Lumber lengths yards actually sell
| Studs, framing (US) | 8, 10, 12, 16 ft |
| Long joists, rafters | 20, 24 ft |
| Framing (AU/NZ/EU) | 2.4, 3.0, 3.6, 4.8, 6.0 m |
| Decking boards | 8 to 20 ft / 1.8 to 5.4 m |
| Trim, moulding, skirting | 8 to 16 ft / 2.4 to 5.4 m |
| Hardwood, random length | priced per board foot |
Blade widths in a timber shop
| Table saw, 1/8" blade | 3.2 mm |
| Thin-kerf blade | 1.6 to 2 mm |
| Mitre saw / drop saw | 2 to 3 mm |
| Circular saw | 2 to 3 mm |
| Bandsaw | 0.8 to 1.5 mm |
Working in inches? A 1/8" blade is 0.125". Get this wrong and the last piece off every board comes up short. More on kerf.
Fractions, feet and inches
Type 96, 8', 96 1/2 or 2438 mm and it understands you. Cut lists for timber are written in fractions because that is how timber is sold, and a tool that forces you to convert to decimals first is a tool that gets numbers typed into it wrong.
The offcut pile is money
Every board you have already paid for is sitting in the corner of the shop. Add the leftovers to the offcut rack and the optimiser will spend them before it buys anything new, or use them only when they genuinely save you a board. Two of the five methods exist for exactly this argument: which to pick.
Buying boards, not minimising waste
These are not the same job. If your yard sells 8, 12 and 16 foot boards at prices that are not proportional to length, the plan with the least sawdust and the plan with the smallest bill are different plans. Price your stock rows and pick Cheapest, and it optimises the number that actually leaves your wallet.
FAQ
Does it work in inches and fractions?
Can it handle plywood and sheet goods?
How many parts can I optimise?
Will it tell me how many boards to buy?
Every plan is checked before you see it
Cut by cut: every piece present, everything inside the bar, blade width included. When the green badge shows, no plan on earth uses fewer bars for your cuts, and we Munkák közzététele that prove it.