cutlistlab › Guides
Guides
Do you cut with a track saw yourself, or have the store cut your sheets? Both routes are here: from choosing sheet material to a cabinet built to size, and from cut list to a cutting plan that is right.
Start hereMaterialCabinets and projectsPrepare and calculateCutting and finishing
Coming from the tool and looking for what a button or icon does? That is in the Help. Looking for a specific calculator? See all cut list calculators.
From sheet to cutting plan
Four guides that cover the whole job. Start here if you are new to cutlistlab.
- 01Choosing sheet material
Plywood, MDF, particleboard or melamine, and which thickness.
- 02How to make a cut list
Every part with size and quantity, without mistakes.
- 03How many sheets do I need?
The real count, not the area divided.
- 04Cut optimization
The layout per sheet and the cutting order, ready for the saw.
Prefer watching?
Every video has its own page with chapters and a transcript. The whole series is also in the playlist on our YouTube channel.
1:11A cutting plan in about a minute
5:13Design a plywood cabinet
5:11Drawers, doors and a sloped-roof cabinet
3:20Make a cutting plan: parts and sheet
2:52Adjust and export a cutting plan
2:33Getting sheets cut at the store
3:14Reuse offcuts and track projects
3:39Battens, baseboard and profiles
Cabinet series: building a cabinet in six parts
Hinges, drawers, a wall of cabinets, a cabinet under a sloping roof, a pull-out pantry and the build manual. Also as the Cabinet series playlist on YouTube.
Material
7 guidesThe sheet you choose decides the thickness, the weight and how you finish the edges.
- 01
Choosing sheet material
Which sheet fits your project: strength, moisture, price and finish.
- 02
Cutting plywood to size
Which thickness to use where, and how to run the grain on visible parts.
- 03
Cutting MDF to size
Which MDF handles moisture and how to get clean edges.
- 04
Cutting melamine board to size
How to cut pre-finished board without chip-out.
- 05
Cutting particleboard to size
Types and thicknesses, and cutting it without chipping.
- 06
Cutting OSB to size
Which OSB grade and thickness to use where, cut without fraying.
- 07
Finishing sheet material
Sand, prime, seal or oil so plywood, MDF and particleboard last.
Cabinets and projects to size
13 guidesEvery cabinet below opens with one click in the cabinet designer: enter the sizes, and the parts and cutting plan follow.
- 01
Building a cabinet to size
From outside dimensions and layout to panel sizes and a cut list.
- 02
Building a wardrobe to size
The right depth and the sizes for hanging space, shelves and drawers.
- 03
Building a walk-in closet
A layout around the room with rails, shelf towers and drawers.
- 04
Building a kitchen cabinet to size
Common sizes for base and wall cabinets, and which material handles moisture.
- 05
Building a bookcase to size
How wide a shelf can be before it sags.
- 06
Building a drawer unit to size
Drawer boxes, fronts and the clearances that run smoothly.
- 07
Drawers without slides
Wooden runners from strips or a groove: sizes, steps and limits.
- 08
Building a corner cabinet to size
How to use an awkward corner with an L-shape or an angled cabinet.
- 09
Cabinet under a sloped roof
Measuring under the slope and cutting the angled panel.
- 10
Building a bathroom vanity to size
Moisture-resistant material, sealed edges and a wall-hung install.
- 11
Building a TV unit to size
Sizes, cable routing and material for a clean media unit.
- 12
Cutting a countertop to size
Which material and thickness keep a countertop flat.
- 13
Building a wall shelf to size
Thickness against sagging and how to hang it invisibly.
Prepare and calculate
6 guidesYou do not have to do the math yourself: the tool nests your parts on the sheets and accounts for the kerf. Choosing a cut list tool? See our comparisons.
- 01
How to make a cut list
What goes in a cut list and how to build one without mistakes.
- 02
How many sheets do I need?
Why area math falls short, with a worked example.
- 03
Saw kerf explained
How much wood every cut removes and how to account for it.
- 04
Cut optimization
How to get more parts out of fewer sheets.
- 05
How a cut list optimizer works
Why the tool sometimes picks a different layout than you would.
- 06
Best free cut list optimizer, compared
Which free tools exist and how they differ.
Cutting and finishing
6 guides- 01
Cutting straight with a circular saw
Guide rail, blade depth and how to prevent tear-out.
- 02
Plunge saw and guide rail
Dead-straight, splinter-free cuts without a table saw.
- 03
Which saw blade for sheet goods
How many teeth you need for melamine, plywood and MDF.
- 04
Applying edge banding
A clean edge, and how the band thickness changes the cut size.
- 05
Reusing offcuts
Keep leftover panels as stock and use them first next time.
- 06
Cutting baseboard corners
Where to measure at an inside or outside corner, mitering or coping, and how much to buy.