How to Cut Wood With Cricut: A Complete Guide
You might have heard about cutting wood with a Cricut machine and making unique and beautiful DIY projects, but do you know how to do it? If not, it is the perfect time to learn how to cut wood with Cricut. In this guide, I will walk you through everything from the basics, opening up a world of crafting possibilities.
Over the past few months, I have dedicated myself to creating a woodworking project for my client, decorated with a personalized Home sign using iron-on finishing with the Cricut machine setup.
That’s why I’ll be with you today to walk you through cutting wood with Cricut and making an entire project, from selecting materials, loading the blade, creating a design, and more. Believe me, it is going to be fun and easy, so stay calm and follow this guide till the end.
Step 1: Supplies and Tools You Will Require
To learn how to cut wood with Cricut, you will need the following supplies and tools for the project.
- Cricut machine (preferably Maker or Maker 3)
- Cutting mat
- Plain wood (Basswood sheet)
- Cricut knife blade
- Your device with Cricut Design Space installed
- Iron-on vinyl
- Cricut Heat Press
- Brayer
Once you have gathered these supplies and tools, let’s continue with the instructions below to learn how to cut wood.
Step 2: Prepare Your Wood on the Cricut Mat
A common mistake for beginner crafters is not knowing how to prepare wood on the cutting mat.
- Place your basswood on a Cricut mat and apply slight pressure from all sides.
- Next, use the brayer to gently press down on the middle and corners to remove any bubbles.
- After that, secure the wood sheet with painter’s tape along all four sides.
Step 3: Select the Design and Cut Settings
Once the mat is prepared, navigate to the Cricut app and access Design and Cut settings to learn how to cut wood with Cricut.
- Begin by opening Cricut Design Space App and selecting New Project.
- Next, click the Upload button and upload the SVG file to Canvas.
- Then, drag the wood design onto the canvas and resize it as needed.
- Once the design is finalized, click the Make It button.
- On the next page, enable the Mirror Settings and click Continue.
- After that, select Basswood from the All Browse Materials menu and click Continue.
Step 4: Load the Knife Blade and Cut Your Wood
Once you have done your project and selected the appropriate cut settings, I will guide you through loading the knife blade and cutting the wood.
- Open the clamp of the Cricut machine and move the rollers to the sides.
- Next, remove the fine-point blade and insert the knife blade housing.
- Then, click the Load button, place the cutting mat, and press the blinking button to begin cutting.
- During the cutting process, remove any wood debris if the machine pauses.
- After cutting, click the Load button, remove the mat, and peel off the tape.
- Finally, weed out the design and remove the wood piece.
Step 5: Start Cutting
So far, you’ve learned how to cut wood with Cricut. Now, let’s take it a step further and learn how to apply iron-on vinyl to the wood.
- First, open the Cricut app and upload the free Sweet Home file onto the Canvas.
- Resize the design to fit the wood and click on the Make It button.
- Enable the Mirror option, select iron-on vinyl as the material, and then click Continue.
- Load the iron-on vinyl onto the Cricut mat and cut out the design as instructed on the screen.
- After cutting, remove the mat and weed out any negative portions from the iron-on vinyl.
Step 6: Apply Your Design to the Wood
Now, you’re all set to learn how to iron on wood with Cricut, so let’s dive in.
- Start by painting your wood design and allowing it to dry completely.
- Then, refer to the Cricut Heat Guide and preheat your Cricut Heat Press machine accordingly.
- Next, position the iron-on vinyl design on the wood and apply heat and pressure using the Cricut Heat Press.
- Once the plastic carrier sheet has cooled down, carefully remove it to reveal your finished project.
Final Words
Wood has been integral to human civilization throughout history, and even in today’s digital age, it remains widely used. Thanks to Cricut, cutting wood and crafting DIY projects has become much simpler. While it may be difficult for new crafters to navigate cutting wood with Cricut, I’ve provided a complete explanation of the process. Now, it’s time to practice and strive for perfection.
For more information visit: cricut.com/setup app
cricut.com/create
cricut maker setup
Source: How to Cut Wood With Cricut