How do I get a cut list from my woodworking model?

The parts to cut.

Identical parts are grouped into one line with their quantity, the stock they come from and their finished length. Parts that need ripping, resawing or a taper carry a note saying so.

Boards you mark as references, a wall or an existing cabinet you are building around, are drawn in the model but never cut or bought.

The boards to buy.

Mortise picks the cheapest set of stock lengths that holds every part, packing parts end to end and then ripping them out of wider boards. It allows ⅛″ (3 mm) for each saw kerf and trims ½″ (10 mm) off each end of a board.

Hardwood and dimensional lumber are counted in board feet on the nominal size, the way a lumberyard charges. The total comes with a price estimate from rough Canadian retail prices per board foot, so read it as a guide to the bill, not a quote.

Lengths

6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 ft, or 2400 to 5400 mm in 600 mm steps for metric stock.

Sheet goods

Full sheets, half sheets, and 2′×4′ or 2′×2′ project panels, nested with the grain running the way each part needs it.

What else goes in the cart.

Every fastener and fitting in the model is counted with its size: screws by gauge and length, dowels, biscuits, Dominos, bolts, hinges, slides. Glue is added when anything is glued, clamps for the biggest glue-up, epoxy for a lamination, and bench dogs and a holdfast for dog holes.

The tools list starts from a basic kit and adds what the operations in the model call for, so it grows as the joinery does.

Questions people ask.

Can I change the lumber prices?

Not yet. Prices come from a built-in table of rough Canadian retail prices per board foot, and the total is shown as an estimate.

Does the cut list allow for the saw kerf?

Yes. The shopping list and cut sheet allow ⅛″ (3 mm) per cut. The model itself is cut exactly, so the parts keep their drawn sizes.

Can I export the cut list?

Yes, as a PDF: the cut sheet opens with the parts schedule, the boards to buy, the hardware and the tools.

The rest of Mortise.

• Real lumber sizesDimensional lumber, hardwood by the quarter, metric timber and sheet goods at their real sizes.
• Joinery and hardwareDovetails, mortise and tenon, dadoes and grooves, and every fastener and fitting as real hardware.
• Cut sheetsNumbered cutting diagrams and a cutting plan as a PDF that reads at print size.
• Bent woodKerf bending, steam bending and bent lamination, with the radius each wood will take.