noob plan layout dimension question

[Michael Van Voorhis]

Anyway...

I bought some adirondack chair plans and had the layout figured out by the Cutlist Plus program. (Which BTW is a great prog.)

I am measuring and marking ALL the cuts first on each board before I do any cutting.

Should I leave a small gap (1/16"-1/8"?) between all cutlines to allow for the blade width (kerf?) or doesn't it matter? Does everybody here just center the blade on the "line" or do you always cut on the outside of the line?


I am asking because the program automatically leaves a predetermined, in this case 1/8", "gap" between all the parts. The program layout leaves little to no waste width wise on most of my boards. So taking up an extra 1/8" between measured parts is actually critical.

I plan on using the popular Freud Diablo 40t CS blade.

[Michael Schwartz]

If you are making repetitive crosscuts, no need to mesure and mark each cut. Just setup a stop block on your chopsaw or Xcut sled on your tablesaw. Same thing with rip cuts, set the fence and go.

It sounds like you are using a skill-saw. The Freud 40t blade is a thin kerf blade, Not sure the exact thickness. Make a test cut a few inches into a peice of scrap and mesure it. For an adirondack chair you would probably be fine if you made a mark, and measured out the thickness of the kerf and made a second.

[Michael Van Voorhis]

Sorry I didn't specify further. I do not own a table saw. I will be using the EZ system with my circular saw. So I planned on just placing the rail edge "on the line" and let 'er rip! Is this wrong?

I know, I know, silly questions....:confused:

[Jim Becker]

I really like Cutlist for laying out sheet goods components, but not for solid stock. The reason being that I find a strong need to carefully choose "where" on a board a component may be cut from for the best look and that may even mean that the edge of the board may not be parallel with the edge of a component. In the case of outdoor stuff like the Adirondack chairs, you may need to skew a component to insure you get full strength...I had to do that with mine built from cypress. My recommendation would be to consider making patterns and using those to lay out your components on your boards for best results. If you only plan on building them once, cardboard is fine. If you think you'll build them again in the future, make your patterns out of 1/4" or 1/2" MDF so you can hang them on the wall for use later.

[Kendall Landry]

Dimensional lumber is about 1/2" longer then advertised so you should have alittle extra for any cutting errors. Jim's right, solid stock can't be trusted until you've cut the board. They can stress releave after cutting by way of splitting. And you might not want that big knot in the middle of your armrest. Stop blocks are good. If your framing a house you can measure and leave 1/8" inbetween the peices but a 32nd or a 16th error in cutting can add up down the board. Buy a couple extra boards to avoid a second trip to the hardware store. Good Luck.

[Michael Van Voorhis]

I really like Cutlist for laying out sheet goods components, but not for solid stock. The reason being that I find a strong need to carefully choose "where" on a board a component may be cut from for the best look and that may even mean that the edge of the board may not be parallel with the edge of a component. In the case of outdoor stuff like the Adirondack chairs, you may need to skew a component to insure you get full strength...I had to do that with mine built from cypress. My recommendation would be to consider making patterns and using those to lay out your components on your boards for best results. If you only plan on building them once, cardboard is fine. If you think you'll build them again in the future, make your patterns out of 1/4" or 1/2" MDF so you can hang them on the wall for use later.

Thanks for the info. Luckily for this project the white pine I chose will be painted instead of stained. (Wife's choice, not mine) So looks is not an issue. I am carefully matching the prog's layout to each board to ensure structural integrity. I did not purchase "extra" wood for money and transport reasons. (I carried all the wood in my biggest car: VW Golf :D) So I already own all the wood necessary to complete two chairs barring any mistakes. (I have a feeling that Murphy is going to bite my butt though...)

So, does everyone cut on the line or outside the line?

[Jason Beam]

As for the question about allowing for kerf ...

My practice has been to leave PLENTY for error and go for the exact dimensions you're after. The idea is to end up with the exact size piece you're looking for. Some people get that by "leaving the line" or "splitting the line". One thing's for sure, though. Your blade is gonna cut a lot wider than your pencil line, so it's always best to put that on the outside of your workpiece.

When I cut pieces out of a single board, I usually keep 'em 1/4" apart or more, just in case. I end up with a lot of edge banding (narrow offcuts), but I also end up with pieces that are the right size.

Now, the EZ folks may feel differently about my advice. I don't use the EZ stuff, so I don't know if it fully applies. Seems to me like it would, but I'm not part of that clique :)

[Kendall Landry]

Put your pencil or pen mark right on your measurment and take half line off. But you'll find the way that you like best.

Outside the line...........cut on the cutoff side of the line not the keeper.

[Jim Becker]

Outside the line....then you use a block plane and other things like sanding blocks to bring things to the final shape.

[Peter West]

Michael.

I too like Cutlist - I recommend it to all my customers here in the UK.
Our kitchen planning software can produce parts lists for import into cutlist for board layout.

On the subject of the cut - do you have the SRK.

If you do, you can set up a simple 'Tunnel' routing system with it.
Then cut the boards a fraction oversize and pass them through the 'tunnel' .
This does 2 things - finishes the board to width accurately, and also edge planes the boards for a perfectly smooth finish.

You'll be surprised at how quickly and accurately you'll get well finished boards.