Tool · Sheet cutting
Panel saw fence settings
Cut a stage at a time across all your sheets and set the fence once for each size. The plan rips strips widest first, crosscuts each strip longest first, and lists every setting with its cuts. Free, no sign-up.
Your sheet layouts will appear here.
Fill in your sheets and parts, then press Plan my sheets.
How it works
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01
Enter sheets and parts
Add your sheet sizes, your cut list and the blade's kerf. Fence settings are a panel saw's, so the cutter stays on Panel saw.
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02
Aim for the fewest settings
With Fence settings on, the plan also tries cutting in exactly two stages, every strip ripped to a part's width and every piece crosscut to a part's length, and keeps it when it takes no more sheets.
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03
Cut a stage at a time
Read the settings under the plan, largest first: rip every sheet at each width, then crosscut every strip, then trim. Each line gives the size, how many cuts, and the sheets they're on.
Panel saw fence settings questions
Why cut the largest pieces first?
With each sheet's widest strips first and each strip's longest pieces first, you can rip every sheet at one setting before moving the fence to the next size down, so each size is set once.
Will it take more sheets?
No. It keeps the plan that places the most parts, then the one with fewer sheets, then the one with fewer settings, so it never takes more sheets than aiming for the fewest sheets, and sometimes takes fewer.
Does it work for a CNC router?
No. A router has no fence, so its plan aims for the fewest sheets. Fence settings are offered when the cutter is a panel saw.
What about sheets with defects?
A sheet with defects keeps the order the solver gave it, since moving a piece could put a part on a defect.
Can I send the plan to my saw?
On the Bench plan, the Saw file tool downloads a panel saw plan as a PTX file, the pattern exchange format most panel saw software reads. Cut one test board from it before you run the job.