Difference in Blades

[cnowlin]

I have had my cutter for almost two weeks and still have not cut. I am reading and taking notes galore but I have some questions:

What are the purposes of the different blades and when are they used?
Can I use the Cricut blade and still achieve the same look and efficiency of the Cougar blades.
Is their any tutorial/video that will tell me steps for cutting?

I guess I am just afraid I will do something wrong that won't be fixable. Sitting behind such as expensive machine is a little intimidating. Any other Newbie having my stress:)
Cathy

[Suzan]

CAthy you need to jump in. About the worst you are going to do is dull or chip a blade or gouge a mat. These are tuff machines. There should be a blade chart here. I will look for it and post it. I know there is one the Black Cat UK site.

[Thyme]

First of all you won't harm the machine. the worst that you can do is to cut your mat and blunt a blade - both can be replaced.
45 degree blades are for vinyl, paper and very thin cardstock. 60 degree blades are for heavier cardstock. those are the two standard blades that you receive with your machine. There are various specialist blades, but those are the ones you want to start with.
yes you can use Cricut blades, they will cut as well but probably won't last as long - but when you are learning a new machine you will tend to go through the blades much faster anyway, so by all means use them.
The steps for cutting depend on your software, have a look in the tutorials section both here and in the other BC forum.

Above all, try to relax, its supposed to be fun!!

[CaseysAngel]

Trust me when I tell you that you can't break it. I cried soooooooooo many times when I first got my cougar because it wouldn't cut and I just knew I"d broken it. In reality all I had done was change the BR.LOL

I was SCARED TO DEATH of my machine though at first afraid I would break it and I was so greatful and happy to have it that I feared I would mess it up. I quickly realized that it was pretty much indestructible and I have literally SHOWED media into it (umm thinking way to thick chipboard here ) just to see if I could.LOL

[Gigi]

Cathy -

Don't be afraid. I know that's easier said than done. But there isn't much of anything you can do that cannot be undone or replaced. The machine can handle whatever you throw at it. And yes, so many of the early mistakes are user error.

I too was terrified of using it - but the more you use it the more comfortable you become and before you know it you will be trying all sorts of things without really thinking about it - it will just be natural and easy.

Have fun - anything new can be a bit daunting and overwhelming, but in time you will be just fine and the worry will disappear!