Now that you chose your cardboard (as detailed in Part 1 of this series on cardboard prototyping), let’s see how to cut cardboard.

Sometimes a simple cut can make a design. Studio and store Art Lebedev created the Flashkus, a USB key made of a simple sheet of cut cardboard. Flashkus keys are disposable and recyclable.

In this second part, I explore how to cut cardboard and what are the best cardboard cutting tools available to date. Scroll down to the end of the article to get a summarized recap.

Manual Cut

Cardboard Scissors

Having good cardboard scissors will save you time and pain. Main scissors brands are Fiskars, Titan and Westcott. Canary offers cardboard-specialized scissors. From a few bucks to more, not all scissors are the same.

Chris Gilmour is a cardboard sculptor who makes astonishing replicas of everyday objects, like this awesome Italian coffee press. He uses scissors among other tools.

Another cardboard project… Engineer James Hoyle prototyped a seat for military tanks that are now in use.

Another tank-related example with this cardboard project… a small tank made for a cat. Scissors were the right tool to use, as prototype didn’t require perfect clean cuts.

I compare below main scissors depending on the type of cardboard you’re working with.

Scissors for paper, cardstock and thin cardboard;

Best light cardboard scissors: Fiskars Recycled. Great price, large handle, recycled.

Details:

Brand Product Name Pros Cons Type of cardboard Price Fiskars Recycled Handle 100% made of recycled plastic 8 inch blades Very low price bend after a while not the sharpest Paperboard cardstock paper $3.89 Westcott 8 inch Titanium 8 inch blades two per pack Cheap breakable plastic pivot handles small for big hands Cardstock paper $9.88

Multi-purpose cardboard scissors, for chipboard and light corrugated cardboard:

Best multi-purpose cardboard scissors: Fiskars Cuts+More.

Details:

Brand Product Name Pros Cons Type of cardboard Price Fiskars Cuts+More Excellent heavy duty cuts multi-purpose 9 inches blades can be taken apart Extra wire cutter blades tend to separate when large cuts Paperboard cardstock paper $13.23 Titan Elite Tempered stainless steel ultra sharp blades / excellent for cardboard cereal boxes cardstock Grip could be thicker and softer / can bend after a while Cardstock paper $13.35 Fiskars Razor Edge Very sharp blades 8 inch blades Handle not so comfortable mostly conceived for fabric $16.26

Scissors for thick cardboard, like corrugated cardboard:

Best corrugated cardboard scissors: Fiskars Amplify. Light and strong, designed for thick cardboard.

Details:

Brand Product Name Pros Cons Type of cardboard Price Fiskars Amplify Specially conceived for thick material / Corrugated paperboard cardstock paper $16.37 Fiskars ShopBoss Multi-purpose super strong / Corrugated paperboard cardstock paper $19.94 Canary Cardboard Scissors Specialized for corrugated cardboard Small blade expensive for what it does Corrugated paperboard cardstock paper $20.68

To recap (Fiskars is definitely the top scissors brand for cardboard!):

Utility Knives

For cutting through flat cardboard by hand, best tool to use is a utility knife. It will allow for clean cuts, and will also come in handy for cutting boxes apart.

This is the first prototype of the credit card. A very simple design made with card and utility knife. It was made by IBM researchers in the late 1960’s, and sold in 2012 by Sotheby’s auction firm for more than $23,500 (so think of archiving your prototypes!).

Utility knife was also used to cut this cardboard prototype of an Ambiant Stack Machine:

Maker Sean Charlesworth created a cardboard replica of his camera for an Adam Savage’s contest, using utility knife among other tools. He shared his whole process on Tested:

There are lots of good brands of utility knives, among them: Stanley, Irwin, Gerber, DEWALT, Alltrade, Bessey, Greenlee, TEKTON or Olfa.

To recap:

DEWALT DWHT 10035L is an excellent foldable utility knife.

Irwin 2082300 is an overall reliable excellent choice for fixed utility knife.

See below for all details:

Foldable utility knife

Brand Product name Pros Cons Price Gerber EAB lite Pocket size / stainless steel handle Too small for big projects $9.99 DEWALT DWHT10035L Highly reliable / durable / multi purpose / easy to open with one hand Blades can be hard to change $11.99 Milwaukee 48-22-1901 Overall excellent Screw can be loose on the long run $14.85 Husky Folding Lock-Back Razor Knife Foldable / reliable / multi purpose Heavy $16.43

Fix sturdy utility knives

Brand Product name Pros Cons Price Irwin 2082 300 Simple / reliable / bright color low price $7.31 Stanley 10788 Cast metal core / multi purpose Blades hard to change $8.89 Stanley 10-779 Simple / reliable / bright color Could be heavier $9.13 Alltrade 150003 Blades easy to change / retractable / sturdy / $11.78

Rotary Cutters

Next step is to get a semi automatic cutting tool. Good to cut cardboard without breaking a sweat. Electrical rotary cutters also helpful to make straight and sharp cuts.

Paragon, SKIL and Simplicity are the main brands making rotary cutting tools.

Paragon is half cheaper but only works with paper and light card.

SKIL is the top rotary cutter, light and long-lasting battery, great for thick cardboard. It will work with a vast array of materials, for a thickness less than 0.5mm (3/16”).

Simplicity is more stable as it stands on a desk, but also somehow too weak for anything stronger than paper.

Brand Product Name Pros Cons Price Paragon Rotary Cutter Multi purpose / blade locking mechanism Paper only $19.88 SKIL 2352-01 Light / extra long battery / great for cardboard Heavy / sometimes slow $44.99 Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine Desktop machine Paper only / blade not sharp enough $43.51

High speed cutting

For serious jobs, get serious tools. A Dremel Multi-Max could be the best solution for cutting through very thick large sheets of corrugated cardboard.

Brand Product Name Pros Cons Price Dremel Multi-Max Cut through very thick corrugated cardboard More expensive $109.63

Like this guy:



Computer-Controlled Cutting Tools

Now that we saw the most popular manual cutting tools, let’s see what your options are regarding computer-controlled ones.

Automated cutting machines are perfect for speeding up your work and giving you professional results.

Paper Cutting Machines

Paper cutting machines are computer controlled tools that are very useful to create details and typography. They don’t use a laser but actual physical blades that cut through the paper.

Silhouette Cameo is an extremely popular paper cutting tool that costs less than $250. It has the qualities of a small laser cutter, enabling for computer-controlled high precision cuts. It will cut through thin cardboard (typically: card), but also vinyl or fabric. It can also be used to etch glass.

Very similar in size and price to an inkjet printer, they come in handy for all kind of projects. They are much smaller and cheaper than laser cutting machines.

Let’s look at an example of how to use your paper-cutting machine for prototyping. Cutting letters and creating packaging are the most common use, such as this jam packaging made with the Silhouette Cameo.

Laser Cutting Machines

Laser cutting machines are the real deal when it comes to sharp cuts. These CNCs are among the most popular machines in Fab Labs and maker spaces in general. Usually pretty big and expensive, it often makes more sense to rent time on them than to buy one.

Below is a laser cutting machine used to make parts of a robotic arm, Cardboard Pincher. Project was created at the Center for Bits and Atoms at the MIT by Z. Taylor.

Results are excellent, and allow for clean complex assemblies. This piece is an iPhone scanner designed by industrial designer Kyle A Koch and made at Ponoko.

Kranium is a helmet made out of cardboard… and stronger than plastic ones.

Where to find a laser-cutting machine?

find your local Fab Lab, sometimes hackerspace

ask nicely the closest design/engineering/architecture school if you can use their machine

have it done by a professional laser-cutting service such as Ponoko.

Check this list of services freely available on ThomasNet here.

Ask a Fabber from 100K Garages to laser cut a part for you.

Cardboard cutting tools at a glance

Let’s see who the winners are in each category.

Best overall scissors: Fiskars Amplify.

Best overall utility knife: IRWIN.

Best rotary cutter: SKIL.

Best paper-cutting machine: Silhouette Cameo.

If you only need two…

IRWIN & Silhouette Cameo are your cutting tools essentials!

Happy prototyping,

MakingSociety Cardboard Prototyping Series: