How To Cut Wood With Cricut Explore Air 2 [Stepwise Process]

This blog is for you if you have a Cricut machine and are thinking about cutting wood with Cricut Explore Air 2. You can cut wood with the Explore machine; get creative with the settings to make it work. Follow us along the blog, and you will learn how to cut wood with Cricut Explore Air 2. 

Mats To Use To Cut Wood With Cricut

All the thick materials should be used with StrongGrip mats. Thick wood materials should be taped on all four sides with painter’s tape. If the Cricut mat is sticky, the wood can slightly tilt due to the force of the cut.

Types Of Wood My Cricut Explore Air 2 Can Cut

If you’re planning to cut wood in Cricut Explore Air 2, the wood needs to be fairly thin, at 1.4 mm or less. You should ensure that the Cricut machine blades can cut the wood you’re choosing to cut, and it can pass underneath the rollers. Balsa wood, basswood, and birch are a few of the wood varieties Cricut can cut.

Materials & Tools Required To Cut Wood In Cricut Explore Air 2

Here's a list of the materials required to cut wood in Cricut Explore Air:

 

Materials

●       Thin Cricut Wood

●       Painter’s tape

Tools

●       Cricut Explore Air 2

●       Deep Cut blade

●       Strong Grip Mat

●       Design Space

●       Brayer

How to Cut Wood with Cricut Explore Air 2?

Here is the step-by-step guide you can follow to cut wood with the Cricut Explore Air 2 as follows:

 

●       Use the Cricut Design Space app to create a design.

●       Now set the dial of your machine to custom settings and change the custom material settings to 331 pressure and cuts between 4-8 cuts.

●       After that, place your material on a StrongGrip mat and tape it on all four sides.

●       Now load the mat into the machine and hit the Go button.

●       Once the cut is done, re-check the cut. If it didn’t cut through, press Go again for the recut.

●       Once the above steps are done, remove the mat and the tape from the machine. Now palace the mat’s wood on the table and gently peel the wood from the mat.

●       Enjoy your cut wood.

How To Use The Deep Cut Blade To Cut Balsa Wood

It would be best to use the Deep Point Blade to cut Balsa Wood with a Cricut Explore Air 2. Deep Point Blades can cut through thicker materials than the Fine Point Blade and make deep, precision cuts.

Materials you need to cut Balsa Wood are Deep Point Blade, a StrongGrip cutting mat, painter’s tape, and wood.

Follow the following steps to cut Balsa Wood in Cricut Explore Air 2:

●       In the Cricut design Space, adjust the materials settings for balsa wood.

●       Secure the balsa wood to the Strong mat and brayer. Then tape the edges with the painter’s tape.

●       The machine will make multiple attempts to cut the wood since the material’s thickness is thick. If, after finishing the cut, the wood is still not cut, press “C” to make additional passes.

●       Before removing the wood from the mat, check if it is all cut as you wanted to.

●       Once the wood is cut, please remove it from the mat carefully since it is prone to cracking and breaking.

 

Note: Cricut Explore Air 2 can only cut 1/32, 1/16, and 33/32 thick Balsa kinds of wood.

We hope now you know how to cut wood with Cricut Explore Air 2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Cricut Explore Air 3 cut wood?

The Cricut Explore Air 3 is the latest model of the Cricut Explore machine, though it is similar to its previous model, Cricut Explore 2. The Cricut Explore 3, however, cuts faster and uses smart vinyl, which doesn’t require any mat.   

Which Cricut blade do you use to cut wood?

You can consider using the Cricut Maker Knife Blade, which cuts materials like wood, leather, Chipboard, and more with thickness up to 3/32 with ease and precision.

Which is the thickest wood Cricut Explore Air 2 can cut?

Cricut Explore Air 2 can cut materials with a thickness of up to 2mm. You can use different fixed settings for a specific type of material. For cutting in Cricut Explore 2, you’re not limited to just cutting one material; you can cut different materials like paper, fabric, vinyl, and wood.  

Does the Cricut Explore Air 2 engrave?

The Explore model of Cricut doesn’t have an engrave option though it can only be cut. You can perform engrave functions in the Cricut Maker series.

Can you use the Knife Blade on Cricut Explore Air 2?

The Knifes blades are only compatible with the Cricut maker machines only. Knife Blades are operated by a drive mechanism that the Cricut Explore models do not have, and also, upgrading isn’t possible.