Abstract: A tail turn-up assembly has a frame positioned upstream of a reel spool. A carriage is pivotally mounted to the frame by a four bar linkage. The carriage is pivotable, from a retracted position to an extended position. When the carriage is engaged with the reel spool, a pair of curved tracks are positioned so that arcs defined by the tracks have their centers coincident with the spool axis. A knife carriage rides on the curved tracks and is constrained to move circumferentially about the reel spool. An actuator on the carriage causes the knife carriage to traverse circumferentially about the reel spool. The knife carriage has a leading edge formed by a knife which tears through the a tail which is cut from the web when the knife carriage is moved on the curved tracks.