If a material is easily torn with your fingers, it’s likely thin enough to be cut with a fine-point blade.
If you are unsure if you need a deep-point blade, you can try using a fine-point blade first. If it doesn’t cut all the way through your material or the cut is uneven or jagged, then you should try using a deep-point blade instead. Consider having several different blades that you can change out depending on what you want to cut.
Rotary and knife blades can only be used in Cricut Maker machines. Do not buy one if you have an older model Cricut machine.
However, the housing that the blade sits in is not always interchangeable. If you have multiple Cricut machines, be sure that you keep your specific housing with your machine.
If you have an older Cricut machine, you will first need to unscrew the arm that is holding the blade housing. The screw is large and can be unscrewed by turning it with your fingers. Then you will be able to open the clamp on the front of the housing.
Set the old blade aside until the new blade is installed. At that point, you can cover the old blade in the protective cover the new blade came in and throw it away or store it for later use.
Once the protective cover is off, be careful when handling the blade. It will be very sharp.
Be sure that the blade housing is sitting down as far as possible in the cutting assembly. If it is sitting high in the assembly, it won’t cut properly. [11] X Research source
The cutting assembly is the box on the Cricut that holds the blade. It is at the front of the machine, with tabs on it that say “A” and “B. " Once the clamp is open, you can easily lift the housing up out of the assembly.
The protective cap you use will come with the replacement blade that you purchased.
Once the screw is unscrewed, it will stay in the top of the protective cap. The old blade will drop out of the housing and can be disposed of in the garbage or stored for later use. [15] X Research source Keep the locking screw inside the protective cap. You will use this to lock in the new blade.
Once the screw holding on the knife blade is tight, you can pull off the protective cap and dispose of it or store it to use when swapping out the knife blade later.
Be careful as you are lifting it out of the machine that you keep your fingers and other body parts away from the cutting blade at the bottom.
Keep track of the screw you removed, as you will use it to attach the new rotary blade. Pull the protective cap off once that screw is removed. The old blade will remain at the bottom of the cap and you can throw the cap and old blade away or store it for later use.
