How To Cut Wood With Cricut Maker [The Ultimate Guide]

How To Cut Wood With Cricut Maker?

Learn everything by following the steps given below. But there are some important things you should know to achieve success. Let's discuss them one by one.

Here are three main types the Cricut Maker can cut:

● Balsa wood: 1/32, 1/16, and 3/32 inch balsa wood is used for crafts. This type of wood is fragile, can break softly, and is a good choice for some crafters. But remember, it's brittle, and you could use it for limited craft projects.

● Basswood: currently, 1/32 and 1/16 inch basswood are qualified for Cricut. This wood is better for crafting.

● Wood veneer: Cricut has newly added wood veneer to their wood list.

If you purchase the wood from a craft store, the sizes may differ, and you will have to cut them to fit on your mat. But the Cricut sell perfectly sized wood for the machine. You can cut them with scissors.

Blades For Cutting Wood With A Cricut Maker

It will take a knife blade to cut wood with Cricut Maker. Only this blade can be used for cutting balsa and basswood. Remember to calibrate your knife blade before using it. These blades are set on the cutting sides of your Cricut Maker. Plus, it comes with a protective cap that is used over it when not in use. Ensure to remove them before setting them with your machine.

Add Wood To Cricut Mat

After getting your wood and blade, you can start cutting wood with your Cricut Maker. But before this, you need to add wood to a Cricut mat properly. For this, you'll need a strong grip mat. Also, you have to use wood up to 11 inches wide. So, let's see how you can perfectly add wood to the Cricut mat.

Fix the wood on a mat with a tap perfectly. You can take a brayer to press it down on the mat. Tapes are for extra support to protect wood's edges from moving so that it won't bother you.

Design A Cut

You need to follow some steps to design a cut well to make wood crafts:

● Firstly, Ensure the width of your cuts is not smaller than the diameter of a pencil.

● Secondly, ensure all the cuts are at least ¼" distant from the edge of the wood. If the blades touch the edge of the wood, they might get damaged.

● The knife blade is generally used for detailed materials of ¾ inches or more. Hence, the fine details might not work with thicker materials like wood.

Use design space for cutting wood

You should know that the knife blade only works on your computer and is not compatible with the Design Space app. Once your project design is ready to cut, you can mirror your cut in the Cricut Design Space. And the cut against the mat should be at your front. You can use this hack while putting your material on the mat. Ensure you put the cleanest side of the wood face down.

And here we go finally with the Cricut Maker.

Finally, Prepare Your Cricut Maker

Here you need to push the white wheels to the right. However, your cutting material should never go inside the white or black wheels while cutting wood. The machine will take some time after you start with the cut in the design space. The machine will first calculate the length of the time after one pass. Depending on your design's complexity, you need to keep your machine prepared for some time.

Check Your Wood Cuts On The Cricut

Don't forget to check your cuts midway through the process; the Cricut Design Space count on the passes you left. Check the cut by hitting the pause button on the machine. Afterward, use a weeding tool to lift the edge and check if the material has been cut. I prefer cutting corners at last. However, keep on checking the cut every few passes. You can cut a deep cut through your mat. If the material is not cut properly, hit the "C" button on your machine to continue cutting. You can also use the "C" button for additional passes after cutting the material.

Finish The Cut

Once all the cuts are completely cut through, you can use your Cricut Maker. However, the process might shorten the life of your mat as the blades will start digging in some areas. You can also remove the mat from the machine and continue the cuts with a craft knife. This step will help you to lessen the damage to your mat.

Then, you need to pull out the wood from the mat carefully. Use the side against your mat to take out the cut. Then, carefully remove the mat from the wood and see for any breakage.