Free (and almost free) Woodworking Stuff
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Home-Grown Software
Board Feet Calculator
Windows
Here's a handy little calculator for quickly computing how much lumber you
need to order for your next big project. To install:
download to a temporary location on your hard drive, click on bdft.exe to
extract file components, click on setup.exe and follow directions. Delete
all files created in temporary location.
Bill of Materials
html file
This is a template for creating a bill of materials or materials
list once a final drawing is in hand.
Project Summary Template
html file
Use this template to create a summary sheet for your woodworking projects.
Includes project name, date, customer, material costs, labor breakdown, and
construction notes.
Downloadable Software at WoodCentral
Arc Layout
Excel spreadsheet to calculate the path of a circular arc in a workpiece
given the length of the arc bottom and the rise at its midpoint. By
Ron Zuckermann.
Board Foot Calculator
Excel spreadsheet which calculates board feet given
width and length. By David Lykins.
Compound Miter Angles
Excel spreadsheet for computing compound miter angles.
Displays crosscut (miter guage) and blade tilt angles. By Robert
Wilkerson.
Cove Cutter 1.0
Assists in determining blade height and cutting angle
for making cove cuts on a table saw. Interactively generates a
cross-section view of the cove - cool! By Tony Leonard.
Raised Panel Calculator
Excel spreadsheet that produces a rudimentary diagram
and a cut list for raised panel doors. Inputs include width of rail and
styles, outer dimensions and quantity. Handles single, double, and
four-panel doors. by Mike Bon
More Downloadable Software
Anglesaw
Excel workbook
Helps you calculate the angle of a jeweler's saw blade or scroll saw
blade if you are inlaying any material into another. Courtesy of Dave Bilger
of B&B Rare Woods, Mac/Windows.
Basics
Free for limited time
An affordable, complete order processing and inventory control system for
cabinet, furniture, fixture and millwork manufacturing. Designed for
small companies (10 to 40 employees). Feldman Engineering Corporation,
Windows.
Component/Summary Sheet
Excel spreadsheet that computes costs and material requirements for
cabinetmakers. Component sheet is for listing components, dimensions and
time. Summary sheet is for summing selected groups and setting waste
variables. Courtesy of Lars
Gandarve. Windows.
DesignWorkshop Lite
Build your own 3D models for home design and visualization of
architecture, landscapes, exhibits, or any kind of spatial design. Artifice
Inc., Windows or Mac.
Desktop
Themes for Woodworkers
An interesting collection of woodworking pictures that can be
installed as background images or screensavers. Courtesy of Stephen Waddell.
Windows.
Dovetail Template Maker
Windows
Here's a program that generates dovetail templates (for Incra and
JointTech dovetail jigs) given board thickness, width, size, angle of
dovetail bit, and number of dovetails. Courtesy of Tom Giammo, Crestline
Enterprises.
Face-Frame Cabinet Cut List Calculator
Excel spreadsheet. Just enter finished cabinet dimensions and this utility
generates cut lists and cost information for the various cabinet components.
Courtesy of Jay C. Heil.
Inch2Metric
Downloadable calculator to convert from inches to millimeters. Courtesy of
Peter Havel.
IntelliCAD 2000 by
CADopia Windows
A nicely packaged 2D CAD product with many features and a high degree of
compatibility with the AutoCAD command set, as well as AutoLISP and Autodesk
ADS. Free Downlaod!
Kitchen Designer by
Bob Vila Online utility
A custom kitchen
design tool that walks you through the process of
creating a floor plan, adding cabinets, counters, doors, windows and
appliances-in various styles and colors.
Palm Pilot Board Foot Calculator
Computes board feet for single boards or entire projects. When you go to buy
materials, you can input the size boards available, and it tells you how
many to buy! George Ziegler, Palm Pilot. (Freeand registered versions)
Panel Pro
Windows
Creates a bill of materials for a panel door given dimensions of opening,
panel, rail and stile parameters and seasonal movement allowance. Courtesy
of Lars Thomas, Chesapeake Woodworks.
Polycut
Windows
A nifty little utility for graphically laying out angles of compound
mitres. It calculates the proper angles for polygons having 3 to 16 sides
and side slopes from 0 to 60 degrees. John McGaw, Windows.
Shelf Deflection Software
DOS
Suite of 5 modules for computing shelf deflection, loading, and
related parameters. Also includes comparative table of 38 wood species.
Courtesy of Steve Stephenson.
SlingShot
Cabinet detailer spreadsheet.
Generates cutlists for frameless cabinet cases that can be exported in CSV
format to the Sheet Layout optimization package. Door and drawer
calculations are performed with companion spreadsheets. By Bill Buck.
SlingShot ToeKicker
Spreadsheet that calculates toe kick schedules for
cabinets. A companion spreadsheet to SlingShot. By Bill Buck.
SlingShot DoorMaker
Spreadsheet that calculates dimensions and
cutlists for cabinet door parts. A companion spreadsheet to SlingShot. By
Bill Buck.
SlingShot DrawerBoxer
Spreadsheet that calculates dimensions and
cutlists for drawer components. A companion spreadsheet to SlingShot. By
Bill Buck.
TurboCAD 2D includes 200 drawing and dimensioning tools, an easy-to-use Windows interface and compatibility with MS Office.
WoodIndex
Online utility
A searchable online index of woodworking articles from 9
popular magazines dating back to 1982. Many search results link
directly to the publisher's 'backissues' section. The index is updated
monthly. www.woodindex.com
Wood Movement Calculator
Windows
Computes the dimensions of lumber at specified moisture contents so you can
better allow for wood movement in your furniture designs. If you like the
program, the author, E.C. Aumiller, says a $1 to $5 donation would be
appreciated. Sounds like a good deal to me ....
Wood
Movement Calculator Windows
Performs four different types of calculations with respect to wood
shrinkage. And the download page contains lots of meaty technical info about
wood shrinkage/expansion. Courtesy of Larry Marker.
Woodpro DOS
A lumber database and wood selection system featuring
331 common types of wood and their properties. Courtesy of Ken Young.
Woodsearch
Excel workbook
A research-aid containing over 16,000 common wood names and their
corresponding species names. Includes several wood searching and sorting
macros. Courtesy of Dave Bilger of B&B
Rare Woods, Mac/Windows.
Woodsearch Online utility
An online version of the Woodsearch Excel workbook. Type in the common or
species name and get a list of all matching woods. Courtesy of Rick's
Woodshop Creations and Dave Bilger.
Woodworkers
Calculator
Performs simple operations on fractional and/or decimal data and converts
between data formats. Enables working in inches or feet. Mike Hankey,
Windows.
Woodworking Price Estimator - an online wizard for project cost estimating. From the makers of CutList Plus.
Charts and Reference Info
Drill Press Speeds
Keep this handy/dandy chart near your drill press. Provided by Just
Woodworking Magazine.
Wood Screw Pilot Hole Sizes
Do you know what size hole do drill for what size screw? Well, now you will
with this chart. Provided by Just Woodworking Magazine.
Nail
Sizes
How long is a 3-penny nail? How about a 6-penny? This chart lists them all.
Provided by Engineers Edge.