Patent ID: 7270041

Claim:
A tool for cutting flat materials comprising: a flat base plate comprising a cross-hatched grid of measuring lines, a receiving slot which is a track built into the base plate, where the receiving slot has a beveled edge, an indentation in the base plate that allows a user to easily grasp a base plate cutting assembly for removal once it has been attached, and a guide edge with ruled lines which serves to measure a piece of flat material to be cut and provide a solid baseline against which the flat material can rest during measuring and cutting, a base plate cutting assembly comprising a base plate cutting member and a base plate cutting blade which is a flat piece of metal attached to the base plate cutting member by screws, rivets, or similar means of attachment, where the edge of the base plate cutting blade is a non-straight decorative pattern, where the base plate cutting member has a beveled surface on one side, where the base plate cutting assembly is removable and exchangeable and can be slid into and removed from the receiving slot in the base plate where the two beveled edges align and allow for the base plate cutting assembly to be inserted into the receiving slot in the base plate in only one orientation, a lever attached movably at one end of the base plate such that the lever can be raised or lowered such that it pivots about a point of attachment between the lever and the base plate, a recessed bolt hole in the lever at the end of the lever attached to the base plate, where the recessed bolt hole is shaped and sized in the shape and size of a head of the bolt, thereby assuring that once the bolt is slid into the recessed bolt hole, it will not rotate, a lock washer and a lock nut which are used to tighten the bolt, thereby ensuring that the lever is tightened sufficiently to line up the base plate cutting edge and the lever cutting edge, but not so tight as to unduly restrict its movement, a lever cutting assembly comprising a lever cutting member and a lever cutting blade which is a flat piece of metal attached to the lever cutting member by screws, rivets, or similar means of attachment, where the edge of the lever cutting blade is a non-straight decorative pattern, and where the lever cutting assembly can be attached to the lever, a safety barrier, and a plurality of foot braces numbering at least three.