Abstract: A knife holder for holding a knife head has a circular wrapper cutter with a blade rotatably mounted in the knife head for engagement with a lower cutter to cause lengthwise separation of a material web. The knife holder has a base body for positioning the knife head and is mounted to a knife holder bar. A tie bar moves the knife head between a resting position and a cutting position where an area of the blade is exposed and is operatively engaged with the cutter. A protective hood covers at least a portion of the circumference of the circular wrapper cutter and is movable relative to the circular wrapper cutter between an operating position where the blade is exposed and a protective position where the protective hood covers at least a side of the blade.