Method of chopping

A method of separating long lengths of unwound item(s) selected from the group consisting of fibers, fiber strands, string, yarn, wire, tape and ribbon into short pieces comprising feeding one or more items in an unwound form into a chopper at a speed exceeding about 1000 FPM comprising a frame, a cabinet front, an idler roll outboard of the cabinet front, a rotatable backup roll outboard of the cabinet front, the backup roll having a peripheral working layer with a peripheral working surface, a rotatable blade roll outboard of the cabinet front, the blade roll having a plurality of blades spaced apart around its periphery for contact with and penetration of said item(s) and into the peripheral working layer of the backup roll and a biasing system for biasing the blades of the blade roll and the backup roll together and a starter roll mounted on a pivoting arm,

• the improvement comprising placing the item(s) on a movable two-section idler roll comprising a first section and a second section for avoiding roll wraps and increasing a width of chopping on the backup roll, both sections being for contact with the long lengths of unwound item(s), the second section having a larger diameter than the first section, wherein the movable, two-section idler roll comprises an axle, a free-wheeling first roll mounted on the axle with bearings and a free wheeling second roll also mounted on the axle with bearings, the second roll having a larger outside diameter than the first roll and an edge of the second roll extending past an outboard edge of the first roll, the clearance between an inside surface of a part of the second roll that extends past the outboard edge of the first roll and an outside surface of the first roll being at least about 0.038 centimeter and sufficient that rapid rotation of the first roll does not cause more than a very slow rotation of the second roll so that the second roll does not jerk a slow moving new strand when the new strand first contacts the surface of the second roll of the idler roll during lacing in of the new strand, said idler roll located on the chopper outboard of the cabinet front.