Cylinder-mounted cutter

In a printing press, a cut-off mechanism for cutting a traveling web into a number of pieces sebsequent to printing on the web, said mechanism comprising a die cylinder assembly and a cooperating anvil cylinder assembly, the two assemblies being rotatable about parallel axes in timed relation to the travel of the web therebetween, said anvil cylinder assembly having an anvil on its periphery, said die cylinder assembly comprising a die cylinder, a base member mounted on the periphery of said die cylinder, a first group of fasteners projecting through the base member and threaded into the die cylinder for securing the base member to the die cylinder, a cutting die carried by said base member radially outwardly thereof and having at least one radially outwardly presented cutting edge for engagement with said anvil to cut the web repeatedly, a resilient sheet of elastomeric material interposed between said die and said base and yielding within its elastic limits as said cutting edge engages said anvil to take up relative radial displacement between the cutter die on the one hand and said anvil and base member on the other hand during the cutting operation, and a second group of fasteners, separate and distinct from said first group, projecting through said die and resilient sheet and threaded into said base member to secure the die to the base member entirely by the applied torque of said second group of fasteners, said second group of fasteners causing said die to impose compressive pressure on said sheet.