CHAPTER 1, LESSON 1 of 3
GOAL: To understand what a cutting list is, what information it provides and why it is important to have an accurate and complete cutting list before you start a project.
At the end of the design process, or if you are working from a mocked-up project, an existing piece of furniture or from a measured drawing, the next step is to create a cutting list (also known as a material list). It is an essential step in the building process.
The following lesson will teach you to read and understand a material list or develop your own.
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| Example of a Material List |
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The material
list above describes
every
part of this
project.
Nearly
all published
woodworking
projects have a
material list of
one
type or another. |
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| Example of a material list created in a spreadsheet software. |
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| The material
list for the
Shaker table
below included
wood
species information
and
some machining
notes. |
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A cutting list, which can also be known as a material list, bill of materials, or schedule of materials is simply a listing of all the parts that will be required to construct a project. In today's terms, it is a spreadsheet that allows a woodworker to move on to the next step in the critical path, that of harvesting the parts, with all the information they need.
This information can be derived from multiple sources: a measured or scaled drawing, a mocked-up project or an existing piece of furniture. Most material lists follow the convention of listing the thickness first (T), the width of a piece second (W) and the length (L) of the piece third. Another convention to be observed is that the length of a solid wood piece will represent the direction that the grain is running -- which is how you can get a measurement that reads 3/4" x 6-1⁄2" x 3". Here, the width (6-1⁄2") is "longer" than the length (3"), which seems counterintuitive. But it is telling you that the grain of the wood is running along the 3" dimension. Very important.
At a minimum, a material list describes every part in terms of its thickness, width and length. Those measurements include the length or width of a part's tenons or tongues, etc. within their dimensions.
The list provides exact measurements of the completed pieces. No additional material is included as a "safety net" or "just in case."
The list indicates how many of each part is required.
Material lists regularly name the parts as a means to describe their function (e.g. Upper Shelf, Drawer Front, Cleat, Apron, etc.).
Material lists can also include information about the joinery to be done to the pieces noted, and what type of wood they are to be made from. (See the list to the right as an example.)
Without an accurate material list, you will lose efficiency and accuracy and be more likely to waste lumber.
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