Recently I had a customer interested in binding documents with twin loop wire and calendar hangers but he was looking for a solution that was a little bit more heavy duty than the Renz TC20 ThumbCut Calendar punch. After doing some investigating I discovered that you can actually use the Akiles Diamond 1 Corner Rounder as a thumb cut punch. Where the TC20 can only punch 20 sheets of 20lb paper at one time, the Akiles Diamond 1 is capable of punching up to 0.4" of paper per lift (more than double the capacity). Additionally, the Diamond 1 can also be used to round the corners on your documents and ID badges.

Here is a quick overview of what you need in order to use the Akiles Diamond 1 Corner Rounding Device for this application...

1. If you want to use the Akiles Diamond 1 as a thumbcut punching for calendars you first need to purchase the Akiles Diamond 1. The Diamond 1 comes standard with a ¼" radius die for rounding corners and will come with the tools that you need to use to set it up for punching your thumbcut into your calendars.

2. In order to use the Akiles Diamond 1 corner rounding device for binding calendars with twin loop wire you are going to need to purchase the "half moon die" for the Akiles Diamond 1. The half moon die will punch a thumb cut with a diameter of 2cm (20mm) into your documents. This thumb cut is the same diameter as the thumb cut punched by the Renz TC20 and is perfect for the calendar hanger wires that we have available.

3. The third component that you need in order to use your Akiles Diamond 1 corner rounder as a thumb cut punch is the Depth Guide for the Half Moon die. This depth guide will allow you to position your pages in the correct spot with your Akiles Diamond 1 to ensure that the thumb cut is located in the appropriate place. In order to use the Depth Guide for the half moon die along with your Akiles Diamond 1 you will need to remove the two paper guides from your Akiles Diamond 1 using the Allen key that was provided when you purchased your machine. These paper guides can easily be reinstalled when you need to use your Diamond 1 as a corner rounder again.

With all of these options the Akiles Diamond 1 is slightly more expensive than the Renz TC20. However, the fact that the Akiles Diamond 1 is capable of punching more than twice the amount of paper than the TC20 and that it can also be used as a corner rounder seems to make it a logical choice for a ThumbCut punch for use along with your Twin Loop Wire Binding Machine.