How to figure out pieces that can be cut from a board best way?

[Randall J Cox]

Does anyone know of a simple computer program or web site that lets a computer figure out how to get the most pieces out of a board if you know what you want and have all the dimensions of both the board and all the individual pieces? I've been doing it by hand and its time consuming...especially out of large pieces of plywood. Randy

[Patrick Varley]

SketchUp with the CutList extension

You have to take your time to name all your components appropriately in SketchUp so you get an interpretable cut list, but well worth it.

There's also a free panel cut optimizer that will work if you're just looking to figure out cuts from a sheet of plywood.

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

I have also just used cutlist (free down load). It is a little old school, but works well

[Doug Hepler]

Randall

There are two programs called "Cutlist". One is called just that. It is free and it works very well, although as Todd said it is a bit old school (clunky compared to the flashy UI we expect nowadays). I have used it many times over the years and I think it is completely satisfactory. It is available at this link. The other one is called Cutlist Plus. I have never needed to use it, i.e., pay for a layout program.

Doug

[Dave Richards]

For plywood and other sheet materials, optimization software can be really useful. The CutList extension for SketchUp is great if you are modeling your project in SketchUp and as Patrick wrote, you need to make proper component. Naming them isn't critical unless you want to know which part is which in in the layout and cutlist. If you are using a mix of sheet materials and solid wood, you need to set up the compnonents with certain sheet material words to get them sorted into the right section.

For solid wood, I don't think any computer program can compensate for looking at the grain and flaws and laying the pieces out to take those things into account.

[Lee Schierer]

I have a program called Sheetlayout 2010 that does exactly what you want. It was orginally authored by Don Micelotti. I have a paid version, but there was also a free version that had a limitation on the number of pieces you could calculate. UNFORTUNATELY, the company is no longer in business. You might be able to find the free program down load in one of the internet archive sites such as the Wayback Machine.

If the cut list program allows you to use leftover ply wood, you could enter your linear lumber pieces as "scrap" and it should then figure out how to cut the pieces you need from it.

[Jim Becker]

As I mentioned in a recent thread on the same subject, cutlist type programs excel at efficient layout for sheet goods. While they "can" also be used for solid stock, they do not and cannot account for the variability in the grain and color in solid lumber, so you have to be flexible on how you use them if your project is not going to be painted. Cutting components out of a board isn't just a "where will it fit" operation. A great project result comes from carefully choosing material so that things look like they belong together.

[Doug Hepler]

Well,

I should comment on Dave and Jim's opinion about selecting wood grain. I see this opinion fairly often in discussions of Cutlist.

I agree with their fundamental point that it may be desirable to choose parts of boards with grain suitable for a particular project and to exclude parts with defects. And maybe they just don't like some aspect of using Cutlist, such as the tedium of entering every piece. However, I disagree with the blanket depreciation of Cutlist for use with solid wood.

This issue has certainly not outweighed the efficiency that I get from using Cutlist. Newer versions of Cutlist allow the user to manually place each piece. If there is a knot or defect, I simply measure it, and include it as a space-saver in the parts list. Then I place this dummy piece on the part of the board that has the defect. Likewise for desirable grain. You can manually place certain parts on boards with desirable grain. At least, you can exclude some supply pieces and some parts from the analysis to preserve those boards for a particular part. Manual arrangement is more tedious than the automatic program, but it is a lot more efficient than trying to do it on the lumber itself.

Sure, there are instances where this work-arounds are too cumbersome and I just buy extra and lay out the cuts by brute force. I am thinking of getting rift sawn parts for legs and such. And I don't need Cutlist to help me select boards for a glued up panel for tabletops, etc. But most of the time it is a big time and wood saver.

Since Cutlist is free, you should not think I have any financial interest in holding this opinion. I just have found it to be very useful for use with solid lumber.

All the best

Doug

[Jim Becker]

Doug, I certainly didn't mean to convey any kind of blanket depreciation of cutlist type programs for solid stock. They can certainly be used for the process and can be very efficient with layout for cutting with reduced waste. My point was merely that "true optimal" use of solid stock goes beyond size and I mention that because it's something that many folks learn "too late" for a project to be "outstanding" instead of just very nice. We all have to use these tools intelligently so that the end result meets our expectations. For "show" parts I honestly skim the material before milling it and manually determine what I'm going to use for what and then rough cut so I'm milling smaller components right from the start.

And to be fair, for my tack trunk projects and related equestrian oriented makings, I have historically used Cutlist Plus to support the solid stock requirements for figuring material requirements. I just don't do that for furniture.

[Warren Lake]

Agree with Jim and id never use one for solid. Im interested in getting the best out the hand picked material I select and where and how it will be used.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Does anyone know of a simple computer program or web site that lets a computer figure out how to get the most pieces out of a board if you know what you want and have all the dimensions of both the board and all the individual pieces? I've been doing it by hand and its time consuming...especially out of large pieces of plywood. Randy

Although it looks a great idea to have a software tool to optimize wood cuts, I do not want any. Actually I wrote a program in Algol (or Fortran IV, I cannot remember exactly) in the 1980s to make a such optimization but I got much more fun coding than really using it!

For me one of the most rewarding tasks in the process to make any wood project is really to define the cut list for minimum waste. I would say I am fixed for minimum waste.

My biggest project by wood volume was the hard wood (ipe) flooring and ceiling of our home almost 30 years ago. I spent a full day in the lumberyard just selecting each piece of wood and afterwards already at the construction site, carefully cut them to fit the needs for flooring and ceiling with no joints and minimum waste - I had just a handful of waste for around 2,000 square foot of flooring and 1,500 square foot ceiling! Literally I could take all waste at once. It was rewarding!

Today I almost finished a small project using the wood I already had available. Again, the waste was almost nada. I adjusted on the fly the project measurements for best fit since it do not compromise the key parameters of it. As usual I changed a couple of mm one dimension for best fit. Oh, what a joy finish with literally a handful of wood waste (Freud might explain).

It would be very difficult some kind of software to have the intelligence to suggest the right measurements that could be slightly changed for best fit, so I think I will stay with my current process to define cut list for both panels as well solid lumber pieces. Of course the fact I am not an intensive user and as hobbyist I can give myself the luxury to construct all my cut lists ad hoc. Probably if I was a heavier and more frequent cut list user, I would look for some more automatic way to get them.

All the best,

[Ron Citerone]

As I mentioned in a recent thread on the same subject, cutlist type programs excel at efficient layout for sheet goods. While they "can" also be used for solid stock, they do not and cannot account for the variability in the grain and color in solid lumber, so you have to be flexible on how you use them if your project is not going to be painted. Cutting components out of a board isn't just a "where will it fit" operation. A great project result comes from carefully choosing material so that things look like they belong together.

In my younger days I bought marginal wood and glued randomly. When I look at those pieces I cringe. Now I really pay attention to like you said "look like they belong together."

[scott vroom]

Do the "cutlist" type programs take grain direction into account for sheet goods?

[Patrick Varley]

Regarding the issue of using programs for solid stock and marching grain, etc. I still find CutList helpful in generating an organized list of pieces and estimating the amount of material I'll need. I usually add about 20-30% to the total board feet specified on CutList and it works out pretty well. I don't have a lot of extra space for material storage, so I buy as I go and can't hoard a whole bunch waiting for a project.

[Jim Becker]

Do the "cutlist" type programs take grain direction into account for sheet goods?

I know that Cutlist Plus provides for that, Scott. That includes inhibiting rotation of components during sheet optimization where grain direction is important for those components.