Abstract: An improvement for trimmers of the type that include an elongated main handle member with a motor assembly on one end and a cutting head at the other end. A secondary retractable handle member is pivotally mounted at one end to a point on the main handle member that is adjacent to the cutting head so that maximum control can be exerted on the positioning of the latter. The retractable handle member is preferably made to conform to the shape of the main handle member when brought next to it. A securing latch assembly releasably keeps both of them attached to each other when desired by a user, typically, to operate on horizontal cutting planes. The retractable handle member is not separated when a user desires to make vertical cuts.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a tube, preferably of flexible thermally insulating material, comprises a cutting head 14 with a pair of concentric cutting edge 16, 18 which cooperates with a presser head 28 to cut rings 50 of material from a sheet 48 presented to the cutting head. The rings are stacked up on a guide bar 32 and sprayed with a coating composition to consolidate them into a tube which may be collected on a take-up drum in a continuous manner.