Finally, the Cricut Knife blade is here!  The Knife blade is the whole reason I wanted and eventually received the Cricut Maker® as a gift for Christmas.  It cuts intricate designs out of wood and other thicker materials (up to 2.4 mm or 3/32″) like leather and foam board.  This blade is a game changer and is going to allow some crazy crafting of amazing stuff that I was never able to do before.  Read on to find out what makes this adaptive tool so special and how to get one.

 

Cricut Maker Blades

 

What is a Knife Blade?

The Knife Blade has a steeply angled bladed edge, like an X-ACTO knife.  It is designed to cut through thicker, denser materials with 10X more cutting power than the Cricut Explore® line of smart cutting machines.  The knife blade in the maker allows precise cutting safely of materials up to 2.4 mm (3/32″) thick with the Cricut Maker®.

What Materials Can Be Cut with the Knife Blade?

Click the links below for specifics by Cricut on cutting each of the materials listed.

• Balsa wood
  • 1/32″, 1/16″, 3/32″
• Basswood
  • 1/32″ and 1/16″
• Cricut Chipboard
• Craft Foam
  • 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm
• Leather
  • Garment Leather: Soft 2-3 oz, Soft 4-5 oz.
  • Tooling Calf Leather: Stiff 2-3 oz, Stiff 4-5 oz, Stiff 6-7 oz.
• Mat board
  • 2 ply, 4 ply

How Does the Knife Blade Work?

Using multiple variable pressure passes the Knife Blade starts with lighter pressure for the first few passes, then increases pressure, and again decreases pressure for the last pass or two.  This cutting process is designed to mimic using an X-ACTO knife by hand. Normally cutting with an X-ACTO starts off with a light scoring pass first to make the precise cut, then subsequent cuts have an increased cut pressure, and then lastly a light pass is done to finish the cut all the way through the material. Because of the variable pressure, the Knife Blade gives you a much cleaner cut on thicker materials.

What Can Be Made With the Knife Blade?

 

So if you already have the Cricut maker here is the link to buy the knife blade + housing and the knife blade replacement kit.  If you don’t have a Cricut, then now is the time to start dropping hints, as this is a great Mother’s Day, birthday, or Christmas gift for the crafty mom.  It’s also a worthwhile investment for people who want to start making money by selling crafts.

 

Top Tips for Using the Knife Blade:

From Cricut

1. Calibrate the Knife Blade
   • Calibrate before cutting for the most precise projects
2. Use a desktop or laptop computer
   • Do not use an iPhone or iPad
3. Use tape
   • Tape the edges of cutting material with painter’s or masking tape
4. Move the star wheels all the way to the right
5. Avoid small cuts
   • Designs need to be at least 3/4″ in size and cut outs need to be the width of a pencil
6. Note the time
   • Cutting with the Knife Blade takes a long time
7. Know when to add a pass
   • Check the cut when done, press the C button for one for pass if needed
8. Resume a cut
   • If the knife stops cutting mid-cut, brush out debris, change the blade, etc. and press the flashing C to resume the cut
9. Use a dedicated Google Chrome window
   • Design space doe not like Safari
10. Just say no to sleep.
    • Turn off the automatic sleep button on the computer

See the Knife Blade in Action:

I’ve compiled Youtube videos below from Cricut and other craft bloggers so you can see the knife blade in all it’s glory.

More on the Cricut Maker:

 

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