I agree about the paper towels. I use a zillion at the lathe and elsewhere for solvent, finishes, glue cleanup and more. The problem is I often don't need an entire sheet so I would tear off a corner, eventually leaving a ragged partial sheet on the roll.
What I do now is use a sharp fillet knife to cut the roll up into smaller pieces. Those I use the most are in a dispenser over the lathe, cut maybe 2.5" wide, right near the rolls of sandpaper. Now I just tear of a few inches as needed.
Attachment 423098
On my workbench I also keep a roll cut in half. When using the 1/2 sheet paper towel rolls this gives me a nice, clean square piece.
JKJ