Cricut Maker and Maker 3 have the edge over other current Cricut machines in that they have the ability to use a knife blade adapter tool to cut thick materials, such as leather, chipboard, wood, and much more. I want to focus on the use of your Maker or Maker 3 machines’ ability to cut wood. If you have never cut wood with your Cricut Maker or Cricut Maker 3, I would recommend watching the short videos “How to Cut Wood with a Cricut” or “Cricut Knife Blade”.
What wood can be used?
The Cricut knife blade certainly has the ability to cut many material types, but you won’t be successful if you pick up any thin wood from your local hardware store. The knife blade doesn’t cut well through knots and imperfections, or anything thicker than 2.4mm. For this reason, basswood, balsa wood, or wood veneers are the best choices for cutting with your machine.
- Basewood: a light-colored, smooth, even-grained wood that is able to be painted or stained. It is available in 1/32″ and 1/16″ thicknesses. Basewood is heavier and sturdier than balsa wood.
- Balsa Wood: a lightweight crafting wood made from balsa tree. This is thinner and not as sturdy as basewood, coming in 1/32″, 1/16″, and 3/32″ thick. It is paintable but does not stain as well.
- Wood Veneer: very thin 2-ply sheets of material in maple, natural, and cherry that can be painted, stained, glued, and layered easily.
Tips for cutting your wood
For best results, you will need a Cricut Maker or Cricut Maker 3 machine, wood sheets, Stronggrip (purple) mat, 1/2″ painters tape, and a knife blade for the Cricut Maker. All other machines and blades do not have the capability to properly cut through the wood effectively. The minimum size that it can cut is 0.75″ squared and the maximum cut size is 10.5” x 11.5” (or 10.5” x 23.5” if you have a larger mat). Intricate cuts are not recommended when cutting wood and you want to ensure that your design doesn’t have any section that is thinner than a pencil eraser. This may result in damage to your material or your blade. The machine will make an initial cut of the design and apply increasingly more pressure with each cut, but depending on your wood, it can take 10-15 passes before it is complete. This can take a long time, so it may be best to start the project and work on other things or walk away for a bit for it to complete. The more intricate the design, the longer, of course, it will take. Visit Cricut to get more pro tips for successfully cutting wood with your machine. If using a font, I recommend selecting one that is thick or chunky with consistent lines to ensure the best outcome – you can find a great range of free fonts and crafts to use here.
Project Ideas
I have compiled a list of 10 wood projects that you can make with your Cricut Maker or Maker 3. There are a variety of projects for all skill levels included here, including some great videos.
DIY Farmhouse Sign
This is a great tutorial for the beginner, as it has step-by-step photos that are very easy to understand and follow, as well as some great tips for cutting basswood. This design is also so cute! I love the use of different stain colors to make the different elements of the truck pop against one another.
Christmas Tree Ornament
This video tutorial is a great, simple tutorial for someone new to cutting wood or using the Maker. It is an easy wood-cutting project that you learn and practice with.
Name Puzzle
This is such a wonderful, personalized gift for a little kid! I love the idea of using the Cricut Maker to create a special gift for someone you love. The author walks you through how to make this from start to finish, with easy-to-follow instructions.
Seasonal Home Sign
This is my favorite wood project idea that I have seen so far and I will be adapting this to something that fits the decor in my own home. It is an ingenious design that can be changed out with each season!
Home Sweet Home Sign for Front Door
I love the creative layering of wood and patterned HTV to create this unique front door sign. There is a great step-by-step guide to walk you through all of the elements to this design, and a free SVG for personal use too.
Wooden Earrings
These DIY wooden earrings are very simple and absolutely gorgeous. This is a wonderful project to try if you are new to jewelry making or cutting basswood.
Wood Coasters
There are a few Cricut Maker project ideas here but the one I love is the wooden coasters that she made. They are brilliant! You can personalize them with letters or shape and fabric that is sandwiched between the two coaster layers.
Layered Wood Shadow Box
Check out this video for some incredible layered wood designs, including a shadowbox. I’ve seen shadowboxes with cardstock, even with lights, but never made with wood from a Cricut Maker. This takes it to a whole new level.
Wooden Candy Hugger
These little Valentine’s Day sucker holders are such a fun way to make school card exchanges so much better (and cuter)!
Another take on the ornament, but personalized to the state you live. How cute is that?
These are just a few of the projects that you can make with the incredible Cricut Maker or Cricut Maker 3. Stroll on over to Cricut’s Blog for some additional project ideas, or check out these crafts and bundles for some more inspiration. You might even want to try your hand at some 3D layered designs! I hope that you feel inspired to pick up some wood and try a new wood craft. I think that using wood is such a great touch to crafting projects and really elevates a design. Good luck and happy crafting.
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