Anyone Using Cutlist Plus Software?

[Ben Rivel]

Anyone out there using Cutlist Plus (LINK (http://cutlistplus.com/))? Thinking about purchasing the Silver edition but wanted to hear from any who have been using it and what they thought. There doesn't seem to be too much out there around the net at far as reviews go on this type of software. I know there is also Maxcut which offers a free version, but Cutlist Plus looks like a much nicer program. I am also aware of the Cutlist plugin for SketchUp, but I don't use and dont really like SketchUp (prefer Solidworks) so that doesn't help me. And I have also read that many using Excel or graph paper and a pencil to do their sheet layouts but I would like something automated and with report/BOM generation so I'm really just interested in hearing from anyone who actually owns and uses this specific software.

[Andy Giddings]

I've used CutList Plus Silver for a few years, Ben. Silver might be a bit excessive for me as a hobbyist but it was the cheaper upgrade from the old fx I used to have, so not a big deal. It does have a lot of functions I don't use like costing and labor which are aimed at a business. Things I like about it - ease of use, quick to generate layouts, layouts can be tweaked based on different parameters (min waste, grain direction and so on), easy to put parts in, raw materials list is very flexible. Hardly anything I don't like. Regarding the SketchUp link, am just dabbling with this but most projects I build, its quick to enter the parts into the list without a link. If I had to build something with 60/70 different parts might be worth it

[Martin Wasner]

It's pretty simple to set up a spreadsheet for figuring out door and drawer parts. If you need a cutlist for carcass parts, or face frames you need to make better drawings, or upgrade software. That stuff is easiest figured on the fly in my opinion. That doesn't figure out quantity of materials for you though, but I don't sweat that either. If I have too much I rack it and it gets burned up sometime later. If I don't have enough, I order more.

Most of those optimization setups for sheet stock aren't cost effective unless you're cutting parts on a CNC. As in, you're spending $10 in time making weird cuts to save $5 in material. Just look at the drawing on the screen of the link you posted. That's a nightmare to keep track of what order to cut parts in.

What doesn't work for me, works for others though.

[Marc Burt]

This is an instance where I think the expense is more easily justified for a hobbyist than a pro, which is the reverse of normal imo. If you're a pro building lots of pieces time is money and, as Martin said, the effort just isn't worth it with the volume of sheet good you process. However if you're a hobbyist that doesn't have a lift of plywood in the shop to pull from then I think it makes sense.

I used to use cultist and think it's a great solution. I tried other online free programs (don't remember which) and found cultist had the better optimization. It's easy to use and reliable. I quit using it about 2 or 3 years ago when I switched my last PC to mac. Alas they don't/didn't offer a mac version. Can't comment on sketchup use though. I can't figure that program out to save my life!

[Ben Rivel]

I've used CutList Plus Silver for a few years, Ben. Silver might be a bit excessive for me as a hobbyist but it was the cheaper upgrade from the old fx I used to have, so not a big deal. It does have a lot of functions I don't use like costing and labor which are aimed at a business. Things I like about it - ease of use, quick to generate layouts, layouts can be tweaked based on different parameters (min waste, grain direction and so on), easy to put parts in, raw materials list is very flexible. Hardly anything I don't like. Regarding the SketchUp link, am just dabbling with this but most projects I build, its quick to enter the parts into the list without a link. If I had to build something with 60/70 different parts might be worth it
Thanks for this input. Hmmm, perhaps I will start with the basic version (cheapest) and see if I need/want anymore than that. I like the added features of the Silver edition, but it might be one of those things where they sound a lot cooler and more useful than they actually would be for my use.

[Andy Giddings]

Ben, they do offer a free trial that you've probably already seen

[Jim Becker]

I've owned the Silver version for many years, although I honestly don't use it very much. I only pull it out when I'm designing something that uses sheet goods and need to determine material requirements and general cutting pattern for those sheet goods. I'd never use it for solid stock because I break things down carefully with grain and color considerations as a key decision point. The fact that it only runs on Windows also keeps me using it less and less, although I can (and do) easily run Windows in a virtual machine on my Mac.

[Doug Hepler]

Ben

I just wanted you to be aware of Cutlist341, available for free at http://www.delphiforfun.org/Programs/CutList.htm. I have never used the commercial program that you mentioned, so I cannot compare them. I understand from the web that the commercial program is a bit more polished. I can say that cutlist 341 is completely adequate for my use. Like Jim, I mainly use it to lay out cuts on sheet goods.

Doug

[Justin Ludwig]

I use it for every job. Can't imagine being at the saw without it. Setting up takes a little practice but once you have it down it's super easy. I import all my cultists from excel, which I've exported from my cabinet program. Setting up the import takes a little trial and error, but that's not too hard either.

All my parts are labeled on the sheet, so keeping track of them is too easy. We create numbered stacks and keep the parts together by type: i.e. All tops are together, all partitions in another stack, etc. Once assembly starts, we pull what we need from a stack.

[Justin Ludwig]

I don't know how Marc and Martin do it. When one cabinet job has 400+ (And 1000s in total) unique parts, I can't imagine cutting them up without an optimizer (haven't done it manually since 2012 - and that sucked).

It's all about creating an export/import system. I hand my help the sheets and he's off to the races. I can work on solid stock or designing other jobs while all he has to think about is not cutting himself.

[Robert Payne]

I have an older Gold Version (2009) that still works very well for me on most of the larger projects I do. I have used the Labor and Hardware options and have generated the basis for job proposals with it. Some of my projects included multiple cabinets and mixed materials and this software saved me loads of time. I have used it with SketchUp and it has be a real benefit in every instance. I never saw the need to upgrade to the fx versions since I use it with a laptop. It has continued to work under newer version of Windows, including Win10. YMMV.

[Ben Rivel]

Those that have older version, why have you not updated? Are the various edition purchases not lifetime to include future updates?

[Justin Ludwig]

My version is from 2012. I have no need to upgrade. It works fine.

[Ben Rivel]

My version is from 2012. I have no need to upgrade. It works fine.
But could you if you wanted? Are the updates included/lifetime? And I cant imagine why you wouldnt. If the tool can get better with upgrades and gain new functionality and you could get them for free, why the heck wouldnt you?!

[Chris Padilla]

I know you mentioned that you don't like Sketch-Up (what?!?! ;) ) but I've used the CutList plug-in for and it works ok once you mess around with it a little while. For free, I'm not going to complain but it does get me going in the right direction. I had one instance with a vanity I was building and I couldn't get it to move two little drawer fronts off the 4th sheet of (totally unnecessary) plywood no matter what I did. Other than that, the other 3 sheets were optimized pretty decently but I was able to easily fit those two drawer fronts. Anyway...just wanted to point that out even though it doesn't pertain to you. :)

[Ben Rivel]

I know you mentioned that you don't like Sketch-Up (what?!?! ;) ) but I've used the CutList plug-in for and it works ok once you mess around with it a little while. For free, I'm not going to complain but it does get me going in the right direction. I had one instance with a vanity I was building and I couldn't get it to move two little drawer fronts off the 4th sheet of (totally unnecessary) plywood no matter what I did. Other than that, the other 3 sheets were optimized pretty decently but I was able to easily fit those two drawer fronts. Anyway...just wanted to point that out even though it doesn't pertain to you. :)
I use Soildworks. SketchUp is painful after you learn a real 3D modeling software.

[Andy Giddings]

Ben, upgrades aren't free but I do recall the cost was minimal

[Ben Rivel]

Ben, upgrades aren't free but I do recall the cost was minimalOkay so thats something to keep in mind as well. How often do they update the app and try and get you to pay more.

[Bob Coates]

Doug,
Looks like they took code away from that web site.

[Robert Payne]

I have an older Gold Version (2009) that still works very well for me
I have not updated since the cost to upgrade is $144.95 and the newer version lacks significant improvements that would be of benefit to me.

[Andy Giddings]

I've only had one upgrade in about 7 years of using it, Ben.

[Doug Hepler]

Bob,

They took down the source code but the executable is available and was still being supported by the author as of last May.

Doug

[Justin Ludwig]

I could upgrade, but not for free. I don't need the chance losing my templates or template compatibility and have to build new ones. I still use Office 2007 and windows 7. I used XP until I was forced to upgrade.

When I export an entire job with multiple materials, edit the data in excel, and import into Cutlist Plus in minutes, I have no desire to risk an upgrade.

I could upgrade Cabinet Vision, but that's 15k I'd rather buy beer and tools with.

[Brian Bres]

Ben

I just wanted you to be aware of Cutlist341, available for free at http://www.delphiforfun.org/Programs/CutList.htm. I have never used the commercial program that you mentioned, so I cannot compare them. I understand from the web that the commercial program is a bit more polished. I can say that cutlist 341 is completely adequate for my use. Like Jim, I mainly use it to lay out cuts on sheet goods.

Doug

I use Cut List as well. It is free and does a better and faster job than I can do figuring the most usable cut layout on sheet goods. I have not used it on anything but sheet goods.

Now, If i just have time to get the dang VFD installed on the new to me saw I would be doing great!

[Brian W Evans]

Ben,

I have Cutlist Plus Express - $39 right now. I bought it to make sure I get the most efficient use of sheet goods and only use it for that. I've been very happy with it and I'm sure it's paid for itself after a few projects. I really like that you can specify grain direction and have it factor that into its calculations.

I don't have any info about the Sketchup plugin.

[Ben Rivel]

I could upgrade, but not for free. I don't need the chance losing my templates or template compatibility and have to build new ones. I still use Office 2007 and windows 7. I used XP until I was forced to upgrade.

When I export an entire job with multiple materials, edit the data in excel, and import into Cutlist Plus in minutes, I have no desire to risk an upgrade.

I could upgrade Cabinet Vision, but that's 15k I'd rather buy beer and tools with.Oh I hear ya, if it aint broke, dont fix it. I just didnt know if upgrades were free or if they cost money, and if so how much they charged for them. I emailed Cutlist and they said for now upgrades are free for 90 days and they are hoping to implement an upgrade purchasing process in the next few months. Not sure exactly what that means though.

[Robert Engel]

I mainly use it for organizing and rough cutting parts.

I find the layout tool great for plywood but pretty useless when I'm staring at a stack of boards.

[Andy Giddings]

Robert, what works best for boards is to treat them as offcuts that get used first, otherwise the sw will assume that they are the same size and you have a never ending supply. Bit of a pain but if minimal waste is your main driver, its the only way I can make it work for me. Does mean you've got to measure them all which is OK if you only have 10 or so

[Jim Becker]

Unless you're painting the solid stock, a "cut list" for that is of marginal use other than minimum material calculation. Every board has to be considered by eye for color and grain to maximize the quality of the finished project and cut lists don't account for that very well. In fact, sometimes you have to cut "non parallel" to a natural edge for your first length-wise cut to get a good component. IMHO, of course, but I'm anal about this kind of thing.

[Andy Giddings]

Jim, I agree on the visible material in a project, but with a solid wood design, there's a lot of material that isn't seen where color/grain and even defects aren't important - undersides, insides, structural components etc. It really depends on what is most important to you - your time or the cost of materials

[Mike King]

Unless you're painting the solid stock, a "cut list" for that is of marginal use other than minimum material calculation. Every board has to be considered by eye for color and grain to maximize the quality of the finished project and cut lists don't account for that very well. In fact, sometimes you have to cut "non parallel" to a natural edge for your first length-wise cut to get a good component. IMHO, of course, but I'm anal about this kind of thing.

That's true for primary wood, but not for secondary wood. I've found Cutlist Plus FX to be quite useful in laying out the 90 parts for the 18 drawers in the double spice cabinet I'm making.

Mike

[Ben Rivel]

Most of my upcoming projects are going to be mainly plywood, so that is why I was thinking a tool such as this would be very useful to help me get the most out of each sheet.

[Stew Hagerty]

I have had their Silver Edition for several years now. I use it on almost every project and find it extremely helpful not just for sheet goods, but lumber as well. Of course, sheet goods is where it really shines. I've recently been inputting my lumber inventory, a bit at a time. It makes it very easy then to get quantities and layouts quickly. I highly recommend it. For the one-time price of $89, it's pretty hard to NOT be able to justify it.

[Bob Coates]

Using Doug's link to cutlist I was able to download the executable using Chrome. Foxfire, for some reason (perhaps my settings ) could not down load it.
To use, you enter data by left clicking and from drop down list select what wish to do to an entry ( modify, move, dup etc). You are then presented with window to enter information, really slick. It will calculate different fits to lay out different selections for the cutlist.
I was using just one 4 x 8 sheet, but while changing number came up once with 15 different views. I was impressed and it is free. It did everything I needed.
Thanks again Doug for link.
Bob

[Jim Becker]

Yes, the folks commenting about secondary parts including drawer components are absolutely correct. I'm sorry I forgot about that. :o

[Ben Rivel]

Wanted to add a follow up to this thread. I finally bought the Silver version of Cutlist Plus fx and got a chance to use it on a project this weekend. Wish I would have bought it sooner to be honest. It worked out awesome! And I loved being able to view the project I had laid out in on my iPad with their iOS viewer. That was really cool. I also really like how the program lets you keep inventory of what materials, and hardware you have in stock and how it shows a BOM for the project so you know how much the project will cost you. Very cool program and very well thought out and executed.

[Andy Giddings]

Wanted to add a follow up to this thread. I finally bought the Silver version of Cutlist Plus fx and got a chance to use it on a project this weekend. Wish I would have bought it sooner to be honest. It worked out awesome! And I loved being able to view the project I had laid out in on my iPad with their iOS viewer. That was really cool. I also really like how the program lets you keep inventory of what materials, and hardware you have in stock and how it shows a BOM for the project so you know how much the project will cost you. Very cool program and very well thought out and executed.
Good to hear, Ben. If you didn't already know and you design your projects in either SketchUp or Fusion 360, you can export the BOM from those into CutList which makes the data transfer near foolproof

[Mark Bolton]

Im with Justin. Sitting at the saw, or sending a guy to the saw, with a list to basically mindlessly breakdown parts (none of which will be wrong due to an on-the-fly calculation error) just makes everything so much more simple. We use CLP for costing on sheetgoods but sheet parts are nested and optimized on the CNC. CLP is super handy especially for large shops with sheet optimization, controlling inventory of drops, etc.. I wouldnt live with out it. I could, but wouldnt.

[Martin Wasner]

Im with Justin. Sitting at the saw, or sending a guy to the saw, with a list to basically mindlessly breakdown parts (none of which will be wrong due to an on-the-fly calculation error) just makes everything so much more simple.

I agree it's simpler, but does it make better cabinet makers?

When I started, we had cultists for everything. I didn't know why I cut a part a certain way, I just did it. The computer wasn't always right either, it probably had about half a percent failure rate. 1:200 isn't bad though. Between setting a stop or fence wrong, or not doing my calculations correctly, that's a better record than I have. But you can still set a fence or stop incorrectly taking the math out.

I'm not saying the way I do it works for everyone, but it made me really good at cut out and really good at math. Not even math, just knowing that A-B-C=X

When cutting out face frame stock, my software gives adequate dimensioning where there's not much to figure out.

[Martin Wasner]

BTW- I do love hearing how other shops tick. Everybody has their own way, and it's fascinating to me.

We're all also really set in our ways and deluded into thinking that our way ours this best with what we have to work with.

The different priorities as to what to pour money into to reduce bottlenecks, and what different people focus on is equally fascinating. None of us are doing it right, that I'll bet on. :D

[Justin Ludwig]

For me: CLP is the starting point for all my off-cuts and sheet goods. Solid stock: I just use the TigerStop and biggest to smallest method. It has the upgrade to input the size of the board to the nearest defect, but I'm not paying $2k for a thermal printer to get the labels printed with that method. Pencil and marking off a sheet works just fine for a 2 man shop.

I have the mental ability to correct/adjust on the fly if a sheet is "weird" or I don't recognize a dimension (but I'm the guy designing from the ground up and integrating all my reports from cabinet vision to CLP). My helper will only cut what the sheet says. He can see 2 steps in front of him, but not 10-20. If you hand us both the same cutlist sheet we'll break it down totally different - doesn't matter if the sheet is set for prefer "rip", "cross", "standard" or "max cutoff".

Most of what I like about the program is being able to input and use up all my off-cuts. Before every job I'll write down and input every off-cut per type of material I can use for that particular job. Anything that is toe, nailer, stretcher or "unseen" material is left out of the program. We cut those up like face frame material after ripping the needed lineal footage.


The different priorities as to what to pour money into to reduce bottlenecks, and what different people focus on is equally fascinating. None of us are doing it right, that I'll bet on. :D No doubt! I change or learn something every job.

[John Lankers]

BTW- I do love hearing how other shops tick. Everybody has their own way, and it's fascinating to me.

We're all also really set in our ways and deluded into thinking that our way ours this best with what we have to work with.

The different priorities as to what to pour money into to reduce bottlenecks, and what different people focus on is equally fascinating. None of us are doing it right, that I'll bet on. :D

Martin, you're wrong ....., we're all doing it right ;).
I personally will never get the right pieces out of lumber and plywood using a cutlist when I have to consider colour, grain direction and other features I want to include or avoid.
For BB plywood drawers and other secondary or to be painted sheet good projects I use 'Sketch Cut Lite' (free version) for Android and I'm quite happy with it. I can print out the cutlist and label the pieces as I cut them, saves me a lot of time and money.

[Wayne Cannon]

As an amateur woodworker, I find Cutlist invaluable. It took a while to enter all of the raw materials, especially cutoffs; however, now it saves me a lot of money and trips by identifying cutoffs that I have on hand that fill my needs and that I would likely overlook otherwise. I appreciate many of the other features, but they have been pretty well covered here already.

[Justin Ludwig]

As an amateur woodworker, I find Cutlist invaluable. It took a while to enter all of the raw materials, especially cutoffs; however, now it saves me a lot of money and trips by identifying cutoffs that I have on hand that fill my needs and that I would likely overlook otherwise. I appreciate many of the other features, but they have been pretty well covered here already.
Here's a tip that I found helpful in expediting the off-cut entry (if you use imperial): memorize the decimal value of the fraction. For CLP, you only need to enter the fraction in decimal value to the 100th and it will correctly input the value(.06 for 1/16). I taped a cheat sheet on my laptop for the values I had trouble remembering. If your keyboard has a 10-key, this makes things a lot faster (at least it did for me).

[Mark Bolton]

I have the mental ability to correct/adjust on the fly if a sheet is "weird" or I don't recognize a dimension (but I'm the guy designing from the ground up and integrating all my reports from cabinet vision to CLP). My helper will only cut what the sheet says. He can see 2 steps in front of him, but not 10-20.

Couldnt agree more. Its rare to get even the best employees to engage at a level anywhere near that of the business owner. Beyond that, even when I am cutting myself I still make random math errors, forget about an interference or some reason why I am running this one part different than the way I have run it hundreds of times before. The software is virtually never wrong. I am wrong quite often.

I will admit that once you get fully integrated with cutlisting out of software you (I know I do) can begin to get a little soft or less sharp than you were. That said, the scenario you mentioned of 1000's of parts, and a large percentage of them being unique, use to land me with a hefty pile of scraps, waste, mis-cuts, and so on. With the software its just about seamless.

[Mark Bolton]

I agree it's simpler, but does it make better cabinet makers?

I completely understand the merits of your point, honest and truly I do. Sadly, I havent had an individual in the shop in many many years (perhaps ever) that would land in the "cabinetmaker" realm in my eyes or even their own and I dont have unreasonably high standards. If i had, I would've likely given them my business by now and been sitting back in a shop/advisory position (hopefully on the shop floor getting dusty every day) taking a percentage lol.

Even my best people over the years are just not interested in anything regarding why I/we do what we do. Its about money, paycheck, profits, and forget about the notion of 7 day weeks and evenings at home working on the books or takeoffs and designs. Itst not going to happen. The notion of "do what you love, and the money will happen on its own" is unfortunately either martian, or toxic, to them.

When I worked alone I did a lot more design on the fly because as Justin says, I am working 15, 20, or 30 steps down the line while Im making each cut. I joke with my guys (and girls) now when they talk about how I make things look so easy that its not because Im anything special, its because Ive probably build every kitchen, batch of millwork, piece of furniture, a hundred or two hundred times, in full detail, in my head laying in bed at night long before Ive forked the first board/sheet onto the racks. They just arent going to get in on that level. Most anyone who is, are not employee types. Rather they are fellow shop owners that I compare stories with.

[Martin Wasner]

I joke with my guys (and girls) now when they talk about how I make things look so easy that its not because Im anything special, its because Ive probably build every kitchen, batch of millwork, piece of furniture, a hundred or two hundred times, in full detail, in my head laying in bed at night long before Ive forked the first board/sheet onto the racks.

I have a mantra. I replay a couple zillion times an hour, and I tell the workforce the same thing.

"What am I doing? Why am I doing it?"

Those two simple questions when stepping up to bat for anything in the shop solves a lot of problems. Or at least exposes potential problems and a solution is reached before it ever rears its ugly head.

Whenever questioned about why certain processes are executed the way they are, it's pretty simple. "I've screwed up everything you can possibly screw up in here, likely more than once. You have the benefit of being taught, I had to learn it."

[Justin Ludwig]

I completely understand the merits of your point, honest and truly I do. Sadly, I havent had an individual in the shop in many many years (perhaps ever) that would land in the "cabinetmaker" realm in my eyes or even their own and I dont have unreasonably high standards. If i had, I would've likely given them my business by now and been sitting back in a shop/advisory position (hopefully on the shop floor getting dusty every day) taking a percentage lol.

Even my best people over the years are just not interested in anything regarding why I/we do what we do. Its about money, paycheck, profits, and forget about the notion of 7 day weeks and evenings at home working on the books or takeoffs and designs. Itst not going to happen. The notion of "do what you love, and the money will happen on its own" is unfortunately either martian, or toxic, to them.

When I worked alone I did a lot more design on the fly because as Justin says, I am working 15, 20, or 30 steps down the line while Im making each cut. I joke with my guys (and girls) now when they talk about how I make things look so easy that its not because Im anything special, its because Ive probably build every kitchen, batch of millwork, piece of furniture, a hundred or two hundred times, in full detail, in my head laying in bed at night long before Ive forked the first board/sheet onto the racks. They just arent going to get in on that level. Most anyone who is, are not employee types. Rather they are fellow shop owners that I compare stories with. My help says he wants to do this for the rest of his life. He's almost 22. I won't tell him that he most assuredly will not be a cabinet maker for the rest of his life. He doesn't get it - even after two years. I built 1 set of cabinets as an apprentice, assisted in the next two cabinet builds by hand drawing the whole jobs, then started my own company after a two year hiatus to fight in Iraq (with so many mistakes I'm surprised I'm not bankrupt). I'm not trying to be self-aggrandizing. I'm just exposing the difference in doing something because you love it and doing it because you think you do. My help does absolutely NOTHING in his off time to better his knowledge or skill set. This stuff consumes me. Luckily for me, I'm a dork and love computers - so integrating those skills into cabinetry was an easy step. My last hand drawn set was in Dec 2012 and I had to rebuild a corner upper. The only rebuilds I have now are because of customer changes or I forgot to measure a damned can light in the ceiling.



"I've screwed up everything you can possibly screw up in here, likely more than once. You have the benefit of being taught, I had to learn it." We've paid for more than a few college educations in mistakes. I have a degree, but can't imagine myself doing anything else - let along working for someone I'll most likely judge to be a slothy-mouth breather. Yes, I'm judgmental.

[Mark Bolton]

My help does absolutely NOTHING in his off time to better his knowledge or skill set. This stuff consumes me. Luckily for me, I'm a dork and love computers - so integrating those skills into cabinetry was an easy step. My last hand drawn set was in Dec 2012 and I had to rebuild a corner upper. The only rebuilds I have now are because of customer changes or I forgot to measure a damned can light in the ceiling.

That was my point about likely anyone who is like me (us) and lives, eats, sleeps the stuff, and has a stack of product catalogs and trade magazines for "down time reading" is more than likely going to break out on their own or be there to begin with. I too have had employees that just love the business to death (at the level they are engaged). Supply take home reading material (likely never gets read) and even have in-shop class time on occasion but, and I cant say I blame them I guess, it all ends at the end of the work day. I can say that I do have one person now that comes in and has clearly worked on product ideas and put thought into the business at night. She is one of the better ones we've had.

Its a long slog. To keep it OT, with all this, if I didnt have printed cut-lists, Id be dead. I remember one guy, we built a 750K home worth of millwork (cabs, trim, molding). There were 140 cabinet doors in the job, all shop built. Job ended, 3 weeks later another kitchen starts, cant remember the cabinet door process lol. Cut lists and written procedure are unfortunately very important.

[Mark Bolton]

My help says he wants to do this for the rest of his life.

Had to look it up. One of my all time favorites

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4RLfVxTGH4

[Justin Ludwig]

Love me some TED.

[Michael Jasper]

I just purchased the Silver Edition after evaluating with the free trial. I think it's good software - for me, as a hobbyist, minimizing my purchases of expensive wood justifies the cost. I like the materials database, though I think there are some odd quirks in the interface.
Compared to alternatives it's easier to use, more polished, more powerful. I like that you can keep track of your stock and decrease it for each project.
Some of the UI decisions are a bit awkward or unwieldy or unintuitive - but nothing that's a deal breaker.

I was put off by one decision they made in their pricing model. The Silver Edition is aimed at the hobbyist, while the Gold edition ($250) is aimed at professionals - more complex projects, copies with minor changes for customers, the ability to merge projects, creating customer proposals, a pricing tool, multi-user features, and CAD integration. For a business to pay an additional $160 to get all those capabilities seems quite reasonable.
The problem is they've chosen to put edge banding in the Gold Edition. As a hobbyist, no matter how helpful that feature might be, there is no way I could justify that price jump just to add on Edge Banding. It's kind of a bizarre pricing model. I wrote to them about this and their response was simply "we consider this an advanced feature" - but they would not discuss that they've bundled one material planning feature with a whole set of capabilities aimed at professional shops.
It's not unreasonable to charge a bit more for additional features - but the idea that a non-professional would jump to $250 from $90 to get one single capability defies logic. I'd be willing to pay a bit more for the feature. But an additional $160? That's just silly.

All that said, of all the alternatives I evaluated , the $90 silver edition feels like a reasonable expense for pretty high quality software. But don't expect help with Edge Banding unless you have money to burn.

[Ben Rivel]

I just purchased the Silver Edition after evaluating with the free trial. I think it's good software - for me, as a hobbyist, minimizing my purchases of expensive wood justifies the cost. I like the materials database, though I think there are some odd quirks in the interface.
Compared to alternatives it's easier to use, more polished, more powerful. I like that you can keep track of your stock and decrease it for each project.
Some of the UI decisions are a bit awkward or unwieldy or unintuitive - but nothing that's a deal breaker.

I was put off by one decision they made in their pricing model. The Silver Edition is aimed at the hobbyist, while the Gold edition ($250) is aimed at professionals - more complex projects, copies with minor changes for customers, the ability to merge projects, creating customer proposals, a pricing tool, multi-user features, and CAD integration. For a business to pay an additional $160 to get all those capabilities seems quite reasonable.
The problem is they've chosen to put edge banding in the Gold Edition. As a hobbyist, no matter how helpful that feature might be, there is no way I could justify that price jump just to add on Edge Banding. It's kind of a bizarre pricing model. I wrote to them about this and their response was simply "we consider this an advanced feature" - but they would not discuss that they've bundled one material planning feature with a whole set of capabilities aimed at professional shops.
It's not unreasonable to charge a bit more for additional features - but the idea that a non-professional would jump to $250 from $90 to get one single capability defies logic. I'd be willing to pay a bit more for the feature. But an additional $160? That's just silly.

All that said, of all the alternatives I evaluated , the $90 silver edition feels like a reasonable expense for pretty high quality software. But don't expect help with Edge Banding unless you have money to burn.
Yes the lacking of edge banding support in the Silver version really is a downfall of the suite. Its not like hobbyists dont work with edge banding. I really think they left it out as an annoyance to tempt the hobbyist Silver owners to drop way more money to upgrade.

[Robert Engel]

Silver Edition here, too. Been using it for years. Indispensible for me on a cab project. I make two parts lists, one for rough cuts and one for final cuts.

On a project with a lot of dimension lumber, its very useable for estimating materials. In projects with natural finish, lumber selection causes me to pretty much toss a cutting layout.

[Michael Jasper]

Just a short update after using CutList Plus Silver for a couple years.
The software still does what it does well.
However, there have been virtually no updates in the two years since I purchased, and my impression based on the few interactions I've had is that there probably won't be. Suggestions have been met with little interest. They don't even pretend to want to hear what their customer would like to see in the future.

I noted just this week that there is an obvious missing capability with regard to off cuts.
The program can optimize cut plans to maximize off cut sizes or ignore that. it can also be told to use up off-cutss in your inventory before using other materials.
Despite this, when a project leaves a significant off-cut, it is not entered into stock. I just did a project that left half a sheet of plywood. I assumed CutList Plus would just enter that half sheet into my inventory - but it doesn't. Support confirmed you have to do that manually.
That fact that the feature isn't there isn't the end of the world - but their response made it clear that this is just how it is. It might make sense, but they didn't even mention adding it to a feature list for improvements.

So my advice - if you purchase this software, assume that you're getting exactly what you see now. Do not have any expectation of any future improvements, certainly not in the non-professional version. Development does not seem to be ongoing.

[Ben Rivel]

Just a short update after using CutList Plus Silver for a couple years.
The software still does what it does well.
However, there have been virtually no updates in the two years since I purchased, and my impression based on the few interactions I've had is that there probably won't be. Suggestions have been met with little interest. They don't even pretend to want to hear what their customer would like to see in the future.

I noted just this week that there is an obvious missing capability with regard to off cuts.
The program can optimize cut plans to maximize off cut sizes or ignore that. it can also be told to use up off-cutss in your inventory before using other materials.
Despite this, when a project leaves a significant off-cut, it is not entered into stock. I just did a project that left half a sheet of plywood. I assumed CutList Plus would just enter that half sheet into my inventory - but it doesn't. Support confirmed you have to do that manually.
That fact that the feature isn't there isn't the end of the world - but their response made it clear that this is just how it is. It might make sense, but they didn't even mention adding it to a feature list for improvements.

So my advice - if you purchase this software, assume that you're getting exactly what you see now. Do not have any expectation of any future improvements, certainly not in the non-professional version. Development does not seem to be ongoing.
Yea I dont think there is a "team" of people working on this software and there has been little to nothing added over the last couple of years. Its a shame really as it's not exactly a cheap bit of software.

[Alan Kalker]

I've been using Cutlist for many years and I agree. It does what it says it will do very well. While there have been few updates, the customer service has been quickly responsive when I've had a problem (switching computers). I can't imagine doing a project of any significance without it. As to cost, given the amount I've saved on some costly pieces of wood, it has paid for itself many, many times over. So, on balance, I still highly recommend it.