No, I use a very sharp and fairly long fillet knife from my surf fishing gear. (I "saw" a little as I cut) With a sharp edge it cuts easily through the roll leaving smooth edges. I make these short rolls from about 2" up to about 1/2 a roll for various uses in the shop. For paper towels that have a half/sheet perforation, a 1/2 length roll gives approx square sheets.
I don't have an electric fillet knife so I don't know how that would work. The manual one is quick and easy.
The guy who told me about this years ago used a bandsaw so I tried that first. What a mess! Maybe it would work better with a very fine-toothed blade, don't know. I like the fillet knife a lot better.
JKJ