Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Wood Cut Sheet

01 January 2013

Re: [DIY] Wood Cut Sheet

Again, Thanks Dale! I never know how to lay out my pieces either so I just go for it and hope for the best lol. Needless to say, I have a lot of pieces I can put to use making the angle jigs you talked about in another post! Didn't know they had software online for getting the most out of a piece of would! Good idea! Wish I could think up some invention like that! I could use the money being on a fixed income. And I also get my sheets cut down to a manageable size at the lumber store. Makes it a lot easier for me to haul to the truck then to the shop! I'm a little short on one end lol. I refinish/restore furniture that I find cheap or FREE on Craig'sList and it never fails about once every 2 or 3 wks I find a dresser or chest of drawers, etc, that is "missing" a drawer or 2! I don't know how that happens but it gives me another project to keep me busy and bring in a little bit of money. If I can't sell it I donate to His Helping Hands that helps people in need. To me, I still come out ahead! I love helping others whenever I can! Thanks for all your input, Dale. ~Cheryl

--- On Mon, 12/31/12, Dale S <dalu@hbcomm.net> wrote:

From: Dale S <dalu@hbcomm.net>
Subject: Re: [DIY] Wood Cut Sheet
To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, December 31, 2012, 8:28 PM

I use a CAD package called ALIBRE which was at one time available for a one time offer of $99.00 and since it normally cost about 400 I jumped. I don't know if it is still available for that price but if so I'd get it. I simply make 3D drawings of all the individual parts, then assemble them and when I'm satisfied with the final unit, lay out the individual parts on a diagram of my stock and get my best fit.

Now that I have impressed you with how I should do it, I'll tell the truth. I usually get my panels pre-cut in 2 foot by 4 foot panels for ease of handling and then what would otherwise be waste becomes shop drawers, tool chests and all the other smaller niceties I decide to make later on. Since most of my work is cabinets and the likes, 2x4 foot panels work out just right. The lumber yard has a good panel saw and so their cuts are easier to make than would be mine. I'm getting too old to wrestle 4x8 panels on a table saw or through the radial arm, and I'm too cheap to buy a panel saw of my own when I can use theirs for free. I do however make drawings first of all of my projects since it is so easy to get all of the dimensions and angles just right.

Dale in the Flatlands.
John S Moss wrote:

I'm looking for a better way to layout a cut sheet for a woodworking project. I have my materials list, but need to figure out what sizes wood I need to minimize waste. Drawing the layout by hand can get tedious and prone to arithmetic mistakes.

What do others use? I found a bunch of software online, but would like recommendations.

Thanks,

John

Death, like photography, is simply a series of chemical reactions.

--Franchesca Woodman