway over a VCT tile to make a partial cut in the tile. As shown in  FIG. 9 , top blade  33200  is a fully relieved blade. However, any of the blades discussed herein could be fixedly mounted onto slideable blade carrier  33090 , including a straight blade, or a partially relieved blade. 
         [0070]    Another embodiment of the top blade facilitating partial cuts in a VCT tile is shown in  FIG. 15 . VCT tile cutter  40000  is similar to VCT tile cutter  20000  of  FIG. 3 , including a blade carrier  42050  having a slot (not shown), a top blade  42000  including a slideable member (not shown) insertable into the slot, and a cover  42060 . Top blade  42000  additionally has an extended length  42010 . Length  42010  allows top blade  42000  to extend beyond a distance  42015  from an outside wall surface  42101  of left guide  42100  to an outside wall surface  42151  of right guide  42150 . This ensures that an end of top blade  42000  is always accessible for a user to grasp top blade  42000 . A user may grasp a top blade  42000  at either end surface  42005  or  42007 , in order to position either end of the cutting edge (the ends being concealed within left guide  42100  and right guide  42150  in this view) over a VCT tile in order to make a partial cut in a VCT tile. 
         [0071]    In another alternative, the top blade includes a slot, and the blade carrier includes features such as pins or bosses insertable into the slot in the top blade, such that the top blade is slideable on the features of the blade carrier. 
         [0072]    In another alternative, the top blade includes a slot or a relief, and the blade carrier, or the cover attachable to the blade carrier, includes a feature such as a boss or a rib insertable into the slot or relief of the top blade, such that the slot or relief on the top blade is slideable on the boss or rib on the blade carrier, or the cover. 
         [0073]    The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure. For example, although discussed in terms of a cutter for VCT tiles, embodiments of the cutter may be designed for other types of materials that are relatively soft, such as cork or rubber, as opposed to hard tiles such as ceramic. 
         [0074]    Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.