Lumber & Cut Planner

Buy the right wood for your projects and cut it with less waste.

Wood is the biggest cost of most projects, and most of the waste happens before the first cut: a board that is the wrong size, a bowed 2x4, a plywood sheet cut in the wrong order. This planner helps you buy what you need, pick good boards at the store and plan your cuts on paper first.

What’s inside

• Nominal vs actual lumber sizes, from 1x2 to 4x4, in inches and millimeters
• Plywood sheet sizes, real thicknesses and grades explained
• 12 wood species compared by cost, hardness, indoor or outdoor use, how they take stain and what they are best for
• How to read a board at the store: bow, crook, cup, twist, knots, splits and wet wood
• Board feet made simple, with worked examples
• How to plan your cuts, with a 2x4 and a plywood sheet laid out step by step
• 10 ways to waste less wood and a store checklist
• Printable planning sheets: project cut list, 8 ft board diagrams, 4x8 plywood layout grid and shopping list

Format: 12-page PDF, US Letter size. Instant access after checkout.