Wood Cutting Mode
Wood Cutting mode is a specialized version of 1D linear cutting designed specifically for timber, structural lumber, and dressed wood. It adds cross-section type matching, grain direction control, and dimension-aware grouping that makes it the right tool for carpentry, timber framing, joinery, and furniture making.
What Makes Wood Mode Different
Timber cutting has a few constraints that generic 1D cutting does not handle:
- Cross-section matching — A 90×45 mm stud and a 190×45 mm joist are both linear pieces, but they cannot come from the same stock. Wood mode lets you define cross-sections and ensures pieces only come from matching stock.
- Grain direction — For structural and appearance-grade timber, pieces must be cut with the grain running along the length. Wood mode can lock this constraint per demand piece.
- Timber profile visualisation — The canvas shows each timber with its cross-section shape, making it easy to verify that the right profile is being used.
For non-timber linear materials (steel, aluminium, plastic, cable), use 1D Linear Cutting mode. Wood mode adds timber-specific fields that are unnecessary and may create confusion for non-timber materials.
Cross-Section Types
Wood mode organises timber by cross-section type. This affects how pieces are grouped in the cut list and how they appear in the canvas.
| Cross-section type | Typical dimensions | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Column | Width ≈ Depth (square or near-square) | 90×90, 140×140, 150×150 posts |
| Board | Width > 2× Depth | 190×35, 240×45, 290×45 framing boards |
| Batten | Width > Depth, but < 2× | 70×45, 90×45, 90×35 studs and plates |
| Lath | Width > 3× Depth | 75×19, 100×25, 50×12 lath and cover strip |
When you add a stock length or demand piece, you select its cross-section type from a dropdown. CutOptim automatically groups pieces into categories and only assigns demand pieces to stock of the matching cross-section and dimensions.
Adding Timber Stock
| Feature | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Length | number | Full length of the timber piece in mm or cm. |
| Width | number | Cross-section width (larger of the two cross-section dimensions for boards and battens). |
| Depth (Thickness) | number | Cross-section depth (smaller dimension). For a 90×45 stud, depth is 45 mm. |
| Cross-section type | select | Column, Board, Batten, or Lath. Controls grouping and visual representation. |
| Quantity | integer | Number of pieces of this stock available. |
| Price | number | Cost per piece for quotation export. |
| Label | text | Optional label, e.g. 'MGP10 90×45 3.6m'. |
Example timber stock for a deck frame:
| Label | Length | Width | Depth | Type | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MGP10 90×45 4.8m | 4800 | 90 | 45 | Batten | 20 |
| MGP10 140×45 4.8m | 4800 | 140 | 45 | Board | 10 |
| H3 90×90 3.6m | 3600 | 90 | 90 | Column | 6 |
Adding Demand Pieces
| Feature | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Length | number | Required cut length. |
| Width | number | Required cross-section width. Must match an available stock cross-section. |
| Depth | number | Required cross-section depth. Must match an available stock cross-section. |
| Cross-section type | select | Must match the cross-section type of the intended stock. |
| Quantity | integer | Number of pieces required. |
| Label | text | Piece name, e.g. 'Joist J1', 'Bearer B3'. |
| Lock Grain | boolean | When enabled, the piece cannot be rotated. Preserves grain direction along the length. Default: on for Board and Lath types. |
If a demand piece’s cross-section (width × depth) does not match any available stock cross-section, CutOptim will flag it as unplaceable and prevent the optimization from running. Check that your demand cross-sections exactly match your stock cross-sections.
Running a Wood Mode Optimization
- 1
Switch to Wood mode
Click the **Wood** tab in the mode selector at the top of the toolbar.
- 2
Add stock timber
In the Stock table, add your available timber lengths with cross-section dimensions and quantities. Use the cross-section type dropdown to classify each entry.
- 3
Add demand pieces
In the Demand table, add each required piece. Ensure the cross-section dimensions exactly match the stock. Enable Lock Grain for any piece where grain direction matters.
- 4
Configure kerf
In Settings, set the kerf width for your saw. A standard handsaw or circular saw produces 2.5–3.5 mm kerf. A precision cabinet saw may be 2 mm.
- 5
Run the optimization
Click Run Optimization. CutOptim groups demand pieces by cross-section and optimizes each group independently against matching stock.
- 6
Review results by cross-section
The canvas shows results grouped by cross-section type. Use the group tabs to navigate between Columns, Boards, Battens, and Laths. Each group shows bar diagrams for the matching stock.
Reading Wood Mode Results
Results are organised into cross-section groups. For each group, you see:
- Bars used from that stock section
- Pieces placed from the demand list
- Offcuts per bar, including their length and cross-section
- Yield % for that section
The overall summary at the bottom aggregates across all groups and shows total timber used, total waste, and total material cost.
Offcuts in Wood Mode
Offcuts in Wood mode include their full cross-section dimensions, so when you save them to the Offcut Inventory, they are searchable by cross-section in future jobs. A saved offcut of 90×45 mm will only appear as available stock for future 90×45 demand pieces.
Grain Matching Business
Grain matching ensures that pieces which must have the same grain character — knot pattern, colour, or ring structure — are cut from the same stock piece. This is essential for matching panels, door sets, and furniture components where visual consistency across multiple pieces matters.
Grain matching is a Business-tier feature. On Pro, you can use Lock Grain to control grain direction, but pieces may still come from different stock pieces. Grain matching groups guarantee same-source cutting.
When to use grain matching:
- A wardrobe with two adjacent doors that must look like a single piece of timber
- A dining table with a top made from several planks matched for similar grain
- Matched stile-and-rail sets for cabinet doors where visual consistency is required
Setting up a grain match group:
- Open Advanced Settings in the Settings panel
- Under Grain Matching, click New Group
- Give the group a name (e.g.
Centre panel pair,Matched doors) - Select the demand pieces that must come from the same stock using the dropdown — selected pieces appear as coloured chips
- Repeat for each group needed
- Run the optimization — grouped pieces are assigned to the same stock bar
Constraints:
- A piece can only belong to one grain matching group at a time
- Groups are saved with the project and restored on reload
- If the grouped pieces cannot all fit on a single stock bar, CutOptim will flag an error and suggest using a longer stock piece
Name your groups descriptively. Matched pair 1 and Matched pair 2 are hard to track on a complex job. Living room cabinet doors or Island bench ends are immediately clear when you return to the project.
Practical Example: Pergola Frame
Job: Freestanding backyard pergola, 4×4 m.
Demand:
- 4× 90×90 posts at 2700 mm (Column)
- 2× 140×45 bearers at 4200 mm (Board)
- 5× 90×45 rafters at 4200 mm (Batten)
- 4× 90×45 noggings at 600 mm (Batten)
Stock available:
- 6× 90×90 H3 treated pine, 4800 mm
- 4× 140×45 MGP10, 4800 mm
- 8× 90×45 MGP10, 4800 mm
Result:
- Posts: 4 bars used (from 6 available), 4× 2100 mm offcuts saved
- Bearers: 2 bars used (exact fit, 600 mm waste per bar)
- Rafters + noggings: 5 bars used, 3× 390 mm offcuts saved
- Overall yield: 91.8%