Woodworking Calculator
Plan your next woodworking project from rough lumber to final parts: optimized cut list, board feet, panel glue-ups, and dimension checks in one place.
Project Settings
Thickness of blade cut.
Optional extra length for squaring.
Cut List & Layout Optimizer
Enter the boards you have and the parts you need. The calculator will assign parts to boards and estimate waste.
Stock Boards
| Qty | Thick | Width | Length |
|---|
Example: 4 boards, 1 in × 6 in × 96 in.
Required Parts
| Label | Qty | Thick | Width | Length |
|---|
Use labels like “Leg”, “Rail”, “Panel”.
Layout Summary
Board-by-Board Cut Plan
What this woodworking calculator can do
This woodworking calculator is designed as a shop companion for furniture makers, cabinet shops, and DIYers. It combines several tools that are usually spread across multiple apps:
- Cut list & layout optimizer – assign parts to boards and estimate waste.
- Board feet & volume – price lumber and compare species or thicknesses.
- Panel glue-up planner – plan tabletops, doors, and wide panels.
- Dimension helper – convert between fractions, decimals, and metric.
Cut list optimization algorithm
The cut list tool uses a first-fit decreasing algorithm along the length of each board:
- Parts are sorted from longest to shortest (including trim allowance).
- For each part, the calculator looks for the first board with enough remaining length once kerf is considered.
-
If a board has enough remaining length, the part is assigned
to that board and the remaining length is reduced by
part length + kerf. - If no existing board can accept the part, the next available stock board of the same size is started.
This approach is fast and produces near‑optimal layouts for most real projects, while keeping the logic transparent so you can sanity‑check the results.
Board feet and waste calculation
Imperial board feet
\[ \text{Board feet} = \frac{T_{\text{in}} \times W_{\text{in}} \times L_{\text{in}}}{144} \]
For multiple boards or parts, multiply by quantity and sum the results.
Waste percentage
\[ \text{Waste \%} = \left( 1 - \frac{\text{Total part volume}}{\text{Total stock volume}} \right) \times 100 \]
Tips for accurate woodworking calculations
- Measure your actual kerf – different blades and track saws remove different amounts of material.
- Include trim allowance for parts that must be perfectly square or scribed to walls.
- Group parts by thickness – you generally cannot mix 3/4″ and 4/4 rough stock in the same milling run.
- Plan grain direction manually