Cricut and chipboard

[jfugina]

I have a question for all of you cricut owners out there. Have you ever cut chipboard (or similar material)? What settings did you use? Were you able to cut anything intricate?

I brought home a stack of chipboard looking stuff from reCreate, from the RAK table. It looked like a bunch of leftover backs from pads of paper. I thought it would be just about right for trying to cut. I switched the blade housing to the deep cut, and had that blade on 6 and pressure 5. I slowed the speed way down to 2. Ultimately, I got the cut I wanted, but I thought my poor machine was going to just give out on me. The way that carriage rocked itself every time the blade turned a corner I thought the whole thing was going to fly apart.

Is real chipboard more dense maybe? As in, less likely to try to shred when being cut? I was hoping to make myself some chipboard titles, and a few homemade chipboard swirlys like are so popular. But I certainly don't want to destroy my cricut in the process. Any tips?

[LadyJaine]

Isn't there a 'multicut setting' where the Cricut will re-cut the same shape so it doesn't have to go through something thick in one swipe?

[jfugina]

There is, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to use multi-cut along with the deep cut blade and the deepest setting - there are so many possibilities, I'm just not sure which one is best.

[Ruth Ann Landry]

Julie I was just in Michael's today and saw Cricut blades for "deep cut" and the packaging advertised that it was specifically for chipboard and such.....

[ChristyB]

I googled cricut + cutting chipboard


http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.a ... =&#3888586

[jfugina]

Thanks ladies! RA- I do have the multi-cut blade and housing. I read something about how that housing needs to face, so the fact that I took it out might have screwed things up. Christy - I've been trying all day to figure out a way to search that stupid cricut message board, and of course it never dawned on me to just search via google. duh.

I wish I could find two posts that agreed though. For starters, I am finding that what I'm considering to be chipboard is way thicker than what people are referring to in those posts. They're talking cereal boxes, and I'm thinking the back piece of a pad of paper, which is probably twice as thick. I'm also seeing posts where some people say to cut as fast as possible with the highest pressure, and others are saying slow down, ease up on the pressure, and multi cut. Grrrrr.

I figure I'll experiment a few more times, but call it quits if that housing is still bouncing around like it was last night. I'll bet the low pressure and multiple passes is what this stuff needs. But I'm not going to push it if that doesn't work.

If anyone here has actually cut that notepad board, let me know how it went.

[pbp908]

Sorry, but the only way I've cut it is with an X-acto knife. This is another reason why I'm seriously thinking that I'll want to invest in the TH Cricut.

[bethrich]

Haven't tried it. Did you check HappyHappyJoyJoy's blog?

[Ruth Ann Landry]

I found this:

Here are the details about cutting chipboard with the Cricut:

Finally! A handy dandy chipboard cutting guide! Now YOU don't have to go to the trouble and expense of finding out what will work, and what wont! I went thru and test cut several thicknesses (gauges) with and without the clay coat (white shiny-ish side) and here's the skinny!

*A new blade and mat work best!*

.022- this is like a med-heavy cardstock, blade:5-6, pressure:max,
speed: 4, multi cut:2
.024- think cereal box- same as .022, if clay coated, multi cut:3
.028- IDEAL for cricut usage! blade:6, pressure:max, speed: 4-5
multi cut:4
.032- depending on the way your blade was cut (some are cut with a deeper bevel than others) this will work with the above settings. A long bevel works better, than a shorter one. With a short bevel, the blade on some sections of the cut did not make it all the way thru (like you'd see cutting cartstock with a dull blade) and I needed to go around it lightly with my craft knife. It was just barely attached. I did get a very clean edge running around it with the craft knife though. Compared to the .028 the difference in thickness is nominal.
.040+ is too thick, the blade depth is insufficient to make it through the thickness. It will go thru the machine, but you will have to hand cut it the rest of the way. ANYTHING thicker than .040 is too thick and will damage your machine rollers! I do NOT reccomend anything thicker than .032! It's just not worth damaging your machine and voiding the warranty.

[Debbie J]

I have trouble with my machine cutting cardstock let alone chipboard!!

[jfugina]

LOL Debbie. I'm with you. For most of my Club Scrap paper, I have to remember to reverse the design and put the paper in face down, because the heavy texture gives that blade fits on any setting.

Ruth Ann - I think I saw something like what you found. I'm wondering what gauge the stuff I have is - maybe it just falls into the "too thick" range, because it's quite a bit thicker than a cereal box, though it's nowhere near book board. I should probably just stick to the thinner stuff, and maybe double just double up. I was really hoping to make something like those chipboard alphas that are so expensive.

[Ruth Ann Landry]

i think i read that the ideal depth is two cereal boxes...