In a cross cutting device for a winding machine having at least a first carrier roll (11) wrapped by the web to be wound and a second carrier roll, both carrier rolls forming a winding bed for at least one roll (13) to be wound around a winding core (14), particularly for winding paper in form of one web or several webs in parallel, a cross cutting device to cut through the web after completion of a roll (13) is formed near the front end of a support beam (24) being conductible through a clearance gap (G) between a first and second carrier roll into a cutting position of the cross cutting device which is located at or close to the surface of said first carrier roll (11). Said support beam (24) can be pressed by means of a finished wrapped roll (13) against said wrapped first carrier roll (11). The cross cutting device, further, comprises a clamping device being conductible counter to the web running direction into the clamping position and there, overlapping the arriving web edge of the next roll to be wound, securely clamps said arriving web edge independently of the cross cutting device. Said cross cutting device being conductible back through the clearance gap (G) between said carrier rolls to its home position and after one or several new winding core or cores has/have been loaded said clamping device being detachable from the web edge and being conductible back in the web running direction to its home position.