Workshop notes for DIY woodworkers
Short, practical notes on dimensions, grain, saw kerf, cutting allowances and saving your woodworking projects.
Applies to: DIY rectangular panel and board planning. United States English; user-entered dimensions and prices.
A good cut list is useful all the way from the store to the workbench. These short notes explain the dimensions and assumptions used by the planner.
Before you make a list
- Length, width, thickness and grain — give each dimension a clear job, including mixed units.
- Saw kerf, edge trim and rough allowance — three different reasons material disappears.
- Board-foot calculator — convert actual rectangular dimensions into a volume measure.
Before you buy or cut
- How the planner works — what the layouts check, what the prices mean, and how to recover from a damaged part.
- Saving and moving your projects — local storage, backups and offline use.