Anyone know of a good Stock Cutting Problem Solver?

[Jack Horner]

Does anyone know of a good One Dimension Stock Cutting Problem Solver/Cutting List application, preferably a free or inexpensive one (of course :)). I have tried the Cutting Stock program at DelphiForFun, but I need an app that will allow you to enter stock material maxiumums. What I mean is I have a set number of pieces in inventory, and I want the application to tell me the best cutlist layout from only those pieces. Apps like Cutting Stock tell you the optimal number of each size you need to get, I want to know how to best use the inventory I have on hand already.

For example, need (6) 7' parts, (3) 6' parts, (4) 4' parts, and (1) 3' part. The stock available is (3) 14', (2) 10', and (3) 8'. I am looking for an application that will tell me the optimal cutlist using only this available stock. (just an example, my actual problem has many more parts, and more stock lengths.)

Has anyone found something that will help solve this problem? Thank you for your suggestions.

[Lee Schierer]

I was going to recommend Sheet Layout, which I have used for years. However, when I went to look for their website to give you a link. It appears they are no longer in the software business. The version I have is Sheet Layout 2010 and it is pretty simple to use and works well for lineal parts or from sheet goods. You can enter your own stock and the lengths you need and it will figure out the optimum use of material and tell you if it can't make all the pieces you have. It will even nest narrow pieces onto wider boards. Some versions would import/export to an Excel spreadsheet.

[Keith Pleas]

I bookmarked http://cutlistplus.com/, but haven't tried it.

[Robert Payne]

Cutlist Plus will do the calculations easily for a complete project cutlist (thickness, widths and lengths) -- even though technically, you cannot get six 7' lengths out of three 14' boards as you must allow for the kerf. Cutlist Plus allows for both crosscut and rip kerfs and will provide optimal use of stock with minimal waste. It does not support nesting in sheet goods, but does support grain orientation and banding needs. IMHO, it an excellent product. I have used it for about 8 years and it has paid for itself many times over. You should download the trial version.

[Tom Willoughby]

I use an Apple app called Carpenter Pro. It is about $10 from the Apple app store. I don't cut too many sheet goods so it suited my needs well.

Tom

[Scott Vigder]

Cutlist Plus will do the calculations easily for a complete project cutlist (thickness, widths and lengths) -- even though technically, you cannot get six 7' lengths out of three 14' boards as you must allow for the kerf. Cutlist Plus allows for both crosscut and rip kerfs and will provide optimal use of stock with minimal waste. It does not support nesting in sheet goods, but does support grain orientation and banding needs. IMHO, it an excellent product. I have used it for about 8 years and it has paid for itself many times over. You should download the trial version.

+1 Cutlist is awesome, and when my computer died completely, they showed me how to download the old version I had paid for then show me how to and activate it. Great product, great customer service.

[Bill Adamsen]

I too use Cutlist and it works fine for the limited needs I have. I have a Mac ... and Cutlist is/was Windows only ... so I run virtualization software and Windows on my Mac in order to support Cutlist. Attached is an image of a sheet layout I uploaded here for some reason at some point in the past. It produces both "sheets" and "lists" of the material.

[Jack Horner]

Thank you for the recommendations. I plan to download Cutlist tonight and give it a try. I've watched demos of it before, and it seemed very nice. Most of the features described in demos I have seen focus on sheetgood layout. While this would likely be very useful for me in the long run, my issue today is optimizing the use of a set quantity of rough lumber. I wasn't sure if Cutlist managed this. Others apps I have tried produce a list of required materials to purchase, I want to limit the possibilities to an existing inventory of boards. Thanks again for your advice. Jack

[Mike Goetzke]

Does anyone know of a good One Dimension Stock Cutting Problem Solver/Cutting List application, preferably a free or inexpensive one (of course :)). I have tried the Cutting Stock program at DelphiForFun, but I need an app that will allow you to enter stock material maxiumums. What I mean is I have a set number of pieces in inventory, and I want the application to tell me the best cutlist layout from only those pieces. Apps like Cutting Stock tell you the optimal number of each size you need to get, I want to know how to best use the inventory I have on hand already.

For example, need (6) 7' parts, (3) 6' parts, (4) 4' parts, and (1) 3' part. The stock available is (3) 14', (2) 10', and (3) 8'. I am looking for an application that will tell me the optimal cutlist using only this available stock. (just an example, my actual problem has many more parts, and more stock lengths.)

Has anyone found something that will help solve this problem? Thank you for your suggestions.

I use the cutlist program your describe. I have had no problem entering my own inventory and letting the program optimize usage.

Mike