my wife's new toy

[CarvedTones]

So my wife wanted the new Cricut Explorer for scrapbooking.

It is a fancy paper cutter, but unlike the previous versions, it will output from standard SVG files and cut some fairly thick material.

Like veneer:


I found the pattern here:
http://www.craftsmanspace.com/free-patterns/scroll-saw-and-fretwork-vector-patterns.html

There is a free open source editor that produces SVG files:
http://www.inkscape.org/en/

and several apps have it as an optional output format.

 

[nn4jw]

Whose new toy?

That is a cool toy, indeed. What is the largest sheet it will cut?

 

[CarvedTones]

Whose new toy?

That is a cool toy, indeed. What is the largest sheet it will cut?

From their site:

The Cricut Explore[SUP]™[/SUP] machine features patent-pending Cut Smart[SUP]™[/SUP]technology so you can cut a wide range of shapes and sizes with exceptional precision. You’ll get polished, professional–looking cuts as small as ¼ inch tall and up to 11½ inches wide by 23½ inches tall.

It's definitely hers, but she is very happy for additional purchase justification.

 

[nn4jw]

Cool. Thanks for the info.

 

[PeteM]

Very cool.
Questions:
How long did it take to cut that pattern?
How do you think it would hold up if you used it for veneer?
Can the blade(s) be resharpened and/or replaced?

pete

 

[KenOfCary]

What technology does it use to do the actual cut? Is it a blade - don't think so - but I've been wrong before. Or is it some sort of row of pins or something similar? Surely not a laser, or is it?

The actual cutting looked very crisp when I saw it at the picnic.

 

[CarvedTones]

It is a blade. Not sure about how long it will last or if it can be sharpened; there is an alternate supplier of the regular blade for the previous model and some people had some success with honing it. I need to take a look at the blade. I am hopeful that I will be able to hone it.

I did not time it, but it was a few minutes. 10, maybe?

EDIT - I would look closer now, but she took the machine to a "crop" - what scrapbookers call a get together. She also took some of my veneer...

 

[CarvedTones]

From their site:

The Cricut Explore[SUP]™[/SUP] machine features patent-pending Cut Smart[SUP]™[/SUP]technology so you can cut a wide range of shapes and sizes with exceptional precision. You’ll get polished, professional–looking cuts as small as ¼ inch tall and up to 11½ inches wide by 23½ inches tall.

A correction of sorts - the stock can be 12" x 24", but it can only cut to within 1/4" of the outside edges of the bed you mount the stock on. If you need to cut something all the way to its edge, you have to position it in a little or have the drawing include the border (what we did on the test piece).

 

[Gotcha6]

"I would look closer now, but she took the machine to a "crop" - what scrapbookers call a get together. She also took some of my veneer..."

Looks like she may have to share........:gar-Bi

 

[Chemeleon]

Is it accurate/repeatable enough to cut multiple pieces of veneer that fit together for inlay? I might have to grab one to play with if so.

 

[CarvedTones]

Is it accurate/repeatable enough to cut multiple pieces of veneer that fit together for inlay? I might have to grab one to play with if so.

I think so, but haven't done anything like that yet. They do that sort of thing with paper, vinyl and heavy card stock all the time. The pieces cut out were intact. A few had a tiny curly wood "hair" from the second pass. There is a little spatula tool you have to slip under them to get them off the slightly tacky cutting mat, so it could be tricky with really tiny pieces. Here is my guess - if you cut 10 sets of US states you could probably assemble 10 maps but a couple might have minor imperfections.

 

[Hmerkle]

only $209 at Hobby Lobby!

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/cricut-explore-machine-767350/

 

[manfre]

Those are great for spray masks. What's the max thickness that that machine can cut?

 

[CarvedTones]

Those are great for spray masks. What's the max thickness that that machine can cut?

I found this comparison:
http://content.cricut.com/b/pdfs/CricutExplore CompetitiveAnalysis.pdf

and in the table it lists the Explore max cut depth as 1mm for dense materials and 2mm for less dense materials.

 

[CarvedTones]

Very cool.
Questions:
How long did it take to cut that pattern?
How do you think it would hold up if you used it for veneer?
Can the blade(s) be resharpened and/or replaced?

pete

Turns out the blade is carbide. It is small; looks like a finish nail with a point and edges ground on one end. You can get replacement blades by themselves (holder is a more permanent part).

 

[LeftyTom]

Oh my, that is impressive. Can it do 1/8" thickness?

 

[CarvedTones]

Oh my, that is impressive. Can it do 1/8" thickness?

No, that's too much for it. 1/8" = ~3mm and it can only do 1mm of dense materials like wood or 2mm of less dense stuff like foam sheets.

 

[MagGeorge]

That's a pretty nice machine! Very handy.

 

[CarvedTones]

The last reply reminded me I meant to post again; my wife got some feedback from someone about the blades. If you search for "Roland blades" on eBay, you will find replacement blades for Cricut that are substantially cheaper and people say they are good quality carbide blades. The 60 degree is for deep cuts (veneer is considered deep).

 

[ErnieM]

Great timing for this thread. I've been looking at machines like this mainly to make stencils. For one time or limited runs, they appear to be a good alternative to silk screening. The more I read about them and watch the hundreds of YouTube videos, the more I am amazed at what they can do. It seems the Cricut, the Silhouette Cameo, and the Silhouette Portrait are the leading machines for home use. I'm leaning somewhat heavily towards the Silhouette models because they allow the use of any font on your computer, and you don't have to buy cartridges from the company to get graphics. While originally intended for scrapbookers, it seems that woodworkers, especially scrollers, could find many uses for this technology.

A few years ago, I built an instrument that had very subtle designs on the case. Perhaps you can see the design in this photo.

​

To do this, I found a suitable image and burned it with a burning iron onto a piece of acetate. I then used the acetate as a stencil as sponged the paint through the stencil onto the case side. It took forever - especially the burning part. One of these die cutting machines could make that stencil in just a few minutes. I must admit, I'm trying real hard to talk myself into buying one.