# Make a cutting plan

Calculate how many boards and sheets to buy, with cutting diagrams, and use your own offcuts first.

> **AI credit.** Some steps use AI credit. Those are the steps that ask the assistant. You can do the other steps without credit. AI help is pay-as-you-go. No compulsory subscription. Drawing by hand is free for personal use. Prices: https://kerfcraft.app/pricing

The cutting plan tells you how much stock to buy and where each part comes from. It has a diagram and a numbered cut sequence for each sheet and board.

KerfCraft does not promise that a cutting plan is correct for cutting. Check every dimension against your own measurements before cutting.

## Set the saw kerf and the end trim

1. Press Esc until nothing is selected. The **Properties** panel shows the project settings.
2. Under **Workshop**, in **Saw kerf**, type the width of your saw cut. The default is 3 mm.
3. In **End trim**, type the length to cut off each board end. The default is 5 mm.

Both fields use the project units, as the other lengths do.

The optimiser adds the kerf between parts. It removes the end trim from each timber board. Sheets have a 10 mm margin on each edge.

## Run the optimiser

1. In the manufacturing panel, click **Whole project**, or select parts and click **Selection**.
2. Click **Optimise cuts**.
3. Wait for the progress bar to finish. To stop, click **Cancel**.

The **Cutting plan** tab opens. For each sheet material, it shows the number of sheets to buy, the sheet size and the waste. For each timber material, it shows the stock lengths to buy.

Each heading also gives a lower bound. If the count is equal to the lower bound, the heading says **minimal**. If not, it says **not proven minimal**.

Sheet parts keep the grain along the sheet length, unless the grain of the part does not matter. A warning shows each part that does not fit on a sheet or board.

## Read a diagram

- For a sheet, the diagram shows each part with its cut list letter and size. The caption gives the offcut sizes. The numbered list under it is the cut sequence.
- For timber, click a board to see its cut sequence. The line under it gives the offcut length. An offcut of 300 mm or more is marked **(reusable)**.

## Re-run the plan after a change

The plan does not change when the model changes. If you edit the model, or change the scope, a warning tells you to re-run the optimiser. Click **Optimise cuts** again.

## Use stock that you already have

The optimiser uses the boards and sheets in the stock inventory before it buys new stock.

1. Click the **Cutting plan** tab.
2. Under **Stock inventory (used before buying)**, select the material.
3. Type the length. For a sheet, also type the width.
4. Type the quantity. Optionally, type a label and a location.
5. Click **Add**.
6. Click **Optimise cuts**.

Sheets and boards from the inventory show **from inventory** in the plan. To remove an item, click **✕** on its row.

## Record the offcuts after you cut

1. Cut the parts as the plan shows.
2. Click **Record offcuts into inventory**.

KerfCraft removes the inventory that the plan used. It adds the reusable offcuts of the plan to the inventory.

## Change the stock lengths of timber

The stock lengths for a catalogue timber come from the catalogue. For a custom timber profile, you set them in **Stock lengths (mm)** when you add the profile in **File ▸ Materials…**.

You can also ask the assistant to plan with other stock lengths or another sheet size.