Tufting Rug Shavers

Which Rug Shaver Should I Get?

The Most Common Tools That You Can Use

Creating a custom rug that you designed is the best feeling ever. But how we can improve the appearance of the rug? How to make it smoother? We can shave, carve the tufted carpet to have a better look, or separate the colors, designed shapes! Because of the tufting gun, not all the yarn stitches are even. By trimming, shaving you can make them even.

As you can see I used different verbs for this process like carving, shaving, trimming, cutting… It is because there is no certain material or method for this step. You can choose the tool by considering your budget or your design. You can create dimension, layers, and variance in your design by cutting back yarn or shaving at different angles. I will try to compare a few options that you can find on the market to do this process.

Here are the most common tools that I will go through;

  • Electric Sheep Shears
  • Pet Grooming Clippers
  • Duckbill Napping Shears
  • Scissors
  • Carpet Trimmer

You can find a detailed explanation and review for each of the various options in the following.

Electric Sheep Shears

Electric Sheep Shears is one of the most common choices for people who do like even surfaces on their tufted rugs. Cause sheep shears basically shave all the yarn even and create a smooth surface. The machine often used to do rough cutbacks, usually to the back of the piece as they are less precise. However, they are not ideal for carving out dimensions into your design.

Pet Grooming Clippers

Pet grooming clippers are the other common tool for shaving rugs. Since it is made for pet grooming it works really well with yarns. With this tool, you can both shave the rug and have an even surface. Also, you can carve the rug just using the machine with some angle.

Scissors

Scissors are the simplest and easiest option that you can work with. You can manipulate the angle of your cuts and control exactly where you are cutting. Of course, this will be much slower than other options, but definitely the best for the beginners.

Duckbill Napping Shears

Duckbill Napping Scissors is the same way the basic scissors do. Simply and easy as the scissor is but more aesthetic and way easy to use. It suits your hand better and thanks to the surface that it has on the knives you can clearly see how you can make the surface even. Definitely very recommended for beginners.

Carpet Trimmer

Carpet trimmers are the ultimate device for trimming the surface, and clean lines into your work. They are however the most expensive option available, so be mindful of this when you are making your decision to invest.

In conclusion, You can carve, shave, trim and cut your tufted rug to have a depth, layer, or separation on your custom-designed rug. Keep in mind that, trimming it while you are tufting can be harder since the yarn is still not completely fixed to the cloth but trimming after the glue dried and the cloth is still on the frame. That will be easier for you to cut the yarns since the backing is steady and dried already. In the end, you will have an even and smooth surface.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.