WORKBENCH GUIDE
How to read a cut list
A cut list turns a design into parts to cut. Know what each column means before you saw, especially finished size versus cut size.
The columns
Each row of a cut list is one part, repeated by its quantity. The size is length × width × thickness, with the length along the grain unless stated otherwise. The material groups parts that come from the same stock, so a 6 mm back never lands on an 18 mm sheet in the sheet-cut calculator.
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Part name | What the part is (side, shelf, door); keep names consistent across tools. |
| Length × width × thickness | Length runs with the grain; the thickness should match the stock you will buy. |
| Quantity | How many identical parts; plans and totals multiply by it. |
| Material | Groups parts that share stock; for a sheet plan, material and thickness must both match. |
| Grain | Locked grain keeps the part length parallel to the stock length; unlocked parts may rotate 90°. |
| Edges and banding | Which long and short edges get banding, and therefore how much the cut size shrinks. |
Finished size or cut size
The most common mistake is cutting a finished size. If a 400 mm shelf gets 1 mm banding on both long edges, the panel must be cut at 398 mm. Timbrivo’s cut-list calculator subtracts the band thickness once per banded edge when you enter finished sizes.
Solid wood lists may also carry nominal sizes: a nominal 1 × 6 board is 3/4 × 5-1/2 in when dry and dressed (Wood Handbook Table 6-6). Write actual dimensions in the cut list and keep the nominal name for purchasing.
From list to plan
Quantities and sizes become a cutting plan: sheet parts go to the sheet-cut optimiser, linear parts to the bar optimiser. Each saw cut removes a kerf, and trimming the factory edge removes a strip from the stock, so the plan always needs more material than the sum of the parts.
Timbrivo’s optimisers are heuristics: they produce a good plan but do not guarantee the global minimum, and parts that do not fit are listed with a reason instead of being hidden.
Check before cutting
Check the list against the drawing: count parts per assembly, confirm which faces will show and mark the grain direction on panels with a visible pattern. Measure the actual stock thickness, because panels and lumber can differ from the nominal value.
Shelf 800 × 400 × 18 mm, quantity 2, banded on both long edges with 1 mm tape: cut size 800 × 398 mm, and 2 × 2 × 800 mm = 3.2 m of banding before end allowances.